Today’s Dispatch

Issue: As Israel has continued to investigate the horrific acts perpetrated by Hamas during the surprise attack on October 7th, the scope of the terrorist group’s atrocities are beyond the horrors of what even the initial reports suggested.

Warning: Disturbing Content

Background:

• Hamas tortured, burned, mutilated, and riddled the bodies of their victims - who were aged from just a few months to ninety years old - with bullets. This has made it difficult to identify many of the bodies, except through dental records. Zaka volunteers, who perform the holy task of collecting the remains of Jewish bodies, recounted horrific scenes they have never witnessed in their lives.
• On Saturday night, the spokesperson for the IDF confirmed that rape and other forms of sexual assault were among the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas on October 7th.
• Hundreds of bodies of young people have been recovered from the site of the Supernova Music Festival.
• The IDF has released new, harrowing, unedited bodycam footage that shows terrorists slaughtering, torturing and decapitating innocent Israelis. One is of a young girl being dragged out from under a desk before she is gruesomely murdered, and another of a man dying from a grenade thrown by a Hamas terrorist into the bomb shelter where he and his children were seeking refuge.
• Two hundred forensic pathologists, radiologists, and other experts gathered at the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv to try to identify the bodies, but 350 bodies have still not been identified. Among the remains are those of a parent and a child who were bound together and burned alive.
• No fewer than 21 children were orphaned by the attack, including a four-year old girl who is now being held hostage in Gaza.

Suggested actions to support Israel in your local community:

• Send a birthday greeting to Ohad Zichri, who was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists and is observing his ninth birthday in captivity.
• Watch and share this heartfelt interview with Thomas Hand, the father of 8-year-old Emily Kornberg Hand, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists during a sleepover at a friend’s house on Kibbutz Be’eri.
• Share nine facts about Israel’s war to defend herself on facebook and instagram.
• Wear Your #BlueRibbonsforIsrael: Communities and leaders across North America are wearing their blue ribbons in solidarity with the hostages taken by Hamas and their families. Click here to order your blue ribbon for yourself and your community members.
• Hold a Solidarity Gathering/Vigil in your community. For a guidebook, see here.

Community Spotlight

The Jewish Federation of Northern NJ mobilized their volunteer center to distribute 15,000 blue ribbons around the community to schools, agencies, civic partners and elected officials.

Additional Resources

Click here to access Jewish Federations’ Swords of Iron toolkit, which we are updating every day with new materials.

Now, more than ever, it’s important for us to come together and be in community during this challenging time. Join us at next year’s Washington Conference, which will take place from Wednesday, February 28th to Friday, March 1st, 2024. For an early bird rate,please register here.

The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to Israel’s war against Hamas. The Community Mobilization Center will rapidly disseminate resources to help mobilize and support our local communities as they build and sustain civic and political support for Israel in this conflict. The work of the Community Mobilization Center will continue as long as it takes Israel to eradicate the terrorist threat and restore security to the country.

The Community Mobilization Center is at your service. Open zoom hours to ask questions and seek support in your community’s response efforts will be held daily from 10-12 ET at this link. Click here to send us an email.

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