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Mostly Cloudy Am Yisrael chai! Thousands rally in 5 Towns to support the Jewish state
Standing with Israel in Cedarhurst on Oct. 15
We weren’t struck by a bolt of moral clarity when Hamas terrorists murdered and pillaged in Israeli communities near the Gaza border on Oct. 7, “because for the last 23 years, we’ve suffered with terror, day in and day out,” Rabbi Ya’akov Trump of the Young Island of Lawrence-Cedarhurst told thousands gathered in Cedarhurst’s Andrew J. Parise Park on Sunday, Oct. 15, to demonstrate unity and support for Israel.
The rally was organized by the Five Towns-based Marion & Aaron Gural JCC.
For the rest of the world, however, the bloody terror appears to have been a revelation, he said.
Videos recorded by The Jewish Star.
Rabbi Yaakov Trump: A moment of moral clarity
We understand the battle over there is not a battle between Israel and Hamas, between Jew and Arab; it is between good and evil.
We’ve heard over the last 10 years stories — which everybody else ignores — stories of women killed in front of their children; 13-year-old girls murdered in their bed at night; young teenagers raped and decapitated as they go to the Jerusalem zoo; families decimated as they sit down to their Friday night meals. And yet, the world ignores it. There are “two sides.”
In our synagogue, we put up a sign just before Yom Kippur two weeks ago. This is a signthat was made by OneFamily, an organization dedicated to the families decimated by terror. There are 1,707 faces and names on this poster of people who have been murdered, civilians who have been killed, families who have been ripped apart in the last 23 years.
And I would like to show you something else. This is a picture put together in the last week [at left of photo]. It is already outdated — with over 1,300 faces on it in one day, in one day!
This is a moment of moral clarity. When we realize that maybe finally the world will wake up and understand that what we’ve been dealing with for the last 23 years, just happened in one day.
And it is therefore incumbent upon us, it is incumbent upon anybody who calls themselves a human, incumbent on any free nation on earth, to eradicate the scourge of the soul of humanity called Hamas and all that stand with it — and that includes those who stood in Times Square last week, while the bodies were still burning, saying “one Jew one bullet,” people who had signs saying “at all costs” — because if you support terror, then you are with them.
[In the next war,] the script will flip. As videos of those who are incarcerated in Gaza City because Hamas will not let them out filter into the media, they will try to force our governments to create a ceasefire.
If a ceasefire is declared, it will be an immediate victory to Hamas. They will claim the victory in this war and it will be a victory because they will rebuild until the next massacre.
We cannot let that happen. We cannot let it let Hamas win.
We will never allow such evil to prevail in our world. We will get rid of Hamas at all cost no matter how long it takes.
And everybody here, every single person, has the responsibility of getting that message out. We will not stand by for evil.
Mazi Melesa Pilip: 'I am a proud IDF soldier'
Mazi Melesa Pilip is a Nassau County legislator from Great Neck. At age 12, she arrived in Israel via Operation Solomon, and later served in the IDF’s Tzanchanim Paratrooper’s Brigade.
I am a proud IDF soldier. Thank you for being here and for continuing to support Israel.
What do we know about Hamas? We know this is terrorist organization — yes or no? [Yes!] We know Hamas is using its own citizens as human shields — yes or no? [Yes!] We know on Oct. 7 Hamas killed more than 1,300 Jewish and non-Jewish … burned our babies, kidnapped our kids … beheaded our babies.
Therefore, the nations of the world, what should they do? They should go in full force and destroy Hamas.
Assemblyman Ari Brown: Our enemies only understand strength
Our enemies only understand strength, not speeches. Our enemies fear us when they see we are united as we are here today.
[An anecdote]
Frank Sinatra built Las Vegas, especially the Sands Hotel in the desert. There was a period of time that’s that Sinatra was gambling heavily and Sinatra got into a fight with the Sands’ Jewish author, Carl Cohen. Cohen ended up knocking out his teeth.
A couple of years later, after the ’67 War, Sinatra said, “Remember, never fight a Jew in the desert.” See, people feared and respected Jewish people. Chazak v’ematz.
Senator Al D’Amato: Time to stop Iran
What’s taking place is despicable. A war on Israel — who do you think funded it? Iran — you’re right! — and they are the greatest enemy to this nation and to the Jewish people and we had better recognize it and stand up once and for all and tell them, no more!
Why do you think they went after Israel? Because Israel is the only power there who can stop them from going nuclear. Thank G-d we have Israel and we gotta protect Israel.
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito: We will not stay quiet
We are here to stand up for our nation’s greatest ally, Israel.
We’ve been told we should stay away from mass gatherings. We’ve had threats on our schools and our yeshivas and our shuls. We were told not to stand together.
Well, to all those that intimidated us — look at us now.
We will not stand down. We will not cower. We will not stay quiet. We will not stay quiet here, and we will not stay quiet in our nation’s capital.
I’m on the next flight back to Washington DC because I am going to be one of the loudest voices in that city against individuals who are calling for the hatred of Israel.
We’re going to provide every resource, keep funding the Iron Dome, making sure that Israel has everything that they need to crush Hamas and make sure its existence is no more.
Rabbi Shalom Axelrod: In it for the long haul
Hamas is ISIS. Hamas is worse than ISIS.
And this is now just a Jewish issue. But the evil that manifested itself last week cannot stand and we are here to say is a loud voice, “Hashomer achi anochi,” are you your brothers keepers? And we are answering all here today, Yes!
On Friday, I got a call from a student of mine that I taught in the late ’90s in Rambam, and he said to me — he's a captain now up north by Lebanon with 4,000 soldiers — he said, rebbe, I want you to know that we have heard what you are doing in the Five Towns. So take a picture of the crowd. And I want everyone to say loud and clear, we stand with the IDF.
Our community has come together almost like no other. But as was mentioned before, this is not a fight of days, this is not going to be a fight of just a few weeks, and we have to be in it. I know that we're talking to people every day you're looking at your phones and every day you're thinking about all your relatives. Raise your hand if have a cousin, a nephew, a sibling fighting in the IDF right now.
Understand what kind of issue this is. This is an issue that's personal for each and every one of them. And we have to be in it for the long haul.
Bruce Blakeman: Peace only after Hamas is destroyed
I’ve been in constant communication with Commissioner Ryder and we are doing everything we can to make sure that we keep this county safe. And that people in this county can worship their religion freely and safely without having to worry about attacks. That is our number one goal, to keep you safe. …
I’m going to wrap up because we have other rallies to attend tonight — thankfully, all over this county. Every shul, every yeshiva, every organization, is coming together, and making sure that Israel has all the support they need to prosecute this war.
But let me say this. It’s not what we do today, it’s what we do three and four weeks from now, when we know what’s going to happen — they’re going to call for Israel to restrain themselves. We can’t let that happen.
The goal should be to destroy Hamas. The goal should be to destroy baby killers, the goal should be to destroy rapists. And we should not rest one day until Hamas is destroyed and then, only then, can we have peace in the Middle East.
Donald X. Clavin: Enough is enough
Enough is enough.
My children said to me, Dad, what is this? And I said, it’s very easy. This is good, and this is evil, and there’s no way in-between.
They’re going to try and flip the script, ladies and gentlemen, do not let them. Either you stand with Israel or I don’t know what you stand for!
We stand with Israel, we stand for honesty, we stand for goodness and for America and Israel standing together.
Mayor Benjamin Weinstock: Barbarism must be avenged
The barbarism we saw last week was the worst that we’ve seen in 80 years. … The horror is indescribable and unspeakable, but there’s a difference. This time, the difference is the IDF. G-d has given us the blessing to the eternal right to the land of Israel. And now we have the means to fight back and resist the annihilation of more Jews.
The horror of Oct. 7 will be avenged. It must be avenged, because Jewish blood is not cheap anymore.
