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Publisher's Desk
The Gulf Coast of the United States has been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Thousands lost their homes, their businesses, their communities. Additional thousands perished.
American Jews, characteristically, have stepped in to help. Organization upon organization—synagogues, charities, whole movements—immediately began raising money for the victims. Many of their web sites ask visitors to contribute to the rebuilding process, an ordeal that will take years.
Through this massive effort, Jews help the less fortunate and serve as “a light unto the nations,” a shining example for all to follow.
The ZOA Campus Activism Network applauds this assistance to our friends and neighbors. But we wonder where the call is to help the 9,500 Jews who were evicted from their neighborhoods in Gaza and Samaria by Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan this summer. They lost their homes, businesses, and synagogues—and in many cases their belongings—yet the compensation provided by the Israeli government is not nearly sufficient to cover these losses. It is necessary to help all those in need, Jewish or not, but there is a special obligation to provide tzedaka, charity, to family, because they can’t depend on anyone else.
The Jews in Israel need help rebuilding their lives. They must find new jobs to support their families, move to new homes, and deal with the loss of their jobs and property, and even having to rebury loved ones. The ZOA Campus Activism Network sponsored a party this summer to benefit the evacuees, and will continue to help by providing support, visiting them on student Israel programs, and continuing to advocate for the right of the Jewish people to live anywhere in the world, especially in the Jewish State of Israel.
Because if we don’t support our own…who will? As the Jewish sage Hillel says in Ethics of the Fathers, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?”
This magazine’s purpose is to provide an outlet for Israel advocates on campus to express their views about Israel, the Middle East, aliyah, Jewish issues, and Zionism. When students on various campuses expressed interest in creating a pro-Israel national student magazine, the ZOA offered to help initiate the project. Students from the East and West Coasts and the Midwest contributed. Submissions came from both liberals and conservatives, as well as from Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform students. The result is The College Zionist, which provides a pro-Israel campus voice. Students are responsible for contributing and editing articles, layout, and distribution on campuses. The ZOA Campus Activism Network solicits articles for the next issue of The College Zionist; submit articles or questions to campus@zoa.org. We hope you enjoy our first issue!
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