Hagit Biton worked for the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities from September 2003-June 2005 as an Israeli volunteer emissary to the Quad Cities and did an outstanding job. She then attended St Ambrose University from September 2005-June 2007, and received an MBA degree, with a 4.0 grade point average. Hagit was one of the speakers at the Night to Honor Israel in 2004 and 2005. Here’s what Hagit had to say about putting the prayers into the Western Wall:

"This was the first time that I went to the Wall for other people's prayers in addition to my own. It was very spiritual and added a lot of meaning to my visit. The Quad cities was the first place where I met people who were not Jewish but supported Israel with all their heart. This experience made my trip to the Wall very special and I was truly proud to insert the notes for those dear friends."

Here is what Hagit has been up to lately:

I have decided to pursue a dream and am studying Graphic Design these days. I enjoy using my creativity tremendously and I hope to start my own business when I am done with school (in spring of 2012). I also volunteer at an organization called "Strive" which helps people who have been out of the work force for a long time to get back into the job market (we teach them how to create a resume, how to interview, how to handle difficult situations in the work place etc). I help the organization with their data management. Since I moved back to Israel I have been spending a lot of time with my family and I am thrilled to live by the Jewish calendar without having to take special vacations on Jewish holidays.I miss everyone in the Quad Cities and hope to visit at some point this year. My experiences in the Quad Cities are always with me and the people I was so blessed to meet there are and will forever be a part of my heart.

Posted Online: Oct. 01, 2010, 12:00 am 
By Leon Lagerstam, leon@qconline.com

ALEDO -- Small change can make big changes in the lives of Ethiopian Jews headed to western Galilee, Israel.

And depositing as many pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters as they can in ''Thank Banks'' has become a fun activity for local families, including Don, Deb, Michael and Josh Bowen, of Aledo, and visiting international exchange student Tamara Awadeh, 16, from Israel.

Thank Banks are digital coin-counting containers being used for a fundraiser tied to a ''Night to Honor Israel'' event on Thursday, Oct. 7.

Event organizers began selling the banks in April, and asked if each could be filled with $100 in change. People can pour those donations into a collection site that will be near the stage.

A free-will offering also will be collected during the annual event, which has raised more than $232,000 in the past six years. The event is designed as a way for Christians to honor their Jewish friends.

''As Christians, we are grateful for the Jewish contribution to our faith,'' event executive director Tom McGovern said. ''Christianity could not exist apart from Judaism.

''Where would Christians be without Jesus, the patriarchs and the prophets, the proverbs and the psalms?'' he said. ''These are all gifts that God gave us through the Jewish people, and, in a small way, we are saying 'thank you' with our Thank Banks.''

It's also been an exciting scavenger hunt, involving whole families, Mrs. Bowen said.

She had no idea beforehand that her kids had ''secret stashes'' of money. They also have made it a practice of ''confiscating'' small change they find in their father's pants pockets or her purse.

''I had a lot of change that I didn't feel like carrying around or trying to spend somewhere,'' said Josh Bowen, 15. ''So I thought it would be cool to raise money for Israel, while finding a place to put all my change.''

He had been using an Aledo coffee mug to toss his coins into before his mother bought the $10 Thank Bank.

His brother, Michael, 13, also used a cup as a coin collector, but prefers the Thank Bank. ''I like how it counts by itself,'' he said.

They also enjoy attending the Night to Honor Israel event, and know firsthand from Miss Awadeh how beneficial their contributions are.

Mr. McGovern said the change may not seem like a lot, but to Ethiopian Jews coming into their promised land, it is everything. "It is their hope and their future.''

Mrs. Bowen often uses the word passion when it comes to her interest in helping her Jewish friends, developed during an eight-year project of hers called ''A Book By Me.''

The project involves local students writing books about Jewish Holocaust victims, concentration camp liberators and others who came to the aid of victims. See abookbyme.com for details.

She also works a lot with international exchange students of all faiths. ''So I like to think we can all live in peace,'' Mrs. Bowen said. ''And I want my kids to have a deeper understanding of the importance Jewish people have played, and how Israel is such a significant place on planet earth.

''For me, it's about the passion I have for keeping the people of Israel safe,'' she said. ''The people who are under attack there are the children and the grandchildren of people victimized by the Holocaust. It's evident that everybody's in danger from terrorists.''

Miss Awadeh tells about the bomb shelter her family has in the backyard, and how her uncle was held at gunpoint and robbed a couple weeks before she came to Aledo.

Her stories make an impression, Josh Bowen said.

''And we're going to keep the bank and chock it full for next year,'' Mrs. Bowen said.

''We'll try to reach $150 next year,'' Michael Bowen added. ''But we might need another jar.''

Thank Banks are available by calling (563) 209-5074.  Each bank comes with Psalms 116: 17-19 written on it, Mr. McGovern said.

''I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord,'' reads the Scripture. ''I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the house of the Lord, in the heart of Jerusalem.''

Thank Banks, he said, are another vehicle to offer those sacrifices and offerings to the Lord and His people, in the form of small change that leads to big changes in their lives.

If you go

What:7th annual Night to Honor Israel fundraiser.

When:7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7.

Where:Adler Theatre, Davenport.

Cost:Free.

Keynote speaker: The Rev. John Hagee, New York Times-best selling author, evangelical pastor and passionate supporter of Israel.

By Peggy Shapiro

They were both teenage Holocaust survivors who experienced the anti-Semitism of the church even before the Nazis entered their hometowns in Poland. The two eighty-three-year-old women, both named Mania, both short with carefully coiffed blond hair, were in the audience with over 4,000 Christian Zionists at the opening plenary of Christians United for Israel (CUFI)Summiton July 20. Seven pastors spoke, and the two women listened with incredulity to words which defied everything they had ever experienced.

The ministers proclaimed that "Israelis not just a Jewish issue. It's a Christian issue. It's an American issue." The underlying tenant of CUFI is "I will bless those who bless you [Israel], And I will curse him who curses you [Israel], Genesis 12:3.3 John Hagee, founder of CUFI, reviewed the history of those who cursed Israel. "What you predict for Israel will be your destiny. Pharoah wanted to drown Jewish children, and he was drowned. Haman wanted to hang Jews and he was hung. It has taken us Christians 2,000 years to catch on... We will strive to be a blessing to Israel."

The audience, a cross section ofAmerica, included high school students, CUFI on Campus groups, senior citizens moving with the assistance of canes, families with children, African-American ministries, Hispanic churches, cowboy churches, urbanites, suburbanites, ranchers, scientists, bond brokers, travel agents and golfers. They were from all fifty states and as diverse as a group can get, yet they spoke with one voice and cheered wildly as the speakers reaffirmed the CUFI pledge that:

The Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right.

There is no excuse for acts of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the same right as every other nation to defend her citizens from such violent attacks.

Christian Zionists will "stand up, speak up and never shut up for Israel" until the attacks stop and Israelis are finally living in peace.

No one had stood up or spoken up for the Manias the last time Jews were on the precipice of death. Their non-Jewish neighbors turned their backs and closed their eyes. The world was silent when their homes were confiscated, when they were thrown out of schools because Jewish children were not to be educated, and when their families were starved, tormented, and sent off in cattle cars to their deaths in Auschwitz. Now sixty-five years after their liberation from concentration camps, the women heard words which calmed their souls.

Here were over 4,000 Christians, and behind these 4,000 were more than 400,000 members of CUFI offering themselves as allies to Jews and the State of Israel in the battle for survival. It was time to pick sides and these Christians were mobilizing on the Jewish side. On one side is Israel, a democracy with shared values for human life, freedom of religion, and the dignity of the individual. "On the other are the unsavory characters of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the United Nations. The US must stand on the right side." Hagee was certain of the winning side.

"Egypt could not enslave Israel; European nations could not assimilate the Jews; dictators and thugs will not annihilate Israel. We are part of the covenant in a battle for the entire Earth... This time Jews do not have to stand alone."

One of the Manias, my mother, turned to me and said, "However long I was destined to live, I will now live ten years longer." The outspoken and genuine support throughout the three-day summit did more than apply a salve to deep wounds; it empowered these women to speak up as they had never done before. My mother, almost manic in her excitement, spoke to dozens and dozens of Summit participants, who listened to her story with compassion and gratitude. Everywhere we went in the giant convention center and later on Capital Hill, people greeted her by name.

It was the last morning of the Summit when she truly found her voice. My mother had never spoken to a Senator before. She certainly had never spoken up to a person in such a high office. When we met with our two senators, they were both very disappointing in their responses to our requests to ask the president to implement the Iran sanctions legislation that had passed the Senate unanimously. One senator, who had actually co-sponsored the bill, never read it and thought is was a resolution asking for the UN to act. The other senator equivocated. When the short meeting ended and the legislators were ready to take photos with their constituents, my mother walked up to one senator. He asked her if she wanted a photo. "No, I want to speak to you." "Hmm. Well I am taking pictures." "I will wait." Wait she did. She asked him about enforcing strong sanctions against Iran and he said he was against war. "I am against war. I was in a war, and I know what it means," She explained. "If Iran gets a nuclear bomb, they told us what they will do, and I believe them. They will kill Israelis and they will attack us. We won't be able to avoid war then." He was not able to placate her with gratuitous statements about his support of Israel. "Those are nice words. I want to know where you stand on issues that will determine the fate of Israel, theU.S. and the world."

The other Mania's silence was broken less publicly but even more profoundly. First about her silence. Three years ago, Mania went with my family on a first and last journey back to Poland. She was quiet for most of the trip, muttering only soto vocce disparaging remarks. We were walking through the remnants of the Birkenau death camp and passed a flimsy wooden barrack, which was intended for 52 horses and converted into housing for more than 500 inmates. "I was here," she said quietly. No one had known, not even her daughter the story she was about to tell.

In the summer of 1944, there were orders for the final liquidation of the Lodz Ghetto, where Mania, her parents, and her little sister had survived starvation and typhus. Knowing that the final days were near, her father had arranged for his family and several others to hide behind the false wall of what had once been his store. Two days before they were set to go into hiding, he was grabbed off the street and sent to Auschwitz. Her mother was frantic with the choice forced upon her. The night that the others went into hiding, she fought with herself whether to join them or try to meet up with her husband, wherever he might be, and share whatever fate awaited him. There were no correct answers in this world turned upside down, so she held on to what she knew to be true-keep the family together. The next day, she and her two daughters were arrested and packed into a cattle car. When the car had its determined number of human cargo, the outside bolts slammed shut and the three set off in the dark.

Mania was seventeen when she arrived in Auschwitz after torturous days crammed in a cattle car with her mother and seven-year-old sister. The train doors opened to shouts, barks, clubs, screams and chaos. Her little sister was pushed to one line and she to another. Her mother faced another agonizing decision and only moments to make it. Which daughter would she accompany? She chose the younger. Mania was ignorant of what that decision meant as she was herded into the barracks. She sat on the barrack floor back-to-back with hundreds of other girls, with no room to stretch her legs, no food, no water, and no relief from an awful stench.

When the more seasoned inmates spoke about the ovens, Mania was horror struck to learn that her mother and sister were among the ashes. She did not scream. She couldn't. She had lost her voice. For three days, she sat starved and crushed on the floor and could not utter one word. (Language no longer served her.)

Since that day, she has remained a very quiet woman, speaking only when other options aren't available.

At the CUFI Summit, Mania was not able to articulate her reactions other than, "I can't believe it. I can't believe it." At the Wednesday evening Night to Honor Israel, she was stunned to hear a beautiful rendition of the Israeli national anthem and a medley of songs about Jerusalem, all in Hebrew and all accompanied by thousands of Israeli and US flags waving in a sea of people. There she was, proudly, joyously standing and waving flags. When people started dancing, this woman who never dances, ran up and grabbed the hands of two strangers, and joined in. It was the end of a long day in blazing heat, but she was indefatigable.

We returned home on Thursday and met with the family for Shabbat dinner on Friday night. I was describing our experiences at the Summit when Mania interrupted me. It was the first time in the thirty years that I have known her that she has ever interrupted anyone to say anything.

Christians speaking up in support of Israel and the Jewish people allowed two Holocaust survivors to renew their hope in the world and find their own voices to shout to the world, "Am Yisroel Chai!" Long live the people of Israel.

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/07/christians_speak_up_holocaust.html at July 25, 2010 - 09:45:00 AM CDT

Thank you for your kind welcome. It is an honor to be here with so many like-minded Christians and Jews in support of Israel. I feel very comfortable here.

Thank you for coming. And I especially want to thank Christians United for Israel for inviting me here tonight and for its strong support of Israel.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to the Middle East, and I have been to Israel. The land and the people of Israel have a special place in my heart and mind.And I know you all feel the same.

For those who have traveled to the region, I am sure you'd agree that being there is an eye-opening experience. There is no better place than Israel to learn about the history of Judaism and Christianity, world history, accounts and characters from the Torah and Bible, current events and the quest and outlook for peace in the region.

Clearly, the Middle East is a region that has seen a great deal of conflict for centuries. Many issues hang in the balance: security of nations, self-determination for people, allocation of scarce natural resources, and religious freedom. And when it comes to the security of nations in the Middle East – Christians and Jews tend to think about the security of Israel foremost.

Differences between the State of Israel and the Palestinians have dominated the politics of the area since the founding of Israel. But it’s more than just those differences. There are groups, political leaders and countries that literally have tried and still want to wipe Israel and Jews off the face of the earth.

First there was Pharaoh in Egypt, then Herod and Hitler. And now radical Islamists, such as Ahmadinajah and Iran’s proxies: Hezbohlah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

But we can’t and we won’t let that happen to our Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world. When it comes to the facts and choosing sides, there is a legal, as well as a divine, basis for the Jewish State of Israel.

It’s pretty simple – although many do not want to believe or support this fact – Israel does have a legal right to exist. On May 14, 1948, she was established as the Jewish State of Israel by the United Nations and recognized by the community of nations around the world, except Arab nations.

Israel is our ally.  And she espouses many of the same principles and ideals of the United States. Strategically, Israel matters. Because what matters to Israel should matter to the United States. Israel is a satellite of freedom and democracy in an area all too unfamiliar with those principles.

Historically, the United States has stood behind Israel while supporting the entire peace process. And I believe we need to continue that route now more than ever.

Aside from the new and struggling democracy in Iraq, Israel is the only other democracy in a region of over 20 Muslim countries. Israel is surrounded by nations rejecting the rule of law, human rights or religious freedom. Furthermore, a number of these nations - including Iran and Syria - have purposefully pursued agendas risking the stability of the entire region.

Since its founding, Israel has been a reliable, consistent ally and friend of the United States. This friendship has served to advance U.S. strategic security interests. This relationship has also helped Israel by keeping her strong and reducing threats to Israel's security.

It's this kind of support that has led to peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan.
And, it's this strong support that has denied hope to those seeking the destruction of Israel.

There have been some recent tensions between the Unites States and Israeli administrations. But it’s important that real or perceived tensions between us do not derail the peace process and negotiations or harm U.S.-Israeli relations.

We have an unbreakable bond with Israel and it should never be broken.

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by rogue regimes, state-sponsored terrorism, and the spread of Islamic radicalism place the entire Middle East - and the values of Israel and the United States - at risk.

A democratic Israel in the Middle East is a strategic ally, and strong diplomatic relations with Israel strengthens the U.S. presence in the region. That’s why there should be no space between the United States and Israel. We must stand side by side with Israel in defense of our mutual interest in restarting the peace process and stopping Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been stalled for over a year. And now, Palestinian leaders are refusing to enter into direct negotiations with Israel. Rather than sit down at the table and negotiate critical issues, the Palestinian leadership has instead offered unprecedented preconditions.

If there is to be peace in the region, there must be direct negotiations. However, lasting peace will only come when all sides reach agreement without pressure from the United States or any other country.

A national columnist wrote this earlier this month in The Washington Post:

“Binyamin Netanyahu, whose first name is that of a son of Jacob,
who lived perhaps 4,000 years ago ... whom no one has ever called cuddly, once said to a U.S. diplomat 10 words that should warn U.S. policymakers who hope to make Netanyahu malleable: “You live in Chevy Chase. Don’t play with our future.”

Only the Palestinians and the Israelis can determine the pace and scope of any negotiations.

Our alliance with the people of Israel is both deep and wide. It's important that we maintain and reinforce the relationship that has existed for more than six decades.

I pray someday that Israel and all others can rest together in peace. When the Arab lion becomes a vegetarian, the Israel lamb will be a safe neighbor.

I do know that someday God’s mystery and purpose for us all will be revealed to us when we meet our maker. But until then I do know this. I do know that God loves Israel and I need to support her. Israel occupies a pretty special place in the eyes of God.

Christians need to support Israel and tonight is a testament of the fact that we are obeying God’s desire. Isaiah 62:1 begins – “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet…”

There’s been no silence or quietness tonight. Tonight truly is a blessing. Christians and Jews uniting in support of Israel is an answer to prayer. It is God’s will.

How do we know what God’s will is?

To me - when it comes to Israel it is pretty clear. God reveals His teachings and will for us in the Bible. When I spend time in my devotions, prayer and the Word - I have complete understanding when God speaks to me about Israel.

He specifically and clearly commands me to pray for Jerusalem’s peace. He teaches me in that I need to speak out for Zion’s sake and to pray blessings upon Israel. This is clear to me and I take God’s words about Israel seriously.

Israel matters to me because Israel matters to God.

But besides God’s directions for me to support Israel, in a practical sense it is simply the right thing to do. It is true that America and Israel are bound by a common destiny! I would have no Christian faith without Judaism being there first.

For Christians – our faith has stemmed from the rooted vine in Judaism. To ignore the history and teachings of Judaism would leave my Christian faith incomplete.

Israel and Judaism matter because it helps give my faith meaning.

Judaism may be able to stand alone without Christianity. But Christianity certainly cannot stand without Judaism.

Israel has stood and outlasted Pharaoh in Egypt. She has outlasted Herod and the Roman Empire. Israel has outlasted Hitler and the Nazis. Let’s pray she outlasts the attacks from radical Islam and any and all other enemies.

I believe Israel will continue to survive – and thrive – because Israel matters to God. She is the apple of God’s eye.

May God bless Israel and all who are here tonight.

Thank you.

Do you support Israel’s right to exist in peace and security? Do you think Israel bashing and anti-Semitism should be challenged, especially on college campuses?

If you answer yes, then you would have loved to attend the 5th annual Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Summit from July 20-22, 2010, in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D. C. My thanks go to Tom McGovern for sponsoring my attendance. Also attending from the Quad Cities were Pastor Steve Stephens from Word of Life Christian Center in Rock Island, and Killian Atwiine, a student at Augustana College.

For three memorable days, over 4,000 Christians from around the world (and about 100 Jewish rabbis, lay leaders, one Federation Director and two Holocaust survivors) attended presentations such as The Basics of the Arab Israeli Conflict, Terrorism and The Enemy at the Door, The Iranian Threat, How to be an Effective Israel Advocate, Middle East Briefing, Israel’s Economic Miracle, and Crossing the Line- The Intifada Comes to Campus. Distinguished speakers included Mort Zuckerman, Elliot Abrams, Malcolm Hoenlein, Mark Dubowitz, Lee Smith, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Erik Stakelbeck, Dr. Kenneth Stein, Gary Bauer, Frank Gaffney, Dr. Robert Satloff, Cliff May, Jeff Mendelsohn, George Gilder, Jonathon Medved, and Dan Senor.

CUFI was founded five years ago by Pastor John Hagee, Senior Pastor of the 20,000 member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. In only five years, CUFI membership has risen to 426,000, making it “the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world.” Membership in Iowa is over 2,500. In addition, CUFI sponsors 40 pro-Israel events per month throughout the country.

The goals of CUFI are to educate Christians about supporting Israel and to communicate pro-Israel perspectives to “neighbors, newspapers and elected officials.” The goals of the CUFI summits are to learn about the recent developments on Israel and the Middle East, to experience a CUFI National Night to Honor Israel, and to share support of Israel with Members of Congress.

The foundation of this Christian support stems mainly from Genesis 12:3 – “And I will bless them that bless thee (Israel), and him that curseth thee (Israel) I will curse.” According to Abe Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation league, “Pastor Hagee has devoted his life to combating anti-Semitism and supporting the State of Israel. We are grateful for his efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism and to rally so many in the Christian community to stand with Israel.”

The culmination of each CUFI summit is a full day of visits to the attendees’ members of Congress. This year, 85% of the congressmen made themselves or their staffs available to meet with their CUFI constituents. There were three main talking points for the Congressional visits: stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, support Israel’s right to self defense, and oppose putting undue pressure on Israel. For me personally, I was able to discuss some of these points with Senator Durbin, Senator Burris, Senator Grassley, and Representative Bill Foster, as well as members of the staff of Senator Harkin and Representative Braley.

Highlights of this year’s summit included:

• The attendance of over 750 Hispanic church leaders and many African-American church leaders.                        
• The attendance of 450 college and high school students who were taught how to defend Israel and counter anti-Semitism on their campuses. There are presently 40 CUFI chapters on college campuses, with more to come.      
• A personal thank you to all attendees by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu via satellite from Israel.     
• A Tisha B���av service which was held in a room in the convention center and led by Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg of San Antonio’s Congregation Rodfei Shalom Synogogue. Rabbi Scheinberg invited the summit’s Christians to the service, and well over 500 of us crowded into the room to hear the reading of the Book of Lamentations. Included in the crowd was Michael Oren, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States. According to Rabbi Scheinberg, this was the first time in 1,900 years that Jews and Christians attended Tisha B’av services together.                                                                                                                                                       
• A dinner which featured presentations by Congresswoman Shelly Berkley, Congressman Eric Cantor, Senator Mike Johanns and Congressmen Mike Pence. After dinner, we were entertained by the great Charlie Daniels who said “I do not have any Jewish blood, but Israel is close to my heart.” Incidentally, hearing Hatikva played on the “electric fiddle” was quite a treat for all of us.

• The 4,000 person Night to Honor Israel Banquet which featured presentations by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, Senator Joe Lieberman and especially Pastor John Hagee, who brought the house down when he stated “I stand here at a time when Israel is a tiny outpost of freedom and democracy in a sea of tyranny…… Permit me to say something to you straight from the heart. Please know that what I say to you now is a sentiment shared by millions of Christians across America and around the world. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is‘Ani Yisraeli – I am an Israeli.’” In addition to the presentations, there were Jewish and Israeli music and scripture readings. Very significantly, Pastor Hagee presented Mrs. Annette Lantos, the wife of the late House of Representative Tom Lantos, with the CUFI Defender of Israel Award.

• An incredible Holocaust Exhibit “trucked up” from the Holocaust Museum of the Word of Faith Fellowship and the Word of Faith Christian School (K-12) in Spindale, North Carolina. These 300+ pieces, which included paintings, drawings, artifacts, scale models, replicas, and sculptures, were all created by students from kindergarten through 12th grade and college, over a 10-year period. Words cannot adequately describe the unbelievable amount of work and dedication which went into this exhibit, and the moving impact it had on those who viewed it. According to the school’s principal, “Every student’s life has been deeply changed….Every piece was created with a heartfelt, fervent love and desire to touch all those who see it and to honor the Jewish people and survivors of The Holocaust.”                                                                                
• Though not a highlight, I would also like to mention that there were about a dozen protesters in front of the convention center at various times. They handed out literature (although few would take it) and carried offensive signs, especially the one that read “Jews Kill Palestinians.” How pathetic.

All in all, I wish I could adequately convey to you how it feels….as a Jew… to attend a summit such as this. It was absolutely overwhelming! And…..I am fairly certain that all the Jews in attendance felt the same way.

On a local level as some of you may know, the Quad City Association of Evangelicals will be sponsoring the 7th annual Night to Honor Israel (NTHI) in the Quad Cities on Thursday, October 7, 2010, 7:00 pm at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa. The guest speaker will be none other than CUFI’s founder, Pastor John Hagee.

In the past 6 years, over $240,000 has been raised at the local Nights to Honor Israel which went for Jewish immigration to our sister-city area in the Sha’ar Hanegev Region of Israel and to career training programs for Ethiopian immigrants at Sapir College. The goal this year is to raise $100,000 which will go for Jewish immigration and to help build a 118-bed underground medical facility for the Women’s Health Wing at Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel.

If at all possible and especially if you have never been to a NTHI event before, please try to attend on October 7th. This is a G-rated event of singing, dancing and praise for all ages - so please bring the kids! Believe me, this will be an unforgettable experience of support for Israel and the Jewish people.

What will it take to convince some of you to attend? No matter what your political, social, ethnic, or religious persuasion, if you support Israel, then I urge you to try to make it. If you have any doubts that this really is a one-issue event….Israel…..then please talk to previous attendees. And……if you attend and are disappointed or feel that you were somehow misled, then I will buy you lunch and apologize.

But be advised, there will be a “free-will offering” taken. In other words, baskets will be passed down the rows and you will be asked to make a contribution for Israel –any amount will be greatly appreciated. All monies collected will be given to the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, and we will then forward monies directly to the Jewish Federations of North America in New York City where it will be disbursed for Jewish immigration to Israel and to the Nahariya hospital.

I have personally seen in Israel the very positive results of previous donations and will follow up to verify that all monies raised are used for their express purposes.

So…. you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by attending the NTHI on October 7th at the Adler. Right? And…..you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are taking a stand to support Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and that you are helping to counter anti-Semitism wherever and whenever it rears its “ugly head.”

I hope to see you on October 7th, 7:00 pm, at the Adler Theater.

Sincerely,

Allan G. Ross
Executive Director
Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities
July 27, 2010

P.S. Again, I would like to thank Tom McGovern for your generosity and especially for your unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people.

This year’s keynote speaker is the Founder and National Chairman of Christians United for Israel, Pastor John Hagee. Pastor Hagee also serves as Senior Pastor of the 18,000 member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, TX. He has authored 21 major books, and reaches 190 nations through his television and radio programs. His ministry has given millions of dollars to bring Jewish exiles of the world home to Israel. He has devoted his life to comforting and consoling Jewish people through the building of orphanage facilities, absorption centers and hospitals.

In the past, our community has helped Jews fleeing from anti- Semitic countries to come to their homeland, the State of Israel. (Isaiah 11:12 and Jeremiah 31:10.) Our community has given over $232,000 to help pay for the costs of assimilation from countries including Ethiopia, Russia, Argentina, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

This year’s gift will be used for immigration as in the past and to help build a 118 bed underground facility and protective shell for the Women’s Health Wing at Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel. This building will be safe for women and infants under all foreseeable terrorist conditions. We continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the entire Mid- East region. (Psalm 122:6)

We are hopeful that you will be able to join us for an unforgettable night of celebrating, dancing, singing and giving. (Romans 15:27)

Shalom,

Tom McGovern
Chairman,
QC Night to Honor Israel