Updated: Jul 7, 2021
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May 2021 Newsletter
Dear Friends, Supporters, Alumni, and Parents, Please find below our May Newsletter. I am relieved that the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas seems to have ended with a ceasefire. Israel successfully completed the mission of Operation Guardian of the Walls and we send our deepest condolences to the families that lost loved ones. American Friends of IDC stands with Israel at all times. IDC Herzliya takes great care in making sure our students are protected and safe. The Act.IL situation room was in full force, doing its best to put a stop to anti-Israel rhetoric on social media, and distributing fair and balanced reporting of the situation to their home countries in their native tongue. IDC students who were called up for reserves will be given the full academic support they need and our faculty and staff are always available for any of the emotional support and educational needs of the young people we serve. It is an honor to work for an organization with such integrity and Zionism and I am proud to be a part of this wonderful team. It is with great pleasure that we can now announce several in-person events that will be taking place not only on our campus in Israel, but in the US as well. Our US Alumni Association is resuming events and graduation dates in Israel have been set for the class of 2019 and 2020. We seem to slowly be returning back to normal and hope that in the next few months we can see you all on campus! It’s been too long. Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and wonderful long weekend!
Warmest Wishes,
Leslie Skyba Executive Director American Friends of IDC
To read the full newsletter click here
Sunday, May 16, 2021 Dear students,
I address you today, Sunday, May 16, 2021, the eve of Shavuot, following another difficult night during which we witnessed barrages of rocket fire from Gaza into Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva.
These rockets were fired at a civilian population with the intent to kill. It is not hard to imagine what the consequences would have been were it not for the remarkable protection provided by the "Iron Dome".
I hope that all of our students and alumni are safe.
I especially wish you, the reservists stationed on the Gaza border, and you who live in the most bombarded cities – Ashkelon, Ashdod, Sderot and the Gaza Envelope communities – a swift return to campus, and the ability to leave behind the memory of these last days and resume your studies and the building of your future. Please feel free to contact us with any help you may need, be it related to assignments or anything else.
Immediately following the rocket fire on Jerusalem, I asked our public diplomacy and ACT.IL activists to activate the Public Diplomacy Room. It was up and running within a very short time, with intensive activity led by Goor Tsalalyachin and Tom Berman together with student volunteers.
Cooperation with the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, headed by Prof. Boaz Ganor, the sending of data assessments and messages to the IAC in the United States, and the galvanizing of ACT.IL’s international online community all contributed to the sounding of an influential civic and independent voice.
We cannot forgive the violent attacks by members of the Arab community in Israel against defenseless Jews in many mixed cities, from property destruction to lynching. These thugs should be tracked down and held accountable under the full force of the law as soon as possible.
Equally shocking is the phenomenon we have witnessed of nationalist gangs. It became clear very quickly that they were not coming simply to help Jews who were under attack, but rather to instigate lynches, physical violence and vandalism against Arabs and their property.
It is painful that we have reached a point where Jews are behaving like those who unleashed pogroms against us in the past. Criminal law must be applied to these vigilante gangs just as it will be applied to the Arab delinquents.
To the Arab students of IDC Herzliya, I say to you today: You are part of our family. IDC is your home. We see you as part of the future leadership of the State of Israel. If you are experiencing any difficulties at this time, please contact us.
To the students of the Raphael Recanati International School: I am proud of the maturity and resilience you are demonstrating, even while you are alone in Israel, far from your families and facing many challenges.
The last few weeks have brought to the fore tough questions about governance, values, coexistence and political strategy. As an institution that trains the leadership of the future, we intend to discuss all of these questions with you when the winds die down.
After the Coronavirus pandemic and the current war against Hamas, I hope we can open the gates of campus and greet you all with renewed strength, eagerness to learn, and creativity.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Uriel Reichman
President & Founder
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