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World Jewish News
Series of Events Titled "How Can We Help Israel in These Difficult Times?" Held in Tallinn Synagogue
07.01.2009
In a letter to the members of the Jewish religious community of Estonia the Rabbi wrote:
"Dear friends! We are all anxiously following the developments in the Holy Land, where each of us has relatives or friends who are unwittingly involved in the conflict. We can help them even by meeting together for a joint prayer."
Prayers for Israel were said on Kabalat Shabbat with the representatives of IDF and the family of Rabbi Shneur Kota from Riga present. On Saturday, the prayer for Israel took place during the Saturday morning ceremony.
Rabbi Kot read kadish for the deceased Israeli soldiers during the meeting in support of Israel, which took place on Sunday. The synagogue hall was full, the mood of the participants depressed. Head of the Jewish community of Estonia Alla Jacobson urged the meeting participants to unite around Israel.
She also thanked the Czech Republic, the Chair state of the European Union for its support of Israel.
At the suggestion of Alla Jakobson, the memory of the Jews killed by Islamists was honored with a minute of silence.
The representative of Israel in Estonia, Oksana Spon, said her brother, a reservist, was also called to the army to take part in Gaza operation.
"My brother said that the mood of the Israeli society is different from that during the recent Lebanon war. The society is set to win," she said.
Oksana Spon stressed the importance of receiving information from Israel, rather than international, media, because the latter tend to be hostile to Israel.
Community member Gennady Gramberg emphasized the importance of providing assistance to Israel through official channels, through the assistance of the Estonian President Thomas Hendrik Ilves, who is friendly towards Israel and the Jewish people, and through the Israeli support group in Estonian Parliament.
The leader of the Estonian Christian Democrats party Peeter Võsu told those present that, during the last meeting of the heads of the World Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, which was held in Sderot, "just" three Kassam missiles fell on the city.
"At that time, people could have been anywhere - sleeping, taking showers, eating dinner, walking with the children - and they had 15 seconds to get to shelter. Sderot has lived this way for many years, but the international community does not care," said Peeter Võsu.
The member of the Board of the Estonian Christian Democrats party Irina Stelmakh in her speech focused on the impossibility of building an Arab State on the ancestral lands of Israeli people.
"This should be clearly understood and even more clearly defined. But Israeli politicians should be supported by the Jewish communities around the world," she said.
"All the Muslim and non-Muslim world must know that the land of Israel belonged to the Jewish people before many modern nations were defined," said a professor of the Adin Shteynzalts Institute Svetlana Kaputerko.
The last speech was given by Rabbi Kot. "Hamas attacked us on Chanukkah. The Maccabi war was the first war in history for the freedom of religion. We won it then, and we will win it now," he said.
Meetings were also held in Tallinn House of Israel and churches friendly to Israel.
The Christian Pereraadio radio station transmitted the program called "Israel and Us" with the participation of the Member of the Estonian Parliament Marth Nuttya, during which he said: "Explaining the situation in Israel to their fellow citizens is a holy duty of the Jewish communities around the world."
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