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Jewish Federation of St. Louis

Resources and Information on the October 2023 Israel-Hamas War

As things are changing rapidly we’ll do the best we can to provide updated resources and information on Israel.

Advocate

  • Learn to combat disinformation about the legality of Israel’s operations in Gaza on a webinar at 1 pm ET on January 24 with one of the world’s leading urban warfare experts Major John Spencer and expert in law of armed conflict Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey S. Corn, who have nearly five decades of combined military experience.
  • Invite your civic leaders and community influencers to tune into the webinar to educate themselves on the myths around the war.
  • Read this article by Major John Spencer on Hamas’s underground tunnel network and why its strategy is key to understanding the challenges the IDF is facing in Gaza.
  • Share this social media post on Instagram about major IDF operational achievements since October 7.
  • Watch and Share the story of 38-year-old Tal Maman, wife to Anat, father of Yonatan, Yuval and Maya and son of Orli and Menachem. A resident of Kibbutz Mivtahim, Tal was a third-generation farmer who worked the land with “quality” and “love” and donated to poor families who could not afford food. Tal and Anat had been together since high school. On October 7, Tal left his home to protect his family and community from Hamas terrorists who invaded the kibbutz. He was killed in defense of his home, loved ones and country.

Donate to help victims of terror, rebuild communities, and protect Israel 

Jewish Federations of North America Update

Jewish Federations of North America January 22, 2024

  • Jewish Federations’ Israel Emergency Campaign has now surpassed $775 million system-wide; we have allocated more than $300 million to a wide range of humanitarian organizations in Israel. See a detailed update on allocations here.
  • Jewish Federations joined other major Jewish organizations in speaking out forcefully against the groundless charges of genocide leveled against Israel by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. See this blog post for details, including the letter that was sent to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
  • Learn more about the insidious myths around the legality of Israel’s war by watching a Jewish Federations’ webinar on Wednesday, January 24 at 1 pm ET with Major John Spencer and expert in the law of armed conflict Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey S. Corn, who have nearly five decades of combined military experience.

Hostages

  • Israel and Hamas are reportedly resuming negotiations on a new hostage deal. Hamas is demanding a full withdrawal of all IDF forces from the entire Gaza Strip, the release of all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and international guarantees that Hamas will be allowed to remain in power in Gaza. Israel has previously said that all of these demands are untenable, but it is nonetheless willing to negotiate.
  • At the same time, thousands of Israelis have been demonstrating daily, calling on the government to compromise and do more to bring the hostages home. Last night, a group of hostages’ families and protesters blocked off traffic outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Jerusalem; they  demanded that the government reach an immediate deal to ensure the return of the remaining hostages.
  • It is believed that 132 hostages remain in Gaza. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of at least 28 of them, citing intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza and elsewhere. Since 2014, Hamas has also been holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, as well as those of two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed,  who entered Gaza of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
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10/7 Project
Jewish Federations’, 10/7 Project is a collaboration with AJC, AIPAC, ADL, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The 10/7 Projectis an organized effort to counter the disinformation about the attacks of October 7th and Israel’s response, especially aimed at the key media and government influencers. See here for more information about the 10/7 project, as well as this news bulletin.

Resources: Readers can see links to resources, background, research, and other information on the current war here; can access a Jewish Federations toolkit here, and can refer to the Community Mobilization Center Resource Hub for the latest talking points and tools. 

Resources by Jewish Federations that give insight into some areas of Federations’ emergency allocations:

Previous updates can be found here.

Security

Whenever there are heightened tensions in Israel, we see a rise in antisemitism across the United States. Our community is working tirelessly to ensure that all of our Jewish communal institutions are safe and we are in touch with our partners at schools to provide them resources to respond to any bullying or harassment our students might face. If you do learn of or experience an antisemitic incident, please do not feel that you need to respond on your own. Reach out to the JCRC, report it to the ADL, contact our Community Security Director Scott Biondo, and of course, notify law enforcement.

Additional Resources

In the NEWS
Click here to find the latest local media stories.

PJ Library Resources

Please make use of the resources PJ Library offers to help you navigate difficult events with kids. Here are a few that could be useful right now: