Murdered teen’s mother praises Israeli ‘unity’
The mother of one of the three teenagers kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank last summer, sparking the 2014 Gaza war, has praised the unity among Israelis during the current renewed wave of terror, writes Talia Samuelson.
Bat-Galim Shaer, whose 16-year-old son Gilad was killed along with Naftali Frenkel, also 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, was speaking at ORT House on Tuesday as part of a tour of Jewish organisations and schools to promote the Jerusalem Unity Prize and Unity Day, initiatives co-founded with the parents of all three victims to help address deep-seated divisions in Israeli society.
She said: “Israeli Jews are in a different place to where they were a few years ago… they are more tolerant, more in tune with each other. The Jewish people have no alternative – our enemies remind us that we have to come together, or they will succeed in destroying us.”
Anat Schwartz Weil, director of the Jerusalem Unity Prize, cited examples of bravery and collective vigilance during this month’s knife attacks as evidence of increased solidarity among Israeli citizens.
She said: “The citizens are paying attention to what’s going on around them… if they see an attack, they often take care of it before the police.”
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat had been due to join Shaer and Schwartz Weil on the tour, but had to cancel at the last minute owing to the ongoing situation in the city.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
