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March 21, 2008
Manitobans for Sderot
Money from rally will support bombarded city.
RHONDA SPIVAK
A community rally in support of the residents of Sderot, who have been bombarded with unceasing Kassam rockets by Hamas terrorists, was held in Winnipeg on March 11, at the Berney Theatre.
Tzafi Weinberg, an Israeli living in Winnipeg, who is an art therapist for children, initiated the idea as a way of helping Sderot's children. "I have been thinking of what the children of Sderot are undergoing, and wanted to find a way of supporting them," said Weinberg.
Weinberg contacted Ron East of Canada Sheli, who, along with other Israelis living in the Prairie city, began organizing the event in conjunction with Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, the city's Jewish federation and other groups.
"This was a real grassroots initiative," said East.
Money raised from the rally will support the Helping Hands Initiative, which will buy televisions, DVDs, activity kits, Playstations and cellphones for children who are in the bomb shelters of Sderot.
"The equipment will be purchased from Sderot businesses so as to help the local economy," said Weinberg.
Participants at the rally were asked to wear red. "The siren that goes off in Sderot when there is an incoming rocket attack is called Tzeva Adom (Color Red), and that is why we asked people to wear red. The siren initially was called Shachar Adom (Red Dawn), but it was changed so children with the name Shachar wouldn't have a negative connotation associated with their name," said Weinberg.
Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal spoke to rally participants via a taped video message and thanked the community "for everything you are doing for the people of Sderot."
Manitoba Minister of Water Stewardship Christine Melnyk addressed the gathering on behalf of the government of Manitoba.
"It is very important that we stand together as Jewish and non-Jewish people and that we say that this [the firing of Kassams on Sderot] has to stop and that Israel does have the right to defend itself," she said.
Melnyk also noted "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and the only state in the Middle East where I as a woman could be a member of a government."
Conservative member of Parliament Joy Smith sent a letter in which she echoed the words of Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier, who recently said, "It is clear that Hamas and other groups responsible for the growing number of rockets fired on Israel are determined to target civilians and create even more instability and misery. These actions are deplorable. Canada calls on those groups to stop immediately for the sake of those suffering both in the Gaza Strip and in Israel."
Liberal MP Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre) sent a letter giving greetings on behalf of Stéphane Dion and the Liberal Party of Canada.
"There is no excuse, nor justification for attacking a peaceful community with rockets. These are actions of cowards, and the international community must stand together in condemnation of such attacks," Neville wrote.
NDP MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) wrote a letter expressing his solidarity with the residents of Sderot and people of Israel.
"I can't think of any other country in the world that has shown such restraint and discipline in the face of regular acts of military aggression against it, and yet it is often Israel who gets blamed when the conflict escalates and they react in defence of their citizens. Friends of Israel cannot remain silent in the face of such unfairness," he wrote.
NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) sent a message "of courage to the people of Sderot, as well as a show of support for the state of Israel and its right to self-defence."
The president of the Jewish Federation in Manitoba, Jonathon Kroft, addressed the gathering, saying, "We are here to encourage peace-loving people in Gaza to persuade their Hamas government to stop attacking innocent civilians of Sderot."
He noted, "We will have progress" when the murder of Jews in a yeshivah "isn't celebrated in the streets of Gaza."
A video entitled Children of Sderot Just Want Peace was shown. Guitarist Cindy Bass sang a number of Hebrew songs throughout the event, ending with Yehiyeh Tov, a song of hope written by David Broza.
Retired Israeli Defence Forces colonel Yoram East also spoke at the event, saying, "When a rocket flies over the people of Sderot, it's a rocket that flies over us, too."
Ron East said that a video of the event was being made and "we are going to send the mayor of Sderot a report of everything that has happened here."
Rally participants were asked to sign a large card of support for Sderot residents that will be sent with the money raised.
Rhonda Spivak is a Winnipeg freelance writer.
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