It’s not enough just to stand on the sidelines, it’s not enough just to give your sympathy or your thoughts.
The only reason why evil can persist is if good people stand by and do nothing.
Freedom is not free.
This is the time to act.
Things you can do for Israel and all Jews
1. Join a march or vigil near you
This is one of the most visible displays of support for Israel. A pro-Israel march is peaceful and thought provoking. Not filled with anger and abuse. Certainly not calling for the destruction of Arabs.
Check out our events section of this website and our Facebook page to find one near you.
If there isn’t one near you, this is an opportunity for you to organize one. When you do, let us know and we’ll help promote it.
We’re looking for coordinators in towns and cities all over New Zealand.
2. Donate to the Billboard Campaign
And another in Auckland:
3. Join a prayer meeting
No matter what your religion, there are groups all over the country who are praying for regional peace, and the safety of Israel and Jewish people all over the world.
If you’re that way inclined, then keep an eye on our events section to find one near you and go. If there isn’t one in your area, you could start one. If you do, let us know and we’ll promote it here.
If you know of a prayer meeting for Israel and we don’t list it. Let us know and we’ll promote it.
4. Sign petitions, open letters and declarations
In a democracy, politicians are guided by public opinion. But how do they know the mind of the community they represent, if you don’t show it?
Signing, petitions, open letters, and public declarations is one way that you can.
Here are the parliamentary petitions currently underway. Notice something?
There isn’t one that is in support of Israel or against Anti-Semitism. You could start one. If you do, let us know and we’ll promote it here.
Click here to read the October Declaration Oceania and if you agree with its message, sign it. We’ve checked it out and it’s kosher.
5. Meet with your member of Parliament
Sounds scary but all MPs make themselves available to meet members of their community. But treat it as casually as you can, and over a cup of tea, explain how Israel and its people share our values, we value democracy, freedom of speech, and religion, and we believe in building societies where people have a chance to get ahead, without being judged for their race, religion, and color.
How tough is that? Make the time and go do it. Remember that MPs want to represent their constituents. This is your chance to influence politicians and even foreign policy. Be authentic, and share from the heart.
You can do it.
6. Join NZ Friends of Israel
We can only do so much as individuals. But when we pool our ideas and resources, get connected and throw our shoulders behind it, we can move mountains, fight evil and win.
Annual Membership is only NZD 40, less than a magazine subscription. But it pays for this website, the production of our newsletter and the rent for meetings of members.
If you’d like to join up, click here.
7. Any other ideas?
As you read the ideas we’ve listed, you might have had a lightbulb moment of your own. Feel free to write it down in the comments section below.
6 responses to “October 7: What you can do for Israel”
Hi there,
I live in Lyttelton, Christchurch and am horrified by the pro Palestine flags and anti Israel / anti Semitic posters and graffiti that is around the town.
I tried voicing my support for Israel on the local Facebook page after a pro Palestinian march down the main street in Lyttelton (I commented with Palestine = Hamas = Terrorism), but was booted off the page.
I am scared to show any more support because it is a small community being dominated by a vocal and small extreme left fringe – how could I show more support for Israel around Lyttelton?Hi Grant.
My wife and I also live in lyttelton and share your concerns re antisemitism pro Palestinian flags and graffiti. Whilst these present a constant feel of unease in our previously felt slice of paradise it prompts me to speak and act on behalf of Israel. I would be keen to join with you to consider how we could counter this movement in our town. Let’s also pray the Lord’s light and truth to shine in this place. Cheers mikeI too am horrified at the socialist anti Israel approach taken by NZ Media and esp Radio NZ and TV! In fact overtly anti sematic!! DIsgusted even.
I will shortly pay to be part of Friends Of Israel. It seems like many lifetimes ago I paid for Pizza for IDF people. It seems laughable today but back then it was considered real and meangingful. The Exekiel 38 war may not be far away people!
I have known a few Jewish people in my life. It seems few ever venture down to the antipodes. I have known even fewer Palestinian people. I am not sure why there are so few in New Zealand. I learned of the Holocaust as a child of eleven, reading the “Case Against Adolf Eichmann”. The photos and the text still haunt me. I cannot enter a holocaust museum even now as I know I will have a panic attack, so scarred did the book leave me. I think my dad gave me the book because I asked hIm repeatedly what he did during the war. He was a bomber pilot and bombed French and German cities, things we know are war crimes now. For years I was a Zionist, my thinking focused by religious doggerel and that book. At University, I was taught critical thought and how all humans can be twisted to genocide, how hard it is to resist the in-group/out-group siren. Then there was the fact of history. For those of you who do not understand, there are many psychology books that explain Benny Morris and his ideas and teachings and why Israeli right groups have their twisted ideas of ethnicity and religion. You can forgive them, I suppose, but you know the truth. Try to be better people.
Hi David, thanks for dropping by and for sharing your candid views. We understand where you are coming from. Some thoughts to consider:
1. Benny Morris has commented on how people have interpreted his works and feels that they have read a lot more into what he said then he intended.
2. What military judiciaries think of war crimes and what civilians think of war crimes can differ markedly. Issues such as proportionality and destruction of civilian buildings and even genocide are often misunderstood by Western society. Any civilian structure used for military purposes becomes a legitimate military target. How many civilian blocks in Gaza would not have tunnels beneath them and exits inside them? Why has UNRWA stopped urging Hamas not to use their schools and other facilities to base their military operations?
3. War is ugly and individuals especially children get caught up in it. Its the nature of war. But Hamas wanted to start a war and put their people in harm’s way to breath oxygen back into their cause. Their biggest risk was not killing enough people on Oct 7 and the war wouldn’t start.
Every govt has the duty to protect their vulnerable, punish wrongdoing and prevent further wrongdoing. Israel, included. What other options does Israel have but to wage war in order to deter further Oct 7 type attacks? No one has offered a viable alternative. Everyone wants the war to stop but the end result must be that no actors are incentivized to carry out more Oct 7 attacks.
4. Critical thinking should be impartial, and we would encourage you to apply these tools to Hamas, the Palestinians and their narrative. For example, the Gazans consider themselves refugees even though they live in their own land and consider themselves occuppied even though Israel withdrew from there in 2005, 19 years ago.
5. From a religious POV, Christians and Jews are theologically joined at the hip. Micah 6:8 and Romans 13 give a good framework for evaluating and deciding what to say and do about the Gaza-Israeli War.
6. Regarding “Religious doggerel”: Unfortunately often Christians have not applied the same intellectual rigour to their theology and philosophy as they should and so give the appearance that Judaism and Christianity are religions based on blind faith. That is far from the case, and many prominent atheists such as C S Lewis, Lee Strobel and A H Ali have walked this journey.
We hope these thoughts help further your thinking. You’re welcome to drop by anytime.
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