September 21, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Aaron Troodler
(888) 897-7450

YOUNG ISRAEL MOVEMENT CALLS DECISION TO "DISINVITE" PALIN FROM IRAN
RALLY "A SERIOUS MISTAKE"

National Council of Young Israel President Shlomo Z. Mostofsky, Esq.,
made the following statement today concerning the decision to
"disinvite" Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin from
the "The Rally to Stop Iran Now:"

"The National Council of Young Israel is deeply disturbed by the
decision to rescind the invitation that had been extended to Alaska
Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin to participate in
"The Rally to Stop Iran Now."

Despite the fact that the National Council of Young Israel is one of
the members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, one of the primary sponsors of the rally, we were not
consulted before this decision was made, nor was our opinion ever
sought by the rally organizers. We would have never acquiesced to
withdrawing Governor Palin's invitation and we think that doing so was
a serious mistake.

The decision to "de-politicize" the event by repealing Governor
Palin's invitation had the opposite effect of what was intended.
Instead of focusing on denouncing Iranian President Ahmadinejad and
expressing our collective outrage at his vow to obliterate the State
of Israel, we now find ourselves in the midst of a political squabble
that was initiated due to an ill advised decision.

At a time when the Jewish community should be seeking the support of
elected officials and soliciting their assistance on issues involving
the safety and security of the State of Israel, a decision was made
that may have alienated the very people whose help we need the most.
By bowing to pressure from external forces, we now find ourselves
vulnerable to criticism and susceptible to ridicule. This decision
undoubtedly undermined the legitimacy of the American Jewish community
in the eyes of an individual who is actively seeking to become the
next Vice President of the United States.

With a nuclear Iran posing a genuine danger to the future of the State
of Israel and the United States, we need to join with the American
political establishment and work together to defuse the Iranian
threat. We should be embracing our political allies, not driving them
away.

The National Council of Young Israel urges everyone to attend "The
Rally to Stop Iran Now" and to not allow any of these ancillary issues
to keep them from participating in an event that is so vitally
important to the State of Israel, the United States, and the Jewish
nation."

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