I looked at the New York Times piece. How very strange. It seems that the only newsworthy hook they thought worthwhile was that Hilary Clinton spoke there..."Mrs. Clinton, who is seeking re-election to the Senate and is considered a possible candidate for president in 2008..."

That's it. And their only description of the rally was "boisterous." No mention of numbers, of the varied sorts of people there, nothing, just a back-handed description of their being boisterous.

And of the points made, they mentioned a couple, just a couple, including one by Clinton isn which she compares "Israel’s fierce response, which has included heavy bombardment of Lebanon, to a theoretical response by the United States if it faced attacks from neighboring countries."

Again, backhanded here. I happen to also think that Israel's response was out of proportion, but I do see a bias here. The writer compares the harm Israel is really doing with a "theoretical" response that the US might do.

The piece is very restrained, and while Hilary Clinton's comments are by no means unimportant, the whole event is treated like a minor whistle stop on a campaign of one politician.

Leaves a bad taste.

I'll try to be there (at Kehilat Israel) tomorrow.

Gators rally for Israel

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 1:00 a.m.
Alligator Online

By BRITTANY BOUFFARD
Alligator Contributing Writer
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Photo gallery
Conflict in Israel
The Gainesville community reacts to the situation in Israel. Jewish students and Gainesville residents united for peace at the Lubavitch Jewish Center, which hosted a special service that evening to pray for Israeli safety.

Andrea Morales / Alligator Staff
UF student Yosef Raskin participates in a prayer for safety in Israel at the Lubavitch Chadbad Jewish Center on Friday evening. Rabbi Berl Goldman, director of the center, organized "Crisis in the Holy Land: A Call to Action" in response to the recent surge of violence between Israel and the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah.

"We're all watching with great concern this event in the Middle East, particularly Israel," Goldman said. "The hostility has excelled, and it's continuing to escalate to a degree no one wants."

He said Israel would do anything to bring peace, even if that means taking "unilateral steps" that involve violence.

Though he hopes other nations will aid in eliminating the terrorist threat, he said Israel must protect its people and its borders.

Americans can help support Israel's goals through goodwill, Goldman said.

"Everyone wants to do something over here," he said. "The way to respond is with prayer, acts of kindness and good deeds."

As part of Friday's service, Hilla Viener, a UF student and former Israeli Defense Forces soldier, asked her husband David to read a speech she wrote about her experiences in Israel.

Viener was too emotional to read the speech herself.

When she was a resident of Israel, terrorists killed 10 of her friends.

"Wherever we stand, we will always be behind Israel in our hearts, minds and prayers," her husband said.

With about 6,500 Jewish students, UF has a larger Jewish population than any other public university in the countrry. Many students are worried about the rising conflict in the region. Some have relatives in the country, while others know friends studying abroad.

"My aunts and uncles are worried about cousins," said Lior Hirsch, a UF senior whose family is from Israel. "A lot of the people there are used to this, unfortunately."

Israel warns its citizens to avoid public transportation and specific dangerous areas, said Kim Jacobs, a UF graduate who traveled to Israel in June before the fighting erupted.

"They're just going to keep living their lives," she said of Israelis. "They're obviously freaked out. I can't imagine what they're feeling."

She felt safe in the country, she said, and was surprised by the violence when she returned home.

"I turned on the TV and saw Haifa and went, 'Oh my God,'" she said.

15 protestors get great press

Small pro-Israel rally staged outside Lebanese Consulate in South Miami

By Madeline Baró Diaz
Miami Bureau
Posted July 18 2006

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-dprotest18jul18,0,1122492.story?coll=sfla-news-miami

SOUTH MIAMI -- About 15 demonstrators gathered outside the Lebanese Consulate on Monday to support Israel in its battle against Hezbollah militants.

They waved Israeli flags and signs with messages such as "Disarm Hezbollah" and "Let Our Soldiers Go." Organizers said they also wanted to support efforts in Lebanon to rid the country of the Islamic militant group.

LocalLinks

"Hezbollah has had a reign of terror that has spanned decades," said organizer Linda Ostashev. "Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, and people are suffering because of that."

The demonstrators were mostly activists who previously protested the eviction of settlers from Gaza and other issues involving Israel.

Jeni Melnick brought her 1-year-old son Aden to the protest in a backpack baby carrier. She had a sign depicting a Hezbollah militant and an Israeli soldier aiming at each other. The Hezbollah militant had a baby stroller in front of him and the Israeli soldier had a stroller behind him. The message: "Children are not a shield."

"This is scary," Melnick said. "Hezbollah has reignited their campaign against Israel. We need to put a finite end to this, and Israel needs to not give in to international pressure."

Lori Glassberg brought her daughter Marlee, 8, to the demonstration.

"I want to stand with Israel because I don't think they should fire missiles at Israel," Marlee said.

The protest was an important lesson for Marlee, Glassberg said.

"It is important for the kids to take a part in the political machine," she said. "She's lucky she lives in the United States and she has the right to stand on the street and do this."

Madeline Baró Diaz can be reached at mbaro@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5007.

Did anyone else hear Pamela on Rush Limbaugh's show? I'm not a big Rush fan, but she was absolutely hysterical. He couldn't get in a word!