Bunnell Church and Palm Coast Synagogue team to assure Israel’s Environment

When Reverend Gerald Campetella of Bunnell’s Apostolic Church of God called Rabbi Merrill Shapiro of Palm Coast to arrange a meeting, the synagogue leader was a bit unsure of the Pastor’s intent. When Campetella handed Shapiro a Jewish National Fund “Blue Box” full of coins, donations from members of the church and asked for seven more boxes, the Rabbi was a bit startled.

“Back in the 1980’s, my wife and I visited Israel expecting to find a desert, barren and arid, what the Bible calls a ‘wasteland.’” How surprised and delighted we were to find the hand of God and the People Israel, together, had created a garden, lush, green, beautiful and inviting. We so much wanted to be part of the effort.”

Campetella met Shapiro through the Flagler Area Ministerial Association and joined with Temple Beth Shalom to read the names of Holocaust Victims at a special commemoration in the synagogue sanctuary. It was there that the Pastor took a “Blue Box” and the members of The Apostolic Church of God, A United Pentecostal Church began to do their part in maintaining the garden Israel.

The donations of synagogue members and church members in Jewish National Fund contribution containers, known for more than a century as “Blue Boxes,” are being combined and sent to support the efforts of the Fund. JNF has planted more than 240 million trees since 1901 to protect the land, green the landscape and preserve vital ecosystems. Through the generosity of donors like those The Apostolic Church of God and Temple Beth Shalom, JNF continues this effort, planting seedlings, maintaining forest health, combating desertification, protecting watersheds and managing water flow.

Thanks to the dedication of leaders like Campatella, Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in numbers of trees. JNF has planted over 240 million saplings, providing luscious belts of green covering more than 250,000 acres. JNF national forest development work balances population needs with limited forest 'supply.' While the forests of Israel belong to the people, JNF ensures their environmental soundness while promoting optimal use.

Many more such “Blue Boxes” are available through Temple Beth Shalom of Palm Coast free of charge. The synagogue is proud to be part of a community that values trees to the point that tree removal requires a city permit. “As trees are so important to us in Palm Coast, so they are equally important in Israel, a land neglected for more than 2000 years!”

“Blue Boxes” are available at no charge to anyone wishing to donate pocket change to the cause of the Jewish National Fund through Temple Beth Shalom and can be obtained by calling the synagogue office at 386-445-3006.

Hamas Hostage Gilad Shalit's 22nd Birthday to be Marked at Temple Beth Shalom

Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit the Israeli soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on June 25, 2006 has been held hostage by Hamas since will turn 22 years old on August 28th. All are welcome to mark his birthday at Temple Beth Shalom, 40 Wellington Drive in Palm Coast on Friday evening, August 22nd at 8 p.m. There is no charge. No advance reservations are necessary. Oneg Shabbat refreshments follow services. Beth Shalom has recently received a great deal of attention as many of its members have been wearing dog tags imprinted with the name of Gilad Shalit as well as the names Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. The bodies of Goldwasser and Regev, abducted by Hezbollah and held in southern Lebanon, were returned to Israel for proper burial in a prisoner exchange a month ago. Members of Temple Beth Shalom of Palm Coast continue to call upon Hamas for a “sign of life” from Shalit and some modicum of compliance with the Geneva Conventions that permit such contact, usually through the International Red Cross.

Shalit was born on August 28, 1986 in Nahariya Israel and was raised from the age of two in Mitzpe Hila in the western Galilee. He graduated with distinction from Manor Kabri High School. Shalit began military service in the Israel Defense Forces in July 2005, and “despite a low medical profile, he preferred to serve in a combat unit, following his elder brother Yoel into the armored corps.” He holds dual Israeli and French citizenship.

Early on Sunday morning, June 25, 2006, Shalit was captured by Palestinians who attacked an Israeli army post on the Israeli side of the southern Gaza Strip border after having crossed through an underground tunnel near the Kerem Shalom border crossing. During the morning attack, two Palestinian militants as well as two IDF soldiers were killed and three others wounded, aside from Shalit, who himself suffered a broken left hand and a light shoulder wound after his tank was hit with an RPG.
Shalit’s captors issued a statement on Monday, June 26, 2006, offering information on Shalit if Israel agreed to release all female Palestinian prisoners and all Palestinian prisoners under the age of 18. The statement came from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees (which includes members of Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas), and a previously unknown group calling itself the Army of Islam.
After Shalit’s capture, the Papal Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Antonio Franco, made an unsuccessful attempt to secure the release of Shalit via the Catholic Church’s Gaza-based parish.

In September 2006, Egyptian mediators received a letter written by Gilad in which he stated that he was alive and well. The handwriting was confirmed to be that of Cpl. Shalit. In October, Egypt was also reported to be negotiating with Hamas on behalf of Israel for Shalit’s release.

On October 28, 2006 the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) said in a statement that all three parties had agreed to a proposal by Egyptian mediators regarding the release of corporal Gilad Shalit. The PRC did not provide details, but said that the Egyptian proposal would include the release of Palestinians held by Israel. It was the first time since Shalit’s capture that any of the factions indicated that his release might be imminent.

In November 2006, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal indicated that Shalit was alive and in good health.

On January 4, 2006, Hamas offered to give Israel a videotape proving that Shalit is still alive if Israel released all Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected Hamas’s proposal. Shalit’s father, Noam Shalit, seemed to agree with the government’s response, stating on 7 January, “I want my son back, not a video or a letter.”

Five days later, on January 9, 2007 Abu Mujahed, a spokesman for the captors, asserted that Shalit “has not been harmed at all,” going on to say, “He is being treated in accordance with Islamic values regulating the treatment of prisoners of war.” However, he threatened, “We have managed to keep the soldier in captivity for six months and we have no problem keeping him for years.”

On January 17, 2007, one of the captor groups, the Army of Islam headed by Mumtaz Dormush, claimed that Shalit is held exclusively by Hamas.

On March 8, 2007, The Jerusalem Post reported that an agreement has been reached with Hamas over the number of prisoners Israel will release in return for Shalit. Israel and Hamas are still negotiating specific prisoners that Hamas wants freed in return for Shalit.

On April 7, 2007, It was reported that the captors of Gilad Shalit have transferred to Israel, via Egyptian mediators, a list of Palestinian prisoners they want freed. The list includes approximately 1300 names some of which are high ranking Fatah members.

On February 4, 2008, it was reported that Hamas had sent Gilad's family a second letter written by him. The handwriting was confirmed to be that of Shalit.

Gilad's father Noam Shalit met with former U.S. president Jimmy Carter during the latter's April 2008 visit to Israel. Carter plans to later visit Khaled Meshal of Hamas in Damascus. Noam Shalit said that the fact that Carter is not considered pro-Israel could be beneficial in securing his son's release.

On June 9, 2008, it was reported that Hamas sent Gilad's family a third letter. The group had promised to send them a third letter after mediation from former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. The handwriting was confirmed to be that of Shalit.

On August 12th, Hamas noted that they are suspending talks on Shalit's release demanding a complete lifting of the Israeli siege. The decision has angered Egypt, a mediator for the release of Shalit. Hamas has criticized the Egyptians for linking the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Shalit's release, a condition to which Hamas refuses to agree.

On the human rights front, June 25, 2007 was the date the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem issued a statement that "international humanitarian law absolutely prohibits taking and holding a person by force in order to compel the enemy to meet certain demands, while threatening to harm or kill the person if the demands are not met," and thus Hamas holding Gilad Shalit as a hostage to their demands is a war crime. Shalit's denied rights to Red Cross(ICRC) visitation was noted as a blatant violation of international law as well.

Temple Beth Shalom members hope to keep Shalit’s captivity in the public eye. According to Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, “ The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and now the Republic of Georgia, the Olympics, even the weather, keep our attention elsewhere. This is a fundamental human question and, were any of us in Palm Coast, held hostage in violation of International Law, we would certainly want the rest of us to shout out long and loud on behalf of that which is just and right!”



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