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A Bird's Eye View
by Gideon Platt
I imagined a big helicopter with lots of room, but
when I arrived at the helipad near the town of
Latrun, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, I saw right
away that it was a small five-seater. I squeezed into
the glass bubble with four other passengers. We had
a 360-degree view outside.
This past summer I was invited by my father and his
associates on a helicopter ride organized through the
American Friends of Likud. I was the only one under
30. We wore headsets with microphones; the pilot
said that when the blades started spinning, it would
be impossible to hear one another. The engine
started and the helicopter engine whirred to a
deafening pitch.
Although I thought that I wouldn't be nervous, as
the chopper lifted smoothly into the air I felt the
sense of nothing beneath me and got a little queasy.
Thankfully, that feeling passed quickly and the
excitement began.
As we headed east towards Jerusalem, the pilot
made a strange remark that I would only comprehend
and appreciate when the ride was over. "Don't dislike
me for ruining your image of Israel, but on this once-
in-a-lifetime ride, the real truth about Israel will be
revealed," he said.
I have always been told how small Israel is in
comparison to the countries that surround it. In fact,
Israel's land mass is a mere .0015 percent of the 22
Arab countries around it. Israel is no bigger than New
Jersey, a fact that can lead one to imagine just how
miniscule it is in comparison to nations like the United
States and other European countries. This fact never
occurred to me since driving between destinations in
Israel and being caught in the typical traffic jams
naturally makes the country feel a lot larger than it
actually is.
As we neared Jerusalem, the pilot had to climb to
over 4,000 feet to avoid possible shooting from the
surrounding Palestinian areas. When driving between
west and east Jerusalem, the differences are
discernable; from the air they are remarkable. Over
west Jerusalem we saw magnificent, well-planned,
and modern avenues and boulevards. Then, as we
flew over east Jerusalem, the compactness, less-
disciplined, curvy roadwork became apparent. The
view of the labyrinth streets of the Old City with the
Temple Mount and the gold Dome of the Rock was
magnificent. We circled over the Old City several
times to really appreciate its grandeur.
When headed north, I looked out of the right window
and asked the pilot, "What city is that? Jericho?" The
pilot laughed and said "No, that's Amman." Although I
knew that the distances were short, I was
nonetheless shocked when I heard that; I always
knew Amman and Jerusalem were close but I never
realized just how close they actually are. The
distance of 43 miles between Jerusalem and Amman
is less than what many Americans commute to work
every day.
As the helicopter continued north along the Jordan
Valley, the border of Jordan and Israel, I looked to
my left and saw the coast of the Mediterranean. It
seemed too close to be true. After a short while, we
passed over the outstanding Roman ruins of Bet
Shean and hovered to get a closer look at this
Roman archeological site.
We continued northeast and soon reached the point
where Israel, Jordan, and Syria meet, called Hamat
Gader. From Hamat Gader we continued along the
Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. The pilot
showed us the pre-1967 border and I was astonished
at the view. Although it was breathtaking, I realized
that in the wrong hands these mountains could be
deadly strategic firing points. As I looked out over
the Golan Heights, I saw it was surrounded by
valleys, making it an important point for Israel's
safety and security. To think that this was going to
be given away is crazy. I was aware that Syrian
snipers used to shell Israeli villages along the eastern
coast of the Galilee, but to see the topography from
the air made it crystal clear. The Golan Heights is a
necessary strategic barrier between Israel and
Syria.
More....
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Since our last newsletter Israel's political
realities
have changed somewhat drastically. With a newly re-
elected President Bush, Yasser Arafat on the verge
of death, and Prime Minister Sharon's government
facing its greatest crises yet, the Knesset winter
session promises to be an interesting one.
The winter promises to be interesting for American
Friends of Likud as well. Over the next few months
we have planned events throughout the US with
such Israeli leaders as Natan Sharansky,
Limor
Livnat, Shaul Mofaz, Yuval
Steinitz and Uzi Landau.
New Likud chapters will be opened in Florida,
Texas,
Nevada, and Arizona, together with
further activity in
our New York, California and
Illinois chapters. In
addition our Caravan for Democracy - High
School
Edition will be training high school students in
Philadelphia, Denver and Los
Angeles.
We look forward to seeing you at our many
functions, and together ensuring a safe and secure
winter for Israel.
L'hitraot,
Ari Harow
National Executive Director
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| Book Signing and Lunch With Minister of Diaspora Affairs |
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Natan Sharansky believes that the truest
expression of democracy is the ability to walk into
the middle of a town square and say whatever you
like without fear of arrest or imprisonment. He should
know. A dissident in the Soviet Union Sharansky was
jailed for nine years for asserting his right to speak
freely. During that time he reinforced his moral
conviction that democracy above all others was a
political virtue to be protected and enhanced,
whatever the circumstances. It is a prerequisite for
civilized society.
Join us in launching Natan Sharansky's new book,
The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to
Overcome Tyranny and Terror.
DATE: Tuesday, November 9th
TIME: 12:30 PM
LOCATION: Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
LLP
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
RSVP:info@thelikud.org
Entrance Fee: $30
(includes glatt kosher lunch & a copy of the book)
Due to hightened security you must RSVP for this
event.
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| Likud Across America |
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The Western Region of American Friends of Likud
hosted PM Sharon's spokesman Dr. Ra'anan
Gissin at the
Los Angeles home of Regional Chairman
Mr. Robert
Rechnitz. (L-R: Mrs. Melanie Rechnitz, Dr.
Ra'anan
Gissin, and Mr. Robert Rechnitz.)
Responding to recent requests, American Friends
of
Likud will soon bring Members of
Knesset
to various cities across
the
United States. Aside from our N.Y.,
Chicago, and L.A. chapters, trips
are now being planned for Philadelphia,
Atlanta, Miami,
Houston, Dallas, Las
Vegas,
Phoenix, Denver, and San
Francisco.
Interested in hosting an MK in your
town? Contact:erappaport@thelikud.org
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| Upcoming Events |
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President's Club Shabbat Dinner
with MK
Yuval
Steinitz, Chairman Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee.
Friday, November 12th in New York
Inauguration of our Florida chapter with
Minister
of Education
Limor Livnat.
Saturday, December 4th in Miami
For further information
Contact:ariharow@thelikud.org
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| Caravan for Democracy High School Edition |
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Philadelphia-
On Thursday, Novemer 11 the Caravan for
Democracy High School program is making its first
stop on the east coast in Philadelphia, PA. The
program will feature keynote speaker Dr. Mitchell
Bard, a leading authority on US Middle East policy, to
speak with students about the importance of Israel
advocacy and getting involved now. The program
will also feature David Gilbert, CBS Middle East
correspondent and Marcella Rosen of the One Truth
Foundation, who will speaking on media bias in
covering Israel, and the rise of anti-Israel sentiment
on college campuses, respectively. There are
currently over 120 students registered, and
registration is still open. To register for the event
please go to
www.CaravanforDemocracy.org.
National Kick-off Event
Los Angeles, CA - October 17, 2004
Caravan for Democracy High School Edition held it's
National Kick-Off event on Sunday, October 17 in Los
Angeles, California. We had students from over 10
area high schools, as well as representatives from
the different youth movements, join us. The program
was highlighted with a keynote speech by Dr.
Ra'anan Gissin, spokesman to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon. The students learned from him first hand
about the importance of advocating for Israel and
the challenges at hand. The day continued with
various sessions of advocacy training and the
premiere of a new film by CampusTruth.org on the
realities of anti-Israel actions on campus, and how
they can lead to anti-Semitism. All of the students
that participated thoroughly enjoyed the program,
and commented that they had no idea why Israel
advocacy would be so important for them. Many
stated that they were thankful to have had such an
opportunity, and that they look forward to joining us
again in the future.
Two students have already begun their advocacy
work and have written articles for the teen e-
newsletter Israel Highway (www.IsraelHighWay.org)
about the Caravan program.
Two more upcoming events:
Denver-November 22
with Arnon Perlman
former spokesman
of
PM Ariel Sharon
L.A.-November 30
with Minister Natan Sharansky and the
David Project at the Simon Wiesenthal
Center.
For more information
contact:mbeller@thelikud.org
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