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PortugueseIsraeli leaders conveyed their “deepest condolences” to the United States following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that left 26 people dead, 20 of them young children. Israeli President Shimon Peres declared, “No experience with death can be likened to that of a parents’ loss of their child. No crime is more heinous than the killing of a child. On behalf of the people of Israel, as friends and as parents, we stand with you today in contemplation and grief over the atrocious, incomprehensible massacre of 20 children and six adults — educators — at Sandy Hook Elementary School.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu also expressed shock about what had happened. He asserted, “Who like us in Israel is familiar with massacres of children and innocents? I pray that the families and the American people find the strength to overcome this terrible tragedy.” Netanyahu also wrote a letter to President Obama, which stated, “We in Israel have experienced such cruel acts of slaughter and we know the shock and agony that they bring. I want to express my profound grief, and that of all the people of Israel, to the families that lost their loved ones.”
Given that Palestinian terrorists have systematically targeted Israeli school children in the past, Israel very much feels the pain that the United States is experiencing right now. Thus, Israel is trying to assist Newton, Connecticut as she deals with this horrible tragedy. Israel News Agency has reported “Israel Humanitarian Aid, a global, non-profit, Israeli organization dedicated to helping worldwide communities to recover from both natural and man-made disasters, donated boxes of fresh food to first responders in Newtown, Connecticut.”
According to Israel Humanitarian Aid director Joel Leyden, “Whether in uniform in the IDF, the border police or as a civilian, Israelis are used to responding quickly to acts of terrorism and natural disasters. I knew that the families who had lost loved ones had immediate support from their own families and from both Jewish and Christian clergy. I was more concerned with how the affect of the massacre would have on Newtown Police and Fire Department first responders. The police were the first ones on the scene making certain that the situation was secure. But at the same time, they were also looking at and stepping over the bodies of little children laying in pools of blood. That is a trauma that no one can train for.”
Leyden asserted that he believed bringing sweets to the Newtown Police and Fire first responders would help them cope better with the trauma. As someone who has been on the scene of many terror attacks in Israel and who has served as a border policeman, Leyden stated, “I knew exactly what these men and women in uniform were going through. The only difference between being in Newtown, Connecticut and being on the scene of a terror shooting or Islamic bomb attack in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem was the language.”
By Rachel Avraham
Please help honor Sandy Hook massacre victims and assist the survivors!
Noah Pozner, age 6 years old, was the youngest of the Sandy Hook Massacre victims. All of the 20 children killed in this terrible tragedy were in the first grade. Noah Pozner was shot 11 times by the 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza. Noah Pozner was Jewish and his family attended Congregation Adath Israel. Noah was the first to be buried after the attack, in keeping with the Jewish tradition, which requires quick burials.
Relatives of Noah Pozner have requested that people donate money towards planting trees in Israel to commemorate the Sandy Hook massacre victims. Donations can be made to the Jewish National Fund for this purpose. In addition, the family of Noah Pozner has set up the Noah’s Ark of Hope Fund, to help provide counseling services, education and basic needs to Noah’s siblings, two of whom were at Sandy Hook Elementary School at the time of the massacre. Noah leaves behind a twin sister and three other siblings.
To plant trees in Israel, click here!
To donate to the Noah Ark of Hope fund, click here!
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