As we now know, Hamas saluted the American election in their own signature way by launching 20 Kassam rockets from Gaza into civilian Israel, right into the coastal city of Ashkelon. They did so between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning perhaps to celebrate President Obama’s victory. I wonder how President Obama will deal with this. Actually, I am still waiting for President Bush–and the Israeli leadership–to deal with this too.

Last week, I attended the New York premiere of an important film about Israel which I hope you will all see. The film is titled: The Case for Israel. Democracy’s Outpost. The event took place at the Kips Bay Theatre in Manhattan.

I was sobered, saddened, by the Israeli-like security that was necessary. (As it has been said: They always start with the Jews but it never ends with us). No one got in without presenting a ticket. One had to show their ticket in the lobby, at the top of the escalator, and again outside the theatre where the movie would be shown; there were at least 5-7 people whom one had to “get by.” Invited guest seats were assigned by name. The producers, Gloria Greenfield and Michael Yohay, together with sponsoring benefactor, Andrea Levin of The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, (Camera), had mounted a classy operation.

Gloria Greenfield, in her public remarks, noted that “Israelis at the Haifa premiere cried and said that they need this film even more than Americans do.” She also quoted an ex-Berkeley student who moved to Israel and who said: ‘This is one good way to bring clarity and honesty to a subject about which I have been so dis-informed.’”

Greenfield and Yohay had worked on this film for two years. Greenfield said that, at first, every organization established to provide fiscal sponsorship to independent filmmakers turned her down. Even a major Jewish media-based organization with an educational mission turned them down, fearing they would lose donors if they were associated with what might be viewed as a too pro-Israel a film. Greenfield decided to go directly to Camera and their partnership began. Then the Adelson Family Foundation came on board as their major donor. After that, and with lots of hard work, other foundations and philanthropists joined them.

DVDs will be available March 2009. For more information, or to reserve a copy, contact ggreenfield@docemetproductions.com

Today, my review of this film was published in the Jewish Press. Here it is.

A MUST-SEE PRO-ISRAEL FILM

BY PHYLLIS CHESLER

Date: Wednesday, November 05 2008

An increasing number of Jews, including Israeli Jews, say Israel has no real leaders and that few Diaspora Jewish organizational heads will sacrifice their cushy positions for Israel – a country beloved by God but rendered repulsive by more than 40 years of lethal Saudi- and Soros-funded propaganda and by the internal corruptions that plague all nations but are particularly dangerous to Jews when they behave this way in a Jewish state.

While prophets may no longer roam the land, we do seem to have a good number of defenders of both the faith and the truth, among them Bat Ye’or, Caroline Glick, Philippe Karsenty, Ken Levin, David Mamet, Melanie Phillips, Naomi Ragen, Gabriel Schoenfeld and, dare I say it, this writer in my own humble way.

Along with our non-Jewish allies we have often been stigmatized as reactionary “racists” both by militant Islamists and by politically correct Westerners. But here’s the reality:

Every day, perhaps every hour, the war against the Jews and the West escalates. The poisonous results of more than sixty years of “soft jihad” via propaganda are palpable. Muslim and Arab governments and media, the United Nations, international human rights groups, the Western intelligentsia, and many European nations have all signed onto the Case Against Israel’s Existence.

Continue reading HERE.