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Dear Friend of Israel, dear Friend of FLAME: Once again, the picture in Israel has substantially changed. Above all else, there is now the real threat of Iran’s seemingly unstoppable march toward being armed with nuclear weapons. Anybody who does not take seriously its leaders’ pledges to “wipe Israel off the map” and to “excise the cancer of Zionism” lives in a dream world. These people must be taken by their word. The world, at its peril, disregarded the fulminations of Adolf Hitler. The world and Israel cannot afford to make the same mistake again. It is not impossible that Israel will be forced to make some existential decisions in the not too distant future. As a result of Israel’s being pressured by the insistence of “world opinion” (including, sad to say, by our own country) and also to some extent by the fatigue of its own people, Israel has relinquished Gaza, where Israeli families had been living for at least three generations. Rather than being grateful for this gift of land and for the “freedom from occupation” it afforded them, the Arabs responded with spasms of violence, digging tunnels into Israel and killing and kidnapping its soldiers. And that is in addition to the almost daily barrages of Qassam rockets that rain into Israeli towns and settlements and infrastructure installations. They have caused casualties and much damage. The level of damage and lives lost could at any moment escalate. An even greater fiasco occurred in the northern part of the country, where Israel, under pressure of world opinion (and its own defeatist minority — mostly left-wing “intellectuals”) abandoned its buffer of the southern Lebanon security zone. Though it had caused some casualties, it kept Israel’s northern cities and settlements calm and livable. Again, instead of the hoped-for peace and gratitude, Israel was assaulted by Hezbollah (the “Army of God”), which, in a daring cross-border raid killed and abducted Israeli soldiers and brought about the Second Lebanon War. That war caused thousands of deaths on both sides, immense destruction and untold suffering to Israel and Lebanon. FLAME is steadily engaged in alerting the American public to the reality of Israel’s positions and problems and to the enormous diplomatic and military importance that Israel has for our country and for its resistance to the forces that incessantly seek to destroy it and damage the United States. But now, powerful American politicians and academics are beginning to question Israel’s importance to the United States and claim that Israel, through its Jewish-American surrogates, influences U.S. policy to its own advantage and with total disregard to the welfare and the interests of the United States. This is a dangerous “blood-libel” type of development that must be fought — and that is part of what we are doing and have been doing for almost twenty years. We have close to 30,000 supporters in the United States. We are a major Jewish national organization. As you know, we publish monthly hasbarah (educating and clarifying) messages in major national media – magazines and metropolitan newspapers, in about fifty small-town newspapers all across the United States, and also in a number of Jewish publications. Our influence on popular opinion has, over the years, proven to be substantial. Our mission is clear and our purpose is stated in each of our messages. It is — “...the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world.” One of our proud accomplishments is having gained the support of a large number of Christians (who are often among the most devoted and generous). They are important participants in our work. The United States Congress (both Democrats and Republicans, but in contrast to the State Department) is Israel’s most reliable friend — its importance to the welfare of Israel cannot be overstated. And the reason that Congress is so partial to Israel is not the “influence” of Jewish voters — a very small percentage of the electorate — but to a great extent to the fervor and support of Christian Americans, who make their preferences and wishes known to their Congressional representatives. Congress, always with its collective ear to the ground, listens to what its constituents have to say and act accordingly. We don’t wish to take undue credit, but there can be little question that our monthly analyses of what confronts Israel and of Israel’s actions and policies have been an important factor in the education of the American public about the problems in the Middle East and of Israel’s righteous positions and actions. You probably see our messages every month because they appear in media that you most likely read or to which you subscribe. For your reference, however, I include two recent and particularly pertinent ones. They have caused much comment – virtually all of it favorable. In my previous letter to you, I sent you copy of our most recent financial statement, from which you could see that we work with a bare minimum of overhead and that the bulk of our revenue – your donations – goes for the purpose of FLAME: to bring the truth about Israel and about the Middle East to the attention of the American people, who are mostly uninformed and ill informed by media that are often not all that friendly. We have no support from any official sources and only minimal support from foundations. We are dependent on you and on people like you to enable us to do our important work. We work with a skeleton staff and have never paid any executive salaries. There is no waste. Charity Navigator, the premier monitor and evaluator of philanthropies in the United States, has awarded us their coveted 4-star (highest!) rating for prudent fiscal management. We are proud of that and it is your assurance to you that your money, your contributions, are applied to the purposes that you intended. You have many obligations, many organizations ask for your support, and we know that you cannot accede to all requests. But please consider how important it is to keep the American public informed about the realities of the Middle East and of the realities of Israel’s struggle to keep its mortal enemies at bay and to continue as the homeland for the Jewish people; how important it is to counter the unremitting Arab propaganda, which is fueled by the most expensive public relation agencies. And please consider how important it is that Israel continue as the beacon of freedom and democracy and as the only trustworthy ally of the United States in a part of the world in which anti-Americanism, tyranny, and religious obscurantism hold sway. What we do, placing our hasbarah messages monthly in major national publication is very expensive. Our monthly ad in US News & World Report alone costs $20,000. There are, of course, many more. I feel therefore free to ask you to please make as generous a donation to our important cause as you possibly can. Go now to http://www.factsandlogic.org/donation_form.html. It may well be the best investment for the good will of the American people toward Israel and for the survival and prosperity of Israel that you can possibly make. Thank you for your concern and for your generous support, Shalom and sincerely yours, PS1: FLAME is, of course, a 501(c)(3) organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. PS2: Please consider pledging a monthly amount for one year. It will help us in assuring continuity for publishing our important messages. If you should feel so inclined, please mark the appropriate box on our online donation page—just go now to http://www.factsandlogic.org/donation_form.html. PS3: This is a little intrusive perhaps, but please consider a gift of appreciated securities to FLAME. That has, as you of course know, many tax advantages. And, in order to assure continuity, please consider including us in your will.
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