By: Fern Sidman

Renowned American Jewish activist Dr. Joseph Frager told over 20,000 people assembled for the 19th annual Israel Day Memorial Concert in Central Park that “we stand shoulder to shoulder with our brethren in Israel to protest the planned demolition of homes built in memory to the Tzur Family who were murdered at the hands of terrorists in the Ulpana Neigborhood of Bet El.”

Frager, who is the organizer of the annual event in memory of Carl Freyer Z’L and Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann Z’L added that, “Bet El has special significance to us as Jews because of the Biblical ties that the Jewish nation has to it. The notion of razing homes in Judea and Samaria and in Ulpana is particulary disturbing and shameful.” Dedicating this year’s concert to preserving every home in Ulpana, Frager went on to say that, “we will not rest until the Prime minister backs off on his plan to demolish homes in Bet El” and underscored that the fact that the precedent of this kind of action can only have catastrophic effects.

Having dominated the Israeli political scene for the last few weeks, the Ulpana crisis also brought forth strong words from Likud MK Danny Danon who chastised his own party by declaring, “The Likud was chosen to build in Judea and Samaria and not to destroy.” Rushing back to Israel to vote for the now defeated settlement regulation bill, which was aimed at circumventing a High Court ruling to prevent the evacuation of the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El, Danon later proclaimed that the 69-22 vote in the Knesset was “a travesty of democracy” and said that the extreme left tries to win through the courts rather than by national referendum at election time.

Adding her voice to the chorus of opponents to the Ulpana demolition was Helen Freedman, Executive Director of Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) who said, “We wholeheatedly condemn the nefarious plan of the Israeli government to destroy homes in the Ulpana section of Bet El.” Referencing her presonal encounters with residents of Ulpana on the most recent AFSI Chizuk Mission to Israel in late April of this year, Ms.Freedman said, “Our AFSI contingent was invited to the home of Alex Traiman in Ulpana where we heard both the pain and the unwavering resolve of those families in this wonderful community. We must make it clear that Jews have a right to live anywhere in the land of Israel and we must rally behind these dedicated Ulpana residents.”

“Look, we are facing a formidable foe in Israel’s radically left wing camp,” said 20 year-old Gavriel Yechezkeli, a student at Brooklyn College who attended the concert. “All of these terrirtorial disputes are instigated and initiated by Peace Now and other left-wing NGOs, whose sole purpose it is to eradicate any kind of Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. While it’s true that the Arabs present an existential threat to our survival and well-being, what is far more dangerous are the George Soros’ funded Jewish self-haters who use every last ounce of their energy to further their agenda of the complete expulsion of Jews from these communities throughout Judea and Samaria.”