JUNE 10 • 2021 | 29
“Say it with a clear voice, a
proud voice,
” he urges. “Stand
up and say, ‘We support Israel.
’”
He finds the same problem
on college campuses.
“The major, major challenge
I find is that the pro-Israel side
does not respond,
” he says of
his experiences on campuses
throughout the Midwest. “We
do not promote our narrative
enough.
“We need to zoom out to
provide context and under-
standing. For example, they
say we are not indigenous
to the region, but the Jews
are indigenous. We need to
explain the essence of the
Jewish people having a state.
It’s not just military might; it is
historical right. These things
are not clear, understood or
even known.
“We have been working
for the last few decades on
an optimistic future for the
Middle East,” Ezra says, cit-
ing the Abraham Accords
that brought peace agree-
ments with the United Arab
Emirates and Bahrain, and
normalization with Morocco
and Sudan.
“Building bridges is doable,
”
he says. “We’ve proven it.
But while we are investing in
peace, [Hamas] is investing in
war. The Jewish community
and like-minded countries and
individuals should stand up
and say it.
”
Ezra shares the Israeli con-
sensus that his country needs
a stable government, but
there is was no consensus at
first on who will form it and
comprise it and, as a result,
Israelis faced the quandary of
elections for the fifth time in
two and a half years.
“It’s not fair to the blame
Israel’s political leaders for
the fact that Hamas is fir-
ing thousands of rockets
at us, but we need a stable
government sooner rather
than later,” he says. “Without
it, we have no policies, no
direction, no priorities and
no budget. We need it imme-
diately.”
Israeli security forces clash with protesters during a protest against
Israel’s plan to evict Palestinians from the eastern Jerusalem
neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on May 10, 2021.
“WE NEED TO BE MORE
ACTIVE AND TAKE A STAND.
INDIFFERENCE IS VERY
DANGEROUS.”
— AVIV EZRA
OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90 VIA JTA
Vaccinated kids at summer
camps can skip wearing
masks outdoors, with some
exceptions, according to
updated Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
guidelines announced in
late May.
Staff and campers who
are fully vaccinated do not
need to wear masks at camp,
except where required by
law.
Children who aren’t fully
vaccinated should still wear
masks outside when they’re
in crowds or in sustained
close contact with others —
and when they are inside,
the CDC guidelines said.
Camps likely will have
mixed groups of vaccinated
and unvaccinated kids and
should be prepared to have
mask and distancing guide-
lines in place, CDC officials
said.
The new guidance also
says social distancing —
staying 3 to 6 feet from oth-
ers — is recommended for
the unvaccinated, but not
for the vaccinated.
As of late May, about 2.5
million of the roughly 17
million U.S. kids ages 12-16
had gotten at least one shot.
A second dose is required
three weeks after the first,
and then it takes two
more weeks before the
vaccine fully takes effect.
That means that it will be
mid-summer before kids
in that age bracket are fully
vaccinated.
When that happens, “it’s
going to be a camp expe-
rience that is much more
like [before the pandemic],”
said Erin Sauber-Schatz,
who leads the CDC task
force that prepares recom-
mendations designed to
keep Americans safe from
COVID-19.
CDC Issues New Guidelines for Camps
The Jewish Women’s
Foundation of Metro
Detroit is accepting appli-
cations for its 2021 grants
cycle. JWF supports pro-
grams, projects and initia-
tives that advance social
change by expanding oppor-
tunities for Jewish women,
their families and commu-
nity. It considers requests
for single-year funding on
a year-to-year basis, with a
maximum grant amount of
$20,000.
Its 2021 Grants Cycle
is designed to respond
to needs that have been
highlighted by the COVID-
19 pandemic. It will give
special consideration to
programs that increase
women’s economic security
through childcare, pay equi-
ty, leadership development
or other systemic approach-
es; respond to or prevent
domestic abuse; improve
women’s mental well-being;
and specifically address the
needs of underserved or
vulnerable communities.
In addition to discrete
programs, it will offer infra-
structure and/or capacity
building support when it is
aligned with JWF’s mission
and values.
Applications are due
July 1. More information is
available at jwfdetroit.org/
apply-for-a-grant.
JWF Applications Are Open