Friends of Israel Create Israel 60 Birthday Anniversary Website
By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem ----- April 30, 2008 ....... Friends of Israel has created an Israel 60th Birthday celebration Website to secure global support for Israel and to provide relief for Israel charities.
"The world is full of people who hate Israel for no reason other than it simply exists," says Aharon Grundman, Friends of Israel Vice President of International Marketing. "It makes no difference what Israel does, how many people this small democracy helps or how it struggles to defend itself. Israel will always remain wrong by default and by ignorance for many."
To counter that, Friends of Israel has created an Israel 60 Anniversary Birthday Website (IsraelBirthday.com) where every citizen of the world can illustrate their love, faith and respect for Israel and what it stands for as Israel celebrates her 60th birthday anniversary celebration.
The Israel 60 Birthday Website enables hundreds of thousands of supporters from around the world to post a personal Happy Birthday card to Israel. Every Friends of Israel supporter will have their name, picture, and message proudly placed on IsraelBirthday.com.
"This call will be heard worldwide, loud and clear saying" 'Israel, we're with you whenever you need us. United we stand'," says Grundman.
In addition, in honor of Israel's 60th birthday anniversary, all supporters posting on the site will automatically be entered to win an all-expense-paid trip to Israel for two. The proceeds will be distributed among Israel's top charities.
Friends of Israel was created by a group of Americans who care about Israel's future..
"There are millions of people out there who share the happiness of the people of Israel on its diamond anniversary. Yet, they have been missing an effective method for expressing their joy to the people of Israel. Furthermore, we believe this to be an all-important vote of confidence in the basic goodness of Israel. The importance of this show of solidarity cannot be overemphasized," says Ari Flynn, President of Friends of Israel.
"This is a crucial junction in the history of Israel. Political demands on Israel have become so insane that the only antidote is unconditional support," adds Grundman. "We are here to declare that Israel is a democracy that is fundamentally good and moral and an asset to all of humanity. Thousands are out there condemning Israel's every move."
| Friends of Israel's 60 Birthday Celebration Website is expected to reach over 40 million people through their Website and aims at generating over 2 million dollars for Israeli charities which provide food, shelter and medical care for those in need. |
"What Israel needs is people - ordinary people - to come along and just stand by it and provide it with the love and moral support it needs to face its challenges," says Flynn.
Friends of Israel is reaching out to every American, every citizen of Europe and every nation in Asia. "From New York, Chicago, Miami, and Los Angeles to London, Madrid, Rome, Paris and Tokyo, Friends of Israel wants people to stand up and be counted for their support of Israel while at the same time contributing to charities in Israel," says Flynn.
"It's vital to note that Friends of Israel has no political agenda and offers no opinions. Friends of Israel isn't right-winged, centrists or leftist. Personally, some of us are right-wingers, some left-wingers, and others are centrists - but we leave that all behind. We're not here to advise Israel what it should or shouldn't do. We're here to offer pure and unconditional, love," explains Flynn.
Among the major Israel charities associated with the Friends of Israel 60th Birthday Website is the Jewish National Fund, Nefesh B'Nefesh, American Friends of Magen David Adom, the One Family Fund, Aish, Yad Sarah, Yad Eliezer, StandWithUs, Chai Lifeline and many others.
Many of the events planned for Israel's 60 birthday are already taking place from Philadelphia, Toronto and San Francisco to Manchester, Atlanta and Jerusalem. On the eve of Israel Independence Day, May 7, a dazzling laser, light show will illuminate Israel’s skies. Citizens of Beersheba, Haifa, Eilat, Netanya , Tiberias, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ashdod will all be able to enjoy this Israel 60th birthday event.
On Israel Independence Day, Wednesday May 8, The Israel Air Force will provide a colorful and creative air show and a flyby across the skies of Israel. A huge IDF paratrooper demonstration will also take place, as well as an IDF naval review by the Israel Sea Corps. Israel President, Shimon Peres, will also hold a joint birthday party at his Jerusalem residence for all in Israel sharing a Hebrew-calendar birthday with the State of Israel.
Three massive Israel 60 birthday concerts will take place in Israel's Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square as well as in Nitzanim beach in the south and Achziv beach in the north. Each of these Israel 60th birthday concerts will be dedicated to different age groups, and will feature different and unique musical styles. Israel Anglo Singles, the largest Anglo singles dating and support site in Israel, is planning a large Israel 60 birthday beach picnic in Tel Aviv.
A long list of celebrities will be coming to Israel for the Israel 60th birthday anniversary celebrations. They include: film director Steven Spielberg, US President George W. Bush, former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, ex-US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair, Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, French philosopher Bernard-Henri Le'vy, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, former German foreign minister Joscka Fischer, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, social networking Web site Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
Friends of Israel's 60 Birthday Celebration Website is expected to reach over 40 million people through their Website and aims at generating over 2 million dollars for Israeli charities which provide food, shelter and medical care for those in need.
To show your support, please visit www.israelbirthday.com today.
