Local Leaders Stand with Israel

Local and state leaders and legislators hosted the Stand with Israel Rally Sunday, Aug. 17 at Synagogue Emanu-El on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard to show support for the state of Israel in its current violent conflict with Hamas and the Palestinian government in Gaza.
An attentive group of about 200 residents listened to guest speakers S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson; S.C. Rep. Alan Clemmons; Charleston City Councilman Mike Seekings; Charleston businessman Jonathan Zucker; former news anchor, political activist, and founder of Israel Always Earl Cox, Israeli Consul General Opher Aviran, and Charleston attorney Ellis Kahn.
Organized by the Charleston Jewish Federation, the peaceful gathering focused on American-Israeli relations and ways South Carolina and local residents could support Israel. The organizers and speakers appealed to the audience to speak out publicly in support of Israel and to donate emergency funds for Israelis hardest hit by the conflict, including children, the disabled, and the elderly.
Rep. Clemmons announced the new “South Carolina Stands With Israel” car tags. Local businessman Jonathan Zucker, son of Anita Zucker and the late Jerry Zucker, gave a personal testimony about his connection to the state of Israel, which was instrumental in the survival of both sides of his family during the Jewish Holocaust of the 1930s and ’40s. Zucker also emphasized the importance of economic ties between South Carolina and Israel and the S.C.-Israel Collaboration.