A Message from Business Manager Chris Erikson
The only democratic state in the Middle East endured a horrific terrorist attack last weekend. It was akin to our 9/11, when rocket fire and armed members of Hamas, a terrorist organization, killed and kidnapped scores of Israelis and Americans. Hundreds of citizens, including women and children, were slaughtered or taken hostage. A declaration of war against a country that we, the United States of America, have never wavered in our support for and who is our only ally in the whole of the Middle East. This dangerous situation is developing and could inflame the entire region, potentially pulling us into a conflict with Iran — a nightmare scenario where nobody can predict the ending.
I personally have been to Israel. I stood not two miles from where they broke through the border fence, and I saw the bomb shelters in Sderot and the tanks on the northern border with Lebanon. The political situation with the Palestinians there has never been good nor peacefully resolved despite many attempts.
Local 3 supports Israel and has since 1948. Harry Van Arsdale Jr. was a founder of Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Harry and JIB Chairman Armand D’Angelo, along with our contractors, created the Electrical Industry’s Division of Israel Bonds to help the fledgling democratic country, and that support has continued through this day. The Jewish Labor Committee and the Electrical Welfare Club have strong ties to Israel, its people, and its principles. America’s support for Israel should never waver, especially now in its darkest hour. War is hell.
