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עמוד:81
Background Information The Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People in Europe The Emergency Committee was established in the United States in November 1942 by a group of six young Jews from Palestine ( pre-state Israel ) who were members of the Etzel , one of the Jewish military organizations that secretly operated during the British Mandate period , before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 ( see p . 78 ) . On the eve of the outbreak of World War II , these six young men were sent to Europe to save Jews and to bring them to Palestine through illegal immigration channels . Later , they were sent to the United States on various missions – to gather support for the establishment of a Jewish State in the land of Israel and for its army , and to continue their attempts to save the Jews in Europe . However , at the end of November 1942 , upon hearing that the Nazis had already killed two million Jews in Europe , they decided to devote all their efforts towards the most urgent goal : the immediate rescue of the remaining Jews . To this end , they established the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People in Europe . The members of the Etzel delegation included : Yitzchak Ben-Ami Aryeh Ben-Eliezer Eri Jabotinsky Hillel Kook , the group commander , also known as Peter Bergson Shmuel Merlin Alexander Rafaeli How to Effect Change ? The members of the Emergency Committee knew that in democratic societies , public opinion has a strong influence on government decisions , so they published ads aimed at the general public in order to convey the message that it was indeed possible to save Jews trapped in the Nazi regime – and that America had to help . 1 What is the meaning of the words , “ Becoming Ghosts , ” in the ad on p . 80 ? 2 According to the ad , what was likely to happen if no measures were taken until the military defeat of Germany and its allies , as proposed by the American government ? 3 The ad on p . 80 refers to an example of a successful rescue operation of Jews in Europe : when the citizens of Denmark realized that they were unable to continue to protect the Jews in their country from the Nazis , a campaign was organized to smuggle them to Sweden in boats within a few hours . ( Sweden is a country near Denmark that was not occupied by the Nazis and agreed to receive the Jews . ) a . Why was it important to the Emergency Committee to provide this information to the readers of the newspaper ? b . Why is it important to present facts in order to effectively influence public opinion ?
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