Connect With Israel

Updated 3/8/04

(The date in red is the date posted; the date following the title is the date--where appropriate--of the activity.)

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(3/8/04)Help Protect Dolev
From: Danny & Sara-Lea Nebenzahl
To: abba
Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2002 4:31 PM
Subject: help protect Dolev

To all my friends and relatives, Shalom,

As you know, I live with my husband and three daughters in the community of Dolev in Samaria. We are standing strong and determined to defend our people and our land, and firmly believe in our eventual victory, with G-Ds help.

As you surely know, we are living in very dangerous times in Israel and especially in the yishuvim in Yehuda, Shomron and Chevel Aza. We are under attack on our roads and sometimes even in the settlements themselves.

We now need financial help for security supplies, and I am looking for people who can help put us in touch with shools / groups / individuals who would be willing and able to help. There are certain basic equipment and supplies that are urgently needed to properly protect our families and homes. These items are not, and will not be, supplied to us by the government or the army, or at least not in the quantities so badly needed. ALL THESE ITEMS ARE NEEDED SOLELY FOR SELF DEFENSE AGAINST ATTACKS ON OUR COMMUNITIES.

If you can help, please contact me or follow one of the following paths. Thank you in advance for caring.

We should always hear good news!

Sara-Lea (Bass) Nebenzahl and family
Click here for more information

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(6/22) Student Photomosaic
ACTION (From the OU - Jewish Dream Network) - We are asking every Jewish student around the world to TAKE 5 MINUTES TO REACH OUT AND RESPOND to show Israel we care.

Each student will be featured in a photomosaic, tell all of Israel their prayers are with them, and show the world that Israel wants peace.

This idea called the Prayer for Peace Photomosaic for Israel is SIMPLE. We would like to collect and send thousands of prayers to Israel this Chanukah together with a photomosaic of Jerusalem made up of photographs of Jewish kids from around the world. The photomosaic will be reproduced and sold to help raise money for Israeli children’s charities and spread the message of united support for Israel and peace.

TO BE A PART OF IT (all ages welcome), send (if not all, whichever you can)

(1) 400 x 400 pixel jpgs of yourself, your family, and your friends to be included in a photomosaic of Jerusalem

(2) a short personal prayer for peace in Israel

(3) $1 (to help commission the photomosaic)

E-mail pictures to tobey@jewishdreamnetwork.org or mail prayers and contributions to:

Jewish Dream Network -
11 Broadway, 14th Floor -
New York, NY 10004.

ACT SOON! First come, first serve. Please spread the word and help fill this picture of Jerusalem with 10000s of faces!

Please feel free to contact Tobey with questions or how to have your whole school or youth group participate. (Deadline: Sept. 2003)

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(4/21) ZAKA
ZAKA was founded with the intent to ensure that people who die, whether through terrorist attacks or other causes, are identified and receive a proper burial. Today however, ZAKA places equal emphasis on providing medical assistance to people at the scene of terrorist attacks and other tragedies. It has a "rapid response" team of 600 volunteers that are called into action throughout Israel, day and night. Time is a key factor when it comes to saving lives. "The slightest delay in applying CPR can mean the difference between life and death". Motorcycles have been proven to allow ZAKA volunteers to get to the scene faster than any other form of transportation. "In a joint study conducted by Zaka and Israel's Ministry of Health, researchers found that motorcycle-driven first aid units are able to reach the scene of an emergency on an average of less than half the time it takes for a conventional 4-wheel emergency vehicle". ZAKA needs more of these motorcycles in order to continue its work effectively. The problem of course is that these motorcycles are expensive. Each type of motorcycle costs anywhere between $7,500 and $10,000. It is urgent that everyone contribute to help ZAKA continue to save lives. Please go to www.zakaisrael.org immediatly today. Please also look at their other needs and see how you can help.

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(4/21) ADOPTING COMMUNITIES IN GUSH KATIF/GAZA
AMERICANS FOR A SAFE ISRAEL/AFSI;
623 Third Ave., Suite 205,
New York, N.Y. 10128;
Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717;
afsi@rcn.com; April, 2003

Once again the call has gone out for help from our beloved brothers and sisters in Israel. Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI sends you this message from Bracha Koch in Gush Katif and urges you to respond any way you can. AFSI wholeheartedly supports this request.

Bracha writes that in order to give the more than 2400 children and youth (ages 6-18) in the area an opportunity to have a somewhat "normal" life in their daily surroundings, which are under constant threat, there is a need to upgrade the youth clubs and outdoor games. Bracha asks that people and/or organizations "adopt" communities in the Gush. She suggests `Shirat Hayam' in particular. (This is a community the AFSI Chizuk missions have visited. It is new, beautifully situated on the Mediterranean, with young, dedicated families holding the line for us there.) This would enable them to succeed in their efforts to bring some joy into the lives of the children, many of whom suffer so from the loss of friends and family. They are truly the "little heroes" of the Katif region.

If you wish to help, please send your tax-deductible checks to:
P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc.,
earmarked for Katif Development Fund- club Shirat Hayam.
Mail the checks directly to:
P.E.F.,
317 Madison Ave., Suite 607,
New York, N.Y. 10017.
Tel: 212-599-1260.

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(4/13) Israel Kimcha DePischa - $15,000 still needed!
Our community in Israel is engaged in a special effort to provide Seder meals for every needy family in Raanana. Poor families in Raanana do exist and being surrounded by relatively wealthy communities, they and their children are reminded daily of their poverty.

A donation of $70 would provide for a dignified Seder meal for an entire family. Hundreds of meals have already been donated but there is still a shortage of about 200 meals to meet the target of reaching every needy person in town. In this very last minute call, we are trying to reach out to our brethren in the Gola, to help out.

If you would like to contribute ANY amount please email Zeev Yoffe at zeev@sure.co.il with your full name, Credit Card number and its Expiration date OR call Zeev for a telephonic payment at 011-972-9-7449468, 011-972-50-336128.

For any further information please feel free to contact Zeev at any time.

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(4/6) From Arutz7
WAYS TO HELP OUT TERROR VICTIMS

• VAT International (www.victimsofarabterror.org) provides comfort for families of slain terrorist victims, and initiates political activity in an effort to minimize future casualties. The organization has also initiated a self-defense legal weaponry course for Israeli citizens...
  
  
• TVA (www.terrorvictims.com) is a network of volunteers, including prominent social workers, who visit the families of victims and give them critical emotional and practical support. Other projects includes holiday outings for mothers and children (separately), political activity, a lawsuit against Arafat, and more...
  

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(3/19) Fine Foods From Israel
As a result of rising demand from American consumers, Israel’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Israel Economic Mission to North America, the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, the Manufacturers Association of Israel, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, International Fellowship for Christians & Jews and leading Israeli food companies bring you:
Fine Foods From Israel, a special campaign showcasing some of Israel’s most popular foods that are available in stores throughout the U.S.

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(4/28) Hazon Yeshaya Soup Kitchens
There is much concern about Israel these days. Much outpouring of concern for the victims of terror. And this is as it should be.

But there is one portion of Israeli society that seems to have been forgotten: the hungry. They, too, suffer. And many are, in their own way, victims of terror, as well. For the Palestinian war of terrorism has brought economic depression to this country. According to official government statistics, there are over 1,500,000 people living under the poverty level, out of which 690,000 are children. There are tens of thousands of children that attend school each day with an empty stomach. Who knows of the countless men, women and children who go to bed each night feeling the pain of hunger.

It is time for the Diaspora to take notice of the hunger crisis that Israel is facing today.

This sort of hunger is debilitating and threatens our entire nation from within. Jews are supposed to be responsible for each other, and there is nothing more essential, nothing more elemental, than assuring that our fellow Jews have enough to eat.

Hazon Yeshaya provides more than 120,000 hot meals each month to needy Israelis. Please, give as you are able, and spread the words to others, and help us continue our daily mission of feeding Israel's hungry.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to:

American Friends of Hazon Yeshaya
2001 East 7th Street
Brooklyn NY 11223
Visit our website: www.hazonyeshaya.org

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(1/15) Partial List of Charities that Benefit Israel
For more see: http://www.ou.org/israel/5762/helpisraelis.htm#charities

OU Israel Center (The Seymour J. Abrams - Orthodox Union - Jerusalem World Center) is the hub of the Orthodox Union's activities in Israel. The Center serves as a "Home Away From Home" for hundreds of English speaking adults with its plethora of shiurim, lectures, tiyulim and other programs for adults. More important, however, as a registered non-profit organization in Israel, we run educational programs for over 2500 young Israelis per year in a number of critically important projects. All these projects are assisting young people to cope with the stress and anxiety in the current Situation in Israel, while simultaneously providing a healthy educational atmosphere in a positively religious setting.

*Makom Balev.
NCSY-style youth clubs for children largely from development towns. 1500 children receive after-school activities of a religious and cultural nature, as well as leisure program, camps, Shabbatonim and personal care of specially trained advisors.

*The "Zula".
This special project works with 300 youth at risk, mostly from good homes, who have found their ways to the streets and all the negatives associated with that. Motzei Shabbat Drop-in Center, follow-up programs, personal counseling, and placement of teenagers into appropriate settings are but some of the crucial activities of this project.

*NESTO.
Native English speaking Teenage Organization. Over 100 youngsters from English-speaking homes who are having trouble adjusting to Israeli society find a warm and open social environment in which to explore their identity, learn and socialize together. A variety of educational programs and opportunities, including weekly events, Shabbatonim, Chessed activities, and camps are part of the young people's fare in this growing organization.

* Beit Kharkov.
Some 300 young Russian speaking olim - mostly graduates of the OU"s Community Program in Kharkov, Ukraine - are assisted in this project with their integration into Israeli society. Placement for Shabbat and Chagim and in schools, personal assistance and counseling, and a rich ongoing educational and social program during the year, are but some of the activities of this thriving project.

All these projects need your support. For more details, contact: Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Director OU Overseas Programs at dcohen@israelcenter.co.il or Menachem Persoff, Director, OU Israel Center at mpersoff@israelcenter.co.il.

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(1/15) The Esther Show
This year the women of Efrat/Gush Etzion produced a musical, based on the Purim story, called "ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court." It has proven to be a tremendous success. We have sold out 20 shows - with women from all of Israel from Rechovot and Haifa down to Gush Katif coming on bulletproof buses to share the joy of ESTHER.

Through our production, we have raised the spirits thus far of more than 6,000 women, and have raised more than 150,000 shekels in tzedakah for families and communities that have been victims of terror.

If you can't be in Gush Etzion this winter, perhaps you would like to participate in our mitzvah, and enjoy the ESTHER experience, by ordering ESTHER CDs, ESTHER bags or ESTHER aprons for your sisterhood mishloach manot.

At a quantity discount:

CDs are $15 each
Aprons are $10 each
Bags are $10 each

This does NOT include shipping costs (but perhaps you have someone in Israel for winter break, who could bring the items home). All profits from these items go to tzedakah through the Gush Etzion Foundation, a tax deductible charity in our area.

There's loads more to find out about our wonderful show. Just visit http://www.theesthershow.com and read all about it.

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(12/20) Join the OU IPA Action Network
The IPA Action Network is designed to provide an immediate and coordinated grassroots response just at the point when vital legislation reaches a crucial stage in the legislative process. Action Network members whose representatives and senators are "undecided" on specific legislation will receive concise written background material and will be e-mailed by an IPA liaison to emphasize the importance of a call to their Congresspeople.

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(11/20) Caravan for Democracy
Caravan for Democracy is the American vehicle that drives constructive dialogue on college campuses throughout the United States by featuring different speakers from Israel to discuss the challenges Israel faces as the only democracy in the Middle East. Caravan for Democracy provides access to resources and opinions to encourage critical thinking about the issues affecting Israel, how it is covered in the media and its unique role in the region.

(11/9) Share Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah with Israel
Your Bar/Bat mitzva class or individual children in your community undergoing a Bar or Bat Mitzva can now adopt a group of children in a development town in Israel or individual children who are also preparing for and celebrating their Bar / Bat Mitzva through the OU Israel Center's Gesharim Project. To initiate this project in your school, synagogue, or youth group, email herzogt@ou.org or call 212-613-8399.

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(10/30) The Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund has Solidarity Flag posters with images of the victims of terror available, as well as memorial bracelets and other consciousness-raising materials. For more information or to order, see www.walk4israel.com or call 516-390-7162.

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(10/30) Pro-Israel Advocacy
If you are interested in face-to-face pro-Israel advocacy, a small group of volunteers is needed to do pro-Israel tabling in New York City once a week/replicate this effort elsewhere. Non-confrontational, pass out literature, and help a small group of volunteers well-versed in Israel advocacy. Please contact the OU and we will put you in touch with the group. 212-613-8399 or herzogt@ou.org.

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(10/23) Twinning Communities: PROJECT CONNECT
For synagogues, youth programs, & schools

Israeli communities are eager to begin twinning projects with communities in the U.S. The goal is to create a direct and personal connection and strengthen our commitment to Israel through community twinning projects. Communities range from Metzad, a community of 20+ families to Pnei Kedem. See www.ou.org/israel and email Tobey Herzog for more information: herzogt@ou.org or 212-613-8399.

The OU Israel Center's Project Gesharim is looking for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students interested in "twinning" with Bar/Bat Mitzvah students in Israel. If you or your synagogue would be interested, please contact the OU at herzogt@ou.org or call 212.613.8399.

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Arad family: arad@mia.org.il
Baumel family: baumel@mia.org.il
Feldman family: feldman@mia.org.il
Hever family: hever@mia.org.il
Katz family: katz@mia.org.il
Tannenbaum family: tannenbaum@mia.org.il

Letters can be sent in Hebrew or English. May this year be the year that all of Israel's missing are returned home as is prophesized "...And thy sons shall return to their borders."

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(9/5) How to Help
CAMERA E-Mail Team member Richard Prince has put together a comprehensive booklet full of both unique and traditional suggestions on how we can assist and show solidarity with the people of Israel.

Please read the booklet by going to: www.ohebshalom.org/Guide.pdf

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