Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education

Israel Education

ATTENTION: JEWISH SCHOOL STUDENTS
AN ACTION GUIDE FOR ISRAEL
HOW YOU CAN HELP TO SUPPORT ISRAEL

SUPPORT
1. Jewish Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund which helps victims of terror in Israel. Call Rob Meyer at 215-832-0585
2. Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund - www.walk4israel.com and its Project Embrace which match synagogues and schools with families and victims of terrorism
3. Soaring Bridges to Israel, a person-to-person Bikkur Holim Hesed project which will link thousands of school children across the United States with children in schools and hospitals across Israel. Go to www.soaringwords.org - then click on "Soaring Bridges to Israel."
4. Magen David Adom - Support Israel’s emergency, medical, health, blood and disaster services - www.magendavidadom.org.
5. Attend a solidarity rally in your area

WRITE
1. Write letters of encouragement to Senators and Representatives - and even state and local officials - who have been supportive of Israel in any way. The letters should be personal and to the point, signed with respect and a valid address. E-mail is a good second choice, but nothing beats a hard copy.
  
  Name of Representative/Senator
  United States Capitol
  Washington, D.C.
2. Write letters of objection to those whose support for Israel has been less than adequate. Those letters, too, should be respectful and to the point. The goal is not to berate, but to persuade.
3. Write or call the White House to encourage the President and Vice-President to continue their extraordinary support for Israel and to persevere in the war against terror.
  
  President George W. Bush
  The White House
  Washington, D.C.
  202-456-1111
  Fax: 202-456-2461
  E-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
  Vice-President Dick Cheney
  vice.president@whitehouse.gov
4. Write to other Jewish teens, both in the Diaspora and in Israel, via the website www.ttt.org.il. This site provides links between teens inside and outside Israel to write about, educate and promote awareness of Israel as well as the plight of Jewish in other parts of the world. Currently, they have information about the Jews of Latin America.
5. Jewish communities throughout the world are being asked to send personal letters to the soldiers who are now defending the State of Israel in a war against Palestinian terrorism. At this time, it is especially important to express unity and mutual responsibility for one another throughout the Jewish world.
  
  These personal letters can be sent in one of two ways:
  1. Handwritten or typed letters can be sent to Israel by fax to 972-2-621-6133 or 972-2-621-6214; by express mail (delivery within 72 hours) directly to Israel (it is best to send letters in a centralized manner) to
    
    Letter for an Israeli Soldier
    The Jewish Agency for Israel
    POB 92
    Jerusalem 91000, Israel
    
    or can be forwarded to our office in New York
    
    Letter for an Israeli Soldier
    The Jewish Agency for Israel
    633 Third Avenue 21st Floor
    New York, NY 10017
  2. E-mail Letters - We suggest sending the letters as attachments to LetterToSoldier@jazo.org.il
    These email letters will be printed in the Jewish Agency offices in Jerusalem, placed into individual envelopes and delivered to soldiers.
  Letters should be sent as soon as possible. All of the letters will be distributed immediately by the Education Department of the Jewish Agency through IDF representatives. If there are any questions, contact asherit@jazo.org.il. All letter writers should include their name and address to allow the soldiers to answer. All means of self expression are acceptable and welcomed!

READ
1. Read the newspaper and watch television with a special eye for reporting on Israel and the Middle East. When someone has done a good job, write or call with praise. When someone has done a poor job, carefully communicate your objections. It is as important to watch the local news as carefully as it is the national news. One good source for being a media watchdog is www.honestreporting.com.
2. Read books about the history of Israel. Familiarize yourself so that you can defend Israel in discussions. There is a great deal of history being rewritten by our "peace partners." If you don’t know our history, you can’t tell fact from fiction.
3. Read an online Israeli newspaper at least once a day. This way you are getting the news directly and not sifted through the lens of CNN. Because the United States is a democracy, and we have folks on the left and on the right, reading our papers gives you a very broad perspective. You can read the Jerusalem Post at www.jpost.com. You can read Ha’Aretz at www.haaretzdaily.com. Try to read some of the editorials. They can give you a broad spectrum of the various theories, politics, opinions of, and obstacles to peace.

SHOP FOR ISRAELI PRODUCTS
1. The Gap, J. Jill, and Talbots carry Israel clothing. Many kosher food products are made in Israel, as are many housewares.
2. You can even make your purchases online - www.shopinisrael.com and www.israeliscent.com are two sites. The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s website, www.jewishphilly.org, has a link to many Israeli shops online - just click on "Shop in Israel."

REACH OUT
Call friends and family in Israel just to talk to them. Invest ten dollars in a phone card and you can probably talk for an hour. Ask them about school, about work. Tell them you miss them. Promise that you will visit.

VIEW
1. View some movies about the history of Israel. Some recommendations: Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer, Exodus, Cast a Giant Shadow (ACAJE has these!).
2. Make sure to see the Academy award-nominated film Promises. Promises presents the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as seen through the eyes of Israeli and Palestinian children. Visit the website to see where and when the film will be playing - www.promisesproject.org.

PRAY
1. Go to synagogue. Recite the Prayer for the State of Israel and its soldiers in Hebrew or English. In addition, recite Tehillim (Psalms). We need communal prayers - Psalms 20, 83, 121, 130 and 142 are especially appropriate.
2. Say a mi shebeirakh (prayer for recovery) for the Israeli victims who are in critical or serious condition. E-mail Ester at tefilla@netvision.net.il for an updated list.

MAKE PLANS
Make plans to go to Israel. Put the money away. Join Passport To Israel. Send for the brochures. Enroll in the El Al frequent flyer program. If you can go now, go now, on a solidarity mission or a quick trip.