Israel Committee

Mission | Weekly Updates | Activities Beth Sholom | Committee Activities
Aid Organizations | Important | Accounts | FAQ's | Sites

Beth Sholom Congregation and Talmud Torah is committed to the Torah of Israel, the People of Israel, and the State of Israel.

Our Mission:  The Israel Committee seeks to foster support for Israel and enhance the awareness of Eretz Yisrael as a core value of Judaism. The immediate goals of the Israel Committee, formed during a most difficult times in Israel's history, are as follows:

• To encourage activities supporting Israel among Beth Sholom members
• To disseminate information regarding Israel
• To hold informative and educational programs about topics related to Israel and religious Zionism.
• To engage in supporting Israel financially and politically
• To encourage travel to Israel and learning in Israel
• To plan and hold events to celebrate Israeli holidays such as Yom Haatzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim.
• As part of our mission this web site will provide information to help fulfill these goals.

Weekly Updates

ISRAEL COMMITTEE:

August 20, 2008

• Analysis of the war in Georgia points to a fight over a major oil route as the main reason for hostilities, but  also to an Israeli connection.
• http://www.israelunitycoalition.org/news/article.php?id=3022
• CAMERA suggests to its E-Mail Team to blog in order to correct inaccuracies regarding Israel
• A list of informational links is available at the daily alert site
  http://www.dailyalert.org/links.html

August 13, 2008

• The article "Israel Looks to Neutralize Russian-Made Iranian Air Defenses" explains sharp Israeli countermeasures to security  threats.
• http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1218104239541&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
• Inspirational speech by Shimon Peres is worth hearing.
  http://corpvideofs.adpcorp.com/video/jw/peres_400kb.wmv
• The Jerusalem Archaeological Park looks like a good place to visit in Israel. Their web site is certainly worth a visit
  http://www.archpark.org.il/

Committee Activities

The Beth Sholom Israel Committee has agreed to “adopt” a chayal boded [a solitary soldier  without family or community support].as suggested by Rebbitzin  Aviva Tessler. Please read the  details.

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Consider supporting terror victims by aiding support organizations:

• The Kobe Mandell Foundation which aims to heal bereaved children and parents of terror victims.
• Operation Embrace: Helping Injured Victims of Terror in Israel

We bring the following to your attention:

• At a time when various initiatives, some of them controversial, are getting a lot of press get the facts from trustworthy sources. For a regular summary of significant events see http://jcpa.org/daily/
• You can protest unfair and inaccurate reporting at the Washington Post, sign the petition at http://www.eyeonthepost.org/petition/ and or Send a letter to the Washington Post at letters@washpost.com.

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Accounts

From time to time the Israel committee will present exceptional accounts from and about Israel. We start this series with Our Heroes and Theirs a personal account by Jon Medved. The account will open in a new window. There are print and close window links at the bottom of the window.

ASK the Israel Committee

What does "Yudenrein" mean? Yudenrein means "empty of Jews." In 1290, as one example among many, King Edward I of England issued an Edict of Expulsion, which banished the entire Jewish population from Britain. England remained "Yudenrein" until 1656, when R. Menashe Ben Israel successfully petitioned Oliver Cromwell to allow readmission of Jews. In modern times the Nazis sought to make Germany Yudenrein by murdering the Jews. Currently many people think it is acceptable to create a Yudenrein Palestinian state.

Israel Committee Informed Opinion

This feature provides informed opinion by members of the Israel Committee. Our first article (PDF format, 85KB) is by Darren Schneider titled "What you need to know about Israel: 10 Points"  

We bring the following sites to your attention:

• We recommend the AIPAC Today's Briefing item for summary news.
• We recommend the AIPAC Take Action item for support of Israel in the political arena.
• The Institute for Public Affairs (IPA) of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America 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. Israel concerns are one of a variety of legislative areas considered. An action example is a letter supporting legislation to ensure Palestinian reform before the United States lends any support to the creation of a Palestinian state.
• The American Jewish Committee sponsored web initiative Take Action Now is an open forum for individuals concerned with events in Israel. Geared to college students.
• The Information Center on Israel gives background and current issues and is highly recommended.
  Of special interest is their report regarding Israel's bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor.
• The Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington maintains the Solidarity with Israel web site.
• An excellent collection of articles can be found on the
  MidEastTruth site.
• Community Support for Israel Israel Links of Greater Washington
• Links to more than 70 Israel-related sites, by Beth Sholom's own Darren Schneider
  Darren's Israel Links
• The Operation Embrace site is www.operationembrace.org

*Meyer Katzper's Links to Information:

• Political initiatives
• Measures to aid Israel
• Background information
• Exceptional commentary
• Recommended sources of news
• Local events and activities

*Links are to pages that are not on the Beth Sholom Congregation website, and Beth Sholom Congregation has no control over their content.

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