Holiday Ideas | American Zionist Movement

Asthrith Baltsan Presents “Hatikva” in New York City

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If you would like to hear Astrith Baltsan, and enjoy her entire 90 minute Hatikva program, we suggest you take advantage of her

April 11th performance of Hatikvah: Hope Reborn

Temple Israel
7:30 PM
112 E. 75th Street

To purchase tickets, please call: 212.415.5500

Or visit: http://www.92y.org/tickets/production.aspx?pid=91544

Take a mesmerizing journey on April 10th through the background and history of Israel’s national anthem, HaTikva. Through a multi-media presentation, pianist Asthrith Baltsan reveals Hatikvah’ s past and its path to becoming the song of the Jewish People.

DONATE NOW: Purim 2013 Heads South to Ashkelon and Beyond

Dear Friend:

This winter brought an historically large blanket of snow to Jerusalem and northern Israel. The Kinneret reached record levels.

IDF Soldiers in front of large mound of snow

IDF soldiers in the snow

As we view these positive images, let’s not forget that it was just a few short weeks ago that Israeli children in the southern part of the country were terrorized by missile attacks numbering in the hundreds. Many lived in safe rooms and shelters for close to two weeks.

There was no school to attend. The sanitary and living conditions were primitive. And the rockets kept coming. Yet the children found it within themselves to stand up to the attacks and resumed their lives as soon as they were able. It takes a special strength to do this: Jewish strength supported by a Zionist spirit.

As American Jews and Zionists we can reward and strengthen that resolve through the AZM Purim Connection. Each year we send mishloach manot (the traditional Purim gift of sweets and other goodies) to Lone Soldiers, to the frontlines of the IDF and to children facing unusual struggles or challenges during the year, like those in Ashkelon and other southern communities.

With your purchase of mishloach manot for a child or soldier you create an indelible memory of the gift from abroad. You demonstrate your solidarity, your caring and your connection to the people of Israel.

For $36, $54, $108 or more you can participate in the Purim traditional custom mishloach manot and at the same time stand in support and solidarity of our fellow Jews in Israel. Please consider your tax-deductible donation to the 2013 American Zionist Movement’s Purim Connection 5773. You may send a check or make your gift on our web site: www.azm.org/purim2013.

Zionists are the activists who act. Make a difference. Bring a smile to a young Israeli face. Act now and support the Purim Connection. It is a perfect activity for a religious school or day school class. There are lots of ways to help, taking the first step is vital. Do it now.

Please make your gift by February 22, 2013.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Vernon Kurtz, President

Karen J. Rubinstein, Executive Director

Mark Tisha b’Av With A Zionist Perspective

Tisha b’Av and Zionism

The observance of Tisha b’Av Saturday night July 28 and Sunday, July 29, gives us the opportunity to focus on the connection between the destructions of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem and, thus, our connection to the Land of Israel. Zionism arose out of the longing of exiled Jews for their Homeland. Our leaders kept the exiles focused on what they had lost and have not let them forget. And we did not forget. We returned from exile to Eretz Yisrael many times, building a country 2,000 years later.

The American Zionist Movement and the World Zionist Organization presents this series of readings that emphasize the connection of Zionism to the messages of Tisha b’Av. Despite the proximity to 9 Av, please add them to your readings this year or use them in your private contemplation. In every case, please disseminate them to your members as soon as possible.

May the fast for those who so choose be an easy one.

Purim 2012 Brings Gifts and Goodies Front-line Soldiers and Children

The 2012 Purim Connection was another stunning success with lots of thank yous coming in from across Israel.

AZM with help from AMIT, Mercaz, and many individuals and synagogues across the country brought Purim joy to schools in Kiryat Malachi, soldiers in the front line units across the country, and to many Lone Soldiers (IDF soldiers who serve without the support of their families.)

An important part of our Purim Connection is the role that young Jews studying or volunteering in Israel play in the packaging and delivery of the Purim mishloach manot. This year’s volunteers from Magshimey Herut, Habonim-Dror and the kibbutz ulpan program were all on extended stays in Israel as part of MASA Israel Journey programs. Among the volunteers to AZM’s Purim Connection were: Raphael Falk, Andrew DuFour, Benjamin Scholom, Brett Godette, Yossi Cohen, Izzy Eisen, and Eugene Kikoin.

One of the Lone Soldiers, Gidi, who received an AZM Purim package posted on the Kehillat Netzach’s Facebook Page, expressing his happiness and gratitude. When you see comments like these you know how important it is to participate in these programs:

Some More Questions for Your Passover Table

Will you be in Israel this Passover? Join the WZO Passover festivities on Mount Herzl this year.

An important part of the Passover tradition is the discussion and debate of the haggadah. It is also a tradition to add new elements into the haggadah. To provide additional Zionist context to this year’s seder, the World Zionist Organization and AZM offer some songs and texts to be read and considered, as well as some questions to help families put the materials into the Zionist context.

The texts are part of David Ben-Gurion‘s speech at the Peel Commission; the song Out of Egypt (hear it and see it on YouTube) by Alma Zohar, which connects the Jews’ departure from Egypt to the Promised Land to today’s African refugees in Israel; and a reflection by Ze’ev Jabotinsky on the “Four Sons” from the Haggadah. The themes and questions raised in the materials include the collective memory of the Jews, whether Israel helps or impedes the concept of peoplehood, whether the Jews living in Israel and those living outside of Israel are one people, if Jews throughout the world share a “common denominator,” and more. These questions will help your family and friends reflect on their Zionist identity and their connections to Israel and the Jewish People.

The supplement is available in English, Hebrew, and Spanish. Click below to download yours! Use it at your seder and share it with your friends and neighbors.

Passover 2012-English

Passover 2012-Hebrew

Passover 2012-Spanish

Also download the Zionist Dayenu, available here.

See the Alma Zohar video Out of Egypt here:

This Year Add a New Dayenu to Your Seder

It is part of the Passover tradition to add new songs and stories to the seder. This year add a contemporary version of Dayenu, one which calls upon the Jewish People to give thanks for the return to Israel and for all of the accomplishments of the Jewish People since the establishment of the State. This Dayenu ends with a question to encourage discussion around the seder table. You might even want to add your own verses.

Click on the image below to see a larger version. You can also download copies by following the link below.

Download a PDF of Dayenu (This is a big file; please allow time for the download.)

Donate to AZM

For the Jews There was Gladness and Light…..

Dear AZM Friend,

Imagine a soldier standing guard. It’s dark and silent. There is no town, no synagogue, nothing within a 40 kilometer radius. A rocket streaks overhead reminding him, again, why he is here. Purim is coming and Ronen is remembering the Purim parties he had with his friends back home. He’s thinking about his ima’s oznei haman (hamentashen) and wishing he could bite into one now. Ronen’s fellow soldier, Alexsey, is thinking about his parents, but they are far away in Smolensk. His whole unit feels a bit sad to be away from friends and family today, but then a truck draws up. The unit commander has brought special treats for all from America!

For more than two decades The American Zionist Movement (AZM) has sought to touch these front line soldiers with its Purim Connection – an opportunity for American Jews to demonstrate their solidarity with Israelis who serve on the frontline in defense of Israel and with the youngest and most at-risk Israelis.

This year the Purim Connection is also making a special effort to reach “Lone Soldiers.” There are 2,500 soldiers serving in the IDF who have no family in Israel. Some are new immigrants from North America; others are from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia and other countries. They are particularly vulnerable and it is especially meaningful when they receive a holiday package. In addition, children with special needs in the south will also receive gifts from you.

Wouldn’t you like to do something special this Purim? Even a small donation will help a young child or a lonely soldier feel cared for and remembered.

Not only will these gifts improve the spirits of the receivers – they also support the Israeli economy, as all products used are made in Israel. In addition, in Israel, the mishloach manot packages will be delivered by young Jews: members of Zionist youth movements and students on year programs. This is one more tangible way in which we are building the connections between our young people and our homeland.

Please make your contribution online – go to www.azm.org/purim2012. Or send a check in the mail to: American Zionist Movement Purim Connection, 633 Third Avenue – 21^st floor, New York, NY, 10017-8157.

Your mishloach manot gift will tell an Israeli soldier or child that you care. It’s a gesture that will long be remembered. But the deadline is coming up quickly. We ask that donations be received no later than March 15, 2012. Please don’t delay!

We thank you; and Ronen, the children of Kiryat Gat and Kiryat Malachi, and all of Israel thanks you as well.

Chag sameach and Zion greetings.

Special note: AZM is very appreciative for the assistance provided by the volunteers from Magshemei Herut and by Yashar L’Chayal in Israel, and for the support provided by AZM member organizations, particularly AMIT and Mercaz USA.

For the Jews There Was Gladness and Light, Joy and Honor

Child dressed up for Purim	Purchase Purim Basket for An Israeli Child in School ($18 per basket):
Child in hospital on Purim	Purchase Purim Basket for An Israeli Child in Hospital ($36 per basket):
A soldier receiving a Purim Basket in 2009	Purchase Purim Basket for An Israeli Lone Soldier ($54 per basket):
Class in Ashkelon	Help Purchase Purim Baskets for A School Class $180
Members of the Venus Tank Unit mug for the camera after receiving their Purim gifts.	Help Purchase Purim Baskets for An IDF Unit $360

I wish to support the Purim Connection and the AZM with a contribution of:

This Year Celebrate Tu B’Shvat with a Seder

Tu B’shvat is the Jewish New Year for Trees. As the environment is changing, and the concept of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) is changing with it, we must be more aware of how this generation has the potential and the responsibility to change current practices in our society. In Deuteronomy 20:19 we learn “A human is like a tree in the field.” Just as one tree does not make a forest, one person does not make up a community. It takes all of us working together to repair the spiritual and physical damage human have inflicted upon the Earth. As we celebrate Tu B’shvat, following in the traditions of the Kabbalists in Tzfat (Safed), we must also think about our responsibility to the earth and how to begin these repairs.

Materials are provided here to help individuals, families communities, and synagogues to organize and implement a Tu B’shvat seder as a way to examine and celebrate our connection to the land of Israel and the people of Israel. It is also a way to infuse Zionist identity with a green consciousness.

Tu B’shvat is an ideal time to focus on Israel. Spring is about to emerge in Israel and forests are beginning to show a tinge of green. How better to celebrate Israel and environment than with this Tu B’shvat Seder. Download the hagaddah here. Download the leaders guide here.

Tu B’shvat

Click the tree above to visit our Tu B’shvat for Gilad campaign page!

Tu B’shvat, the 15th day of the month of Shvat on the Jewish calendar, marks the beginning of a “New Year for Trees.” This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.

Throughout the years, Tu B’shvat was a festival which most visibly demonstrated the Jewish people’s love for and connection to the Land of Israel and, today, the State of Israel. It is the festival of agriculture and nature’s renewal, our opportunity to show love for trees and the natural world.

In these days of renewal, when the people have returned to its own land and established The State of Israel, this festival, too, has newfound meaning. No longer is this only when fruits of the Land of Israel are tasted, it has been transformed into a day for tree-planting, as it says in the Torah: “And when you shall enter this land, you shall plant fruit-bearing trees…” [Vayikra 19.23].

Please click on the links below for more Tu B’shvat resources.

Tu B’shvat Song – כי האדם עץ השדה …….Because Man is a Tree of the Field

Tu B’shvat Educational Resources

Tu B’shvat Hagaddah

Make a donation to AZM’s Together as One: Carmel Fire Relief Fund

Plant a tree in the Carmel Forest