from the American Zionist Movement! |
This Hanukkah, as you gather with family and friends, we ask you to think about those unable to do so: Israeli soldiers abducted by terrorists in the line of duty. For the second year, Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev will be celebrating Hanukkah in the custody of terrorists. For the others, it has been much longer since they were home for Hanukkah.
Each night, as you kindle Hanukkah candles, read aloud a paragraph about one of the eight soldiers provided by AZM here. We urge you to share this concept and the materials with your family and friends.
While shopping for holiday presents, please consider giving dog tags engraved with the abducted soldiers' names, a meaningful gift conveying the importance of solidarity and social action.
By lighting the Hanukkah candles, you are united not only with family members and friends, but also with Jews around the world also celebrating the Festival of Lights. This Hanukkah, take time to reflect on the power of this connection and our responsibility to each other, especially to those who place themselves in harm's way to protect our nation and its people. Israel's young soldiers are modern-day Maccabbees defending the Jewish homeland. It is imperative that we never forget these soldiers and their deplorable situation.
AZM wishes you and your family a Hanukkah filled with happiness and peace.
In a world where conflicts are won by public opinion and in media wars, wouldn't you like an easy way to keep up with the news and even lend a hand in voicing Israel's side?
The AZM Megaphone is a simple-to-install tool which brings breaking news in brief to your PC in real time. Created by our colleagues at GIYUS, this tool will send instant alerts to your desktop. Click on the alerts, and you will not only receive more information -- you also will be provided with opportunities to take action by directly voicing your opinion on relevant websites.
Join AZM by downloading our 'action alert' tool, and you will receive AZM Action Alerts in addition to those from Giyus. It's safe to install and will help ensure that we stay one step ahead in the fight against media bias!
Or L'Dor, AZM's young leadership divison, launched last week in Chicago with a salon on the topic of "It's a Free Country: American Jews and Religious Freedom." Participants read historical sources in search of answers for how American Jews balance the American, Jewish and Zionist elements of their identities. The event was co-sponsored with PresenTense Magazine.
Or L'Dor connects young people from across ideological and religious spectrums by providing a forum for hands-on exploration of what it means to be a Zionist today. To find out more about Or L'Dor or to get involved in New York, please contact Sarah Rapaport at 212-339-6930 or srapaport@azm.org. For more information about the Chicago Or L'Dor group, contact Deborah Fishman at dfishman@azm.org.
Or L'dor events are in cooperation with the WZO, Department for Zionist Activities.
Do you know someone who is planning to study abroad in Israel next semester? Make sure they know about the AZM Helyn B. Reich Scholarship!
The Helyn B. Reich Scholarship is awarded twice a year to a limited number of American students who choose to study at Tel Aviv, Haifa, or Ben-Gurion University or to participate in the post-university programs WUJS Arad or Israel Career Experience. The scholarship seeks to recognize candidates who have demonstrated pro-Israel activity in their personal lives and show a commitment to future involvement with the Jewish and Zionist community.
The deadline for applying for a scholarship for Spring Semester 2008 is January 3, 2008.
AZM President William D. Hess and Ambassador of Israel Sallai Meridor spoke at a memorial service on December 3 which marked the departure of Stephen Theodore Norman’s remains from Washington, DC to Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The service was sponsored by the World Zionist Organization, Embassy of Israel and Adas Israel Congregation.
Herzl’s only grandchild, Stephen Theodore Norman will be reburied on December 5, sixty-one year years after his death. Herzl’s only descendant to embrace Zionism, Norman was also the only member of his family to visit what was then Palestine. He wrote in his journal that he "believed in the idea and the aims of Zionism, and in the moral, ethical, economic, and social need for it that had been made even more urgent and important by world events and the tremendous problems created by the new scientific anti-Semitism of the last decades." As a captain in the British Army, he was posted to the embassy in Washington, DC in 1946. Soon after arriving, he learned that his parents had been murdered in a Nazi concentration camp and committed suicide at age 28, adding yet another tragedy to a family already filled with misfortune.
Stephen Theodore Norman’s interment in Israel follows that of his uncle and aunt, whose remains were moved from France to Mount Herzl in September 2006. The remains of his mother were destroyed in the Holocaust.
ARZA presents a five-session adult education program that addresses the deep, personal issues surrounding the question, "Why should I, an American Reform Jew, have a relationship with Israel?" The curriculum, developed in partnership with Hadassah, can stand alone as an adult education mini-course or the theme of a study weekend, or it can serve as a valuable part of an Introduction to Judaism course, a Parent Study series, or any other serious adult learning project. The entire program is available for download, including support materials and a PowerPoint presentation, at http://www.arza.org/programs/adulted/
A team of scientists from Ben Gurion University of the Negev have joined forces with ExxonMobile, Canadian gas purification company QuestAir Technologies, and US energy products company Plug Power to find a way to make the dream of hydrogen fuel a reality. If cars could be fueled by the breakdown of hydrogen, the only waste products the process would release would be water and heat, making it extremely environmentally friendly. But practical problems stand in way – such as how to store the volatile hydrogen gas before use. The team has recently made a breakthrough on this issue by developing an on-vehicle system which can take conventional fuels, such as gasoline, diesel or ethanol, and convert them into hydrogen for use on the spot. This technology will soon be launched commercially.
Information provided by Israel21C
A continuously updated events calendar is always available at www.azm.org/events.shtml. If you would like to submit an event to be posted on this calendar, please email eletter@azm.org.
| Balagan Boogaloo | |
|---|---|
| The Sephardic, Freestyle, Afro Beat, Bhangra & Israeli Hip Hop Party on Hanukkah. Featuring DJ Balagan (Modular Moods) and dj handler (Shemspeed) | |
| Organizer: | Sephardic Music Festival in partnership with the 14th Street Y, Sixth Street Community Synagogue and PresenTense Magazine |
| Where: | Sixth Street Community Synagogue: 325 E. 6th Street (b/w 1st & 2nd Aves) |
| When: | Thursday, December 6 at 9 p.m. |
| Contact: | $10 at www.acteva.com by 12/4; $15 day of (includes beer, wine, & latkes). |
| "The 8": Hanukkah Worldwide | |
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| First-ever multi-city Hanukkah concert event with live performances by Hadag Nachash, Budos Band and Soulico. Featuring music, dreidels, donuts, friends, drinks, and dancing, plus special guests and surprises. Events also in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Toronto, Tel Aviv and Moscow. | |
| Organizer: | Taglit-Birthright Israel and JDub Records |
| Where: | Webster Hall - 125 E 11th St., New York, NY |
| When: | Saturday, December 8, 7 - 11 p.m. |
| Contact: | $20 in advance / $25 at the door. For more information please visit: goeight.com. |
| AFLikud NY Young Professionals: "Latkes, Laughs and Sufganiyot at Safra" | |
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| Event intended for Young Professionals ages 21-35. | |
| Organizer: | AFLikud |
| Where: | Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, 11 E. 63rd Street btwn. 5th and Madison Aves |
| When: | Monday, December 10, 8 p.m. |
| Contact: | Members: $15 in advance/ $20 at the door Non-Members: $25 in advance/ $30 at the door. Call 212-308-5595 for more details or to RSVP. |
| AMIT New Generation "Scavenger Event" | |
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| Fourth annual scavenger event for singles and couples in their 20s, 30s and 40s to benefit schools, youth villages, and childcare facilities in the AMIT network. | |
| Organizer: | AMIT |
| Where: | Grand Central Terminal, beginning Track 23. Cocktail reception on the northeast balcony to follow. |
| When: | Saturday, January 12, 2008 at 8 p.m. |
| Contact: | $180 couvert per couple. For reservation and further information, please call 212-477-4737. |
| BZ Panel Discussion | |
|---|---|
| Topic: New Hatred (the Noose) or Resurgence of the Old (the Swastika) / With Guest speakers Curtis Sliwa & Mark Weitzman | |
| Organizer: | Bnai Zion |
| Where: | BZ Headquarters - 136 East 39th Street, NY |
| When: | Tuesday, January 29, 2008 |
| Contact: | For more information, please contact Margie Price at 212 725 1211, ext. 226 / email: margie.price@bnaizion.org |
| Fall in Love with Israel - Aliyah Fair | |
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| One-stop shop for planning your future in Israel. | |
| Where: | Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion (6602 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore) |
| When: | Wednesday, December 5, 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. |
| Contact: | For more information call 301-881-4407 or visit www.aliyah.org. |
| Dahan Writing Contest for Jewish Teens | |
|---|---|
| Enter to win a free trip to Israel! Subject is "Why I want to go to Israel" or "Israel's greatest achievement in 60 years." For Jewish teens grades 9, 10, 11. | |
| Organizer: | Baltimore Zionist District |
| When: | Deadline is January 31, 2008 |
| Contact: | For more information or to register, call 410-356-1140 or visit bzdisrael.org. |
| Yiddish Theater: A Love Story | |
|---|---|
| Documentary film about Zypora Spaisman, 84-year-old actress and Holocaust survivor, who has kept Folksbiene, the oldest running Yiddish theater in America, alive. Director Dan Katzir and/or Producer Ravit Markus will attend all screenings opening weekend and conduct Q&A after every show. | |
| Organizer: | Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity |
| Where: | Laemmle's Grande (345 S. Figueroa St., Downtown Los Angeles) and Laemmle's Fallbrook 7 (6731 Fallbrook Ave., West Hills). |
| When: | November 30 - December 6 |
| Contact: | For more information and to purchase tickets, click here. |
| Jam for Jerusalem | |
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| Featuring live performances by Moshav, Peter Himmelman and more. For Jewish Young Professionals ages 21-39 only. | |
| Organizer: | StandWithUs, JConnect LA, Chai Center |
| Where: | Camden House - 430 North Camden, Beverly Hills |
| When: | Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. |
| Contact: | $15 at the door. Proceeds to go the New Jerusalem Foundation. For more information, call Michal at 310-405-2336 / e-mail michal@JconnectLa.com. To purchase tickets, click here. |
| Israel: Contemporary Challenges to Pioneering Visions, Ameinu Mission to Israel | |
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| Ameinu envisions Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, at peace with its neighbors, committed to religious pluralism and social and economic justice for all its citizens. Come with us and explore the unparalleled challenges Israel is facing. | |
| Organizer: | Ameinu |
| Where: | Tel Aviv, Neot Kedumim, Be'er Sheva, Lakiya, S'de Boker, Yerucham, Ashkelon, Haifa, Nahriya, Acco, Seam Line, Jerusalem, Gush Etzion |
| When: | December 23, 2007 through January 1, 2008 |
| Contact: | For detailed itinerary and registration form, please visit www.ameinu.net or contact Ameinu at office@ameinu.net, tel: (212) 366-1194. Questions should be directed to Kayla Ship at kayla@keshetisrael.co.il |
| CAARI Volunteer Trip | |
|---|---|
| JNF's Canadian and American Active Retirees in Israel (CAARI) is seeking people 50 or older for a program including community service, touring, and study. | |
| Organizer: | JNF |
| Where: | Israel |
| When: | 2 to 8 week program between January 10 and March 4, 2008. Early bird applications must be received by October 16, 2007. |
| Contact: | For more information, click here. To register, call 877-563-8687, e-mail caari@jnf.org, or visit http://www.caarivolunteers.com |
| JNF Alternative Spring Break | |
|---|---|
| Open to Jewish young adults ages 18-30. Seven to eight-day opportunity to volunteer to work in communities in the Negev and throughout Israel. | |
| Organizer: | JNF |
| Where: | Israel |
| When: | Possible Departure Days: March 8, 16 or 23, 2008 |
| Contact: | For more information and to register, visit http://www.jnf.org/springbreak or contact: asb@jnf.org / 212-879-9305 x 245. |
| Queen of Sheba Women's Mission | |
|---|---|
| This mission will provide women with opportunities to connect with their Israeli sisters while soaking up special experiences that are unique to Israeli life. | |
| Organizer: | JNF |
| Where: | Israel |
| When: | March 20-28, 2008 |
| Contact: | For more information, contact JNF Travel & Tours at 877-JNF-TOUR, or click here |