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 Leor Sinai, member of the AZM board, speaks at the New York Solidarity Rally, January 11, 2009 The AZM E-Letter is a publication of the American Zionist Movement. The E-Letter updates readers about the activities of the American Zionist Movement and its members, the World Zionist Organization and important trends in Israel and world Jewry. To subscribe to the AZM E-Letter, click here. To inform us of a change in your e-mail address, to update your contact information, or to unsubscribe, click here. |
Read her letter to AZM:
"As I expected, my year in Israel thus far has been nothing short of life altering. There have been too many wonderful times to count, and as is the case right now, some harder times as well. Over the past few weeks, I have watched as nearly all of my close Israeli friends, either standing soldiers or reservists, leave for the war.
"...I had begun to consider making Aliyah after volunteering in Israel exactly one year ago. Today, this decision is no longer in question..." | Read on
Two outstanding candidates were selected to receive Helyn B. Reich Scholarships in support of their participation in Israel Career Experience this spring. Rose Askinazi will be interning at an Israeli business, while Kim Sarembock, an aspiring social worker, will be working with an organization that counsels children that have left their homes.
AZM congratulates these recipients on their commitment to Zionism and decision to study in Israel, and wishes them a rewarding and successful experience!
What if there was a global network of young Zionists who were able to exchange ideas, dream together, and share the resources in order to make their collective visions a reality? This vision is no longer a dream thanks to Dor Hemshech, a new initiative of the Department for Zionist Activities. The First International Dor Hemshech Workshop for Emerging Zionist Leadership brought together 30 young Zionists from countries all over the world for intensive sessions in Jerusalem Dec. 8-11, 2008.
The young Zionists continue to work together from their home countries to develop this network. The US has led the way by forming ViZion - a group that will create, foster, and strengthen relationships among today's Jewish thinkers and activists. The ultimate ViZion is a worldwide network of activists and advocates with a shared vision of Israel and Zionism in the modern world.
Groups are already forming in New York, Chicago, and LA. New York held its first "Paving a Road for the Future" gathering on January 13, and Chicago's ViZion group will meet for the first time on February 9. Email Becky at badelberg@azm.org for details.
Bring a Smile to a Child's Face - Build a Bridge to an IDF Soldier
A cease fire is in place and an uneasy quiet has enveloped Israel. Children in the south have returned to their schools; but the psychological impact of the rockets and terror remains.
You can make your presence felt in Israel, where our people need you most: make your contribution to the AZM Purim Connection! Light up a child's face with a smile. Bring some light into their troubled world. Connect with the brave members of the IDF with a traditional Purim basket.
Please donate now: $18 for a schoolchild; $36 for an injured child; $54 for a soldier's basket; or $180 for an injured soldier.
Zionists around the nation - and around the world - came out in force to show their solidarity with Israel during the difficult period of Operation Cast Lead these last few weeks.
One of the boldest films in recent memory, Waltz with Bashir can be described as an anime documentary, an ingenious and provocative blending of animated film techniques with sharp-edged, often unsettling personal testimony. The animation is used by Folman to illuminate what might be called his subjects' historical imagination - that place in our minds in which actual lived experience combines with fears, fantasies and justifications. Many films have shown us that war is hell. Waltz with Bashir reveals the mental infernos that can continue long after the guns have stopped firing.
A graphic novel, based on the film, will be published in the U.S. in February 2009.
Winner - Best Animation, National Film Critics Association of America
Winner - Best Foreign Language Film - Golden Globe Award
Nominee - Official Entry - Israel - Best Foreign Language Film - 2009 Academy Awards
Director: Ari Folman, Country: Israel/Germany/France, Release: 2008, Runtime: 90
Now Playing in NY: Sunshine Cinema (143 East Houston Street), Lincoln Plaza Cinema (Broadway Between 62nd and 63rd), and starting January 30, 2009 @ Jacob Burns Film Center. $12.
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.
| Discussion with Dr. Mordechai Kedar | |
|---|---|
| Discussion on Arab and Muslim culture and its effect on Middle East politics with Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a lecturer on Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. | |
| Organizer: | AFLikud |
| Where: | New York (RSVP for location) |
| When: | Thursday, January 29, 6 p.m. |
| Contact: | For more information and to R.S.V.P., call AFLikud at 212-308-5595 |
| Mott Haven Art Tour | |
|---|---|
| A visit to private artists' studios in the Bronx guided by an art expert. Lunch included. | |
| Organizer: | Bnai Zion |
| Where: | New York (RSVP for location) |
| When: | Thursday, May 7, 2009, 10am-3pm |
| Contact: | For reservations & information call 212 725 1211, ext. 234 or email lisapaule@bnaizion.org |
| Coffee Night at the Firehouse Grind in Canton | |
|---|---|
| Coffee, cheesecake and Shlomo Artzi - live on the big screen. Join Dor Chadash before you head to the bars for a warm cup of Joe at one of the trendiest coffee shops downtown. Open to those ages 22-35. | |
| Organizer: | Baltimore Zionist District |
| Where: | 1030 S. Linwood Ave. |
| When: | Saturday, January 31, 7-9 p.m. |
| Contact: | For more information and to R.S.V.P., call BZD at 410-356-1140. |
| Peace & Politics: Post Gaza War | |
|---|---|
| Join guest speaker Aharon Barnea - anchorman and senior U.S. correspondent for Channel 2 TV news in Israel - for an inside perspective on what happens next. | |
| Organizer: | Baltimore Zionist District, co-sponsored by Beth El's Israel Affairs Committee |
| Where: | Beth El Synagogue, 8101 Park Heights Ave. |
| When: | Thursday, February 5, 7:30 p.m. |
| Contact: | For more information and to R.S.V.P., call BZD at 410-356-1140. |
| AZM Young Leadership: Movie Nights: "Noodle" | |
|---|---|
| Israeli dinner at 7pm, followed by the viewing of Israeli film fest winner "Noodle" and an optional discussion after the film. | |
| Organizer: | Co-sponsored by AZM Chicago, Birthright Israel NEXT, Bnai Brith International, Israel Aliyah Center, Kehilla JCC & USD Hagshama |
| Where: | RSVP for location |
| When: | Tuesday, January 27, 7-10pm |
| Contact: | For more information call Becky Adelberg at 847-677-5949 or email her at badelberg@azm.org |
| AZM Young Leadership: Zionist Book Club: "The Same Sea" by Amos Oz | |
|---|---|
| Every month we read a book/ creative writing/ short story by an Israeli author (in English) and come together to discuss. | |
| Organizer: | AZM Chicago |
| Where: | TBA |
| When: | Tuesday, February 3 |
| Contact: | For more information call Becky Adelberg at 847-677-5949 or email her at badelberg@azm.org |
| Israel and the Renewable Energy Revolution | |
|---|---|
| With Professor Avi Kribus of Tel Aviv University | |
| Organizer: | American Friends of Tel Aviv University |
| Where: | Hosted by Greenberg Traurig, LLP. 1221 Brickell Ave., Miami |
| When: | Thursday, February 29, 2009, 12-2pm |
| Contact: | RSVP to Mark Freedman by Tuesday, January 27, 516-995-1147, 800-773-1802 or mfreedman@aftau.org |
| Energy Independence: America's Road to Freedom | |
|---|---|
| With Paul Hirschson, James F. Murley, and George Phillipidis. Moderated by Lyon Roth. | |
| Organizer: | Jewish Federation of Broward County, AJC, in cooperation with the Israeli Consulate |
| Where: | Katz Federation building, 5890 S. Pine Island Rd., Davie, FL. |
| When: | Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 7-9 pm |
| Contact: | Register online at: www.jewishbroward.org |
| Bnai Zion Tu B'ishvat Luncheon | |
|---|---|
| Annuity Luncheon | |
| Organizer: | Bnai Zion |
| Where: | RSVP for location |
| When: | Monday, February 9, 2009 |
| Contact: | For more information call 305 949 0076 |
| Yoram Peri will discuss The Israelis: A search for a New Identity | |
|---|---|
| Temple Beth Ami's Israel Forum presents Yoram Peri. Yoram Peri is head of the Rothschild-Caesarea School of Communications, head of the Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics and Society, and Professor of Political Sociology and Communication in the Department of Communication at Tel Aviv University | |
| Organizer: | ARZA/Israel Affairs Committee |
| Where: | Temple Beth Ami, 14330 Travilah Road, Rockville |
| When: | Sunday, March 15, 7pm |
| Contact: | For more information, please contact: Sylvia Brown Olivetti (301)-495-0714 |
| Bnai Zion Spring Mission | |
|---|---|
| Includes hiking in Ein Gedi, a visit to the Dead Sea, a wine tasting at one of Israel's premier wineries, jeep rides in the Negev, and visits to Bnai Zion projects | |
| Organizer: | Bnai Zion |
| Where: | Haifa, Jerusalem, Eilat and Tel Aviv |
| When: | May 12-22, 2009 |
| Contact: | For reservations & information call 212 725 1211, ext. 234 or email lisapaule@bnaizion.org |