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"Who among us is so busy that he cannot spend 10 minutes a day in the study of a Jewish text? Just 10 minutes? Such a commitment would enable us to meet our Jewish obligation to make Jewish study a fixed occurrence. If we make time to answer our cell phones a dozen times a day and to check our email five times an hour, surely we can find 10 minutes to contemplate sacred words that nourish the soul." Click here for more information on ten minutes of Torah a day.

 

There's more than one way to be Jewish" is the slogan of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) is Israel's liberal Jewish religious movement, and a constituent member of the World Union of Progressive Judaism. Click here for more information on the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism.

Israel

Israel News

There are a number of different news organizations that are very good and can be used to track what is going on in Israel. Here are a few of the ones that I refer to frequently.

* www.jpost.com - Jerusalem Post
* www.haaretz.com - Ha'aretz Israel Newspaper (note: they seem to be having trouble keeping their site up).
* www.mfa.gov.il/mfa - Israel Minister of Foreign Affairs
* www.ynetnetws.com - YNet News. Very up to date.

Israel Blogs

Blogs are on-line personal journals. There are a number of blogs by Israelis in English that are quite good. Here are a few of the ones that I refer to frequently.

• thisongoingwar.blogspot.com - written by a parent whose child was murdered in a terrorist attack
• allisonkaplansommer.blogmosis.com - Allison Kaplan Sommer is a writer who lives in Ra’anana, a suburb located about a half hour’s drive north from Tel Aviv.
• kishkushim.blogspot.com - Blog out of Haifa

Skype

If you wish to speak to relatives in Israel than you should consider downloading Skype. It's a free program that allows you to talk over the computer to another Skype user. It requires a good Internet connection (broadband is preferred but their web site says - either dial-up: minimum 33.6 Kbps modem, or any broadband: cable, DSL, etc.), a microphone and a set of headphones (so that you can hear the other person without getting feedback through your microphone). There are both Windows and Mac versions available. You can download it at : www.skype.com. It works great. We spoke with our relatives in Israel on Saturday after Shabbat. The clarity is better than our cell phones. (and its free).

Monitoring Anti-Israel Press Bias

The following web sites are useful in monitoring the world press and what is being said about Israel. You can use them to write letters to the editors or to help inform your friends and families about the facts.

* www.camera.org - Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
* www.honestreporting.com - a pro Israel media watchdog group.
* www.memri.org - Middle East Research Institute that translates Arabic news, radio, television into English

You might also want to refer to the excellent Q&A prepared by Ken Jacobson for the ADL. It provides answers to the questions most frequently asked throughout this crisis, and is a good source of information and language for drafting op-eds or letters to the editor. It is also posted on the ADL website at: http://www.adl.org/main_Israel/crisis_faq.htm.

What can you do?

If you are wondering what you can do for Israel please consider the following

Give to help children in the northern Israeli communities

The Atlanta Jewish Federation is raising money to send children in the northern communities to a camp in the center of Israel hopefully safely out of the attack of the terrorists. Visit www.shalomatlanta.org.

Tell the International Red Cross to Protect Abducted IDF Soldiers Shalit, Goldwasser and Regev

American Friends of Magen David Adom, the US representative of Magen David Adom in Israel, calls on the American Jewish community to take part in an email campaign to urge the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene, in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and give Magen David Adom access to IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit and reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, to insure their safety and well-being.

Gilad Shalit was adducted in a Hamas raid across the Gaza border into Israel at Keren Shalom on June 25. Hizbullah terrorists from Lebanon kidnapped Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev on Israel’s northern border on July 12.

Please write to the ICRC at webmaster.gva@icrc.org and demand that MDA or the ICRC be allowed to visit the three.

Replant Trees

As a result of the missile attacks from Lebanon many acres of JNF planted forests are burning. Why not donate some money to rebuild what is being burnt by the hate-filled terrorists? Visit the JNF website.

Web Maven's Current Favorite Israel Sites

* Live Audio/Video Feed from the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
* The Kotel web site. This has a great virtual tour of the tunnels.
* An Unsealed Room. Allison Kaplan Sommer's blog of life in Israel

ARZA

ARZA is the Zionist arm of the Reform Movement and an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, serving 1.5 million Reform/Progressive Jews. ARZA is the vehicle for the mass participation of American Reform Jews, focusing on Israel, with an emphasis on advocacy and travel; and Zionist education in America. Please visit ARZA at arza.org for more information.

IRAC

The Israeli Religious Action Center (IRAC) is funded by ARZA/World Union-North America, Jewish Agency for Israel, New Israel Fund and other foundations. Since this support covers only part of our activities, IRAC relies on other sources of funding to maintain our programs.

Your contribution will enable IRAC to continue the struggle to establish an environment of religious freedom in Israel. Please assist IRAC's efforts to effect changes within Israeli society which are in keeping with the Jewish and democratic values envisioned by Israel's Declaration of Independence. Please visit irac.org for information on how you can learn and how you can help.
Israeli Government Sites

Israel Government Gateway, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli Prime Minister's Office, Israeli Knesset, Israel Mission to the UN, Jewish National Fund, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Jewish Agency for Israel, El-Al, Israel Travel Ministry, The Arab-Israeli Conflict in Maps, Israel's Declaration of Independence, Israel's National Anthem, Map of Israel

Israeli Shopping Sites

This is not meant to be complete but just a short list of links to get you started. If you have other links that you think are valuable then please let me know at webmaven@te-atl.com. The drop in the tourist industry continues to cause economic problems and you can help by buying a nice gift. Doesn't that sound like a nice thing to do today?

www.israel-music.com (music), www.aleidafna.co.il (plants and flowers), www.israelcraft.com (tallit), www.israelbooks.com (books), Steimatzky (books), www.jerusalemgifts.com (misc), www.thesourceisrael.com (gifts), www.jpoststore.com, www.safedcandles.com (candles),
gifts and books, www.israeldirect.co.il, israelvisit.co.il (misc), www.jerusalemgifts.com, www.esek.com, www.shorashim.net (religious items), www.shopinisrael.com (store list), www.gans.co.il (Gifts/Judaica)