Israel Action Forum

Statement of Purpose

The Israel Action Forum, chaired jointly by Nancy and Harold Parritz and Denise and Jacques Telio, is a new group that is looking for ways to respond constructively to our concern about the situation in Israel. Our goals are:

  1. to keep the Temple congregation informed of current issues affecting Israel that are not reported or are inaccurately reported by the media;

  2. to share ideas on how to most effectively respond;

  3. to create an ongoing relationship with Israelis on a personal level.

The sections below describe some ways each of us can contribute to the physical, economic, and spiritual strength of Israel.

Jewish Action Task-force (JAT)

The wave of violence initiated by the Palestinians has targeted not only Israelis but Jews all over the world. Much of it has not been reported in the media. A national effort, the "Jewish Action Task-force," has been launched to support the Jewish community. If you have email and can devote 10 minutes at a time a few times each week, please join the JAT.Action e-mailing list. To join, send an email message from your own email account to (subject and content do not matter and can be blank):

JAT.Action-Subscribe@topica.com.

JAT tasks are designed to take only 10 minutes to complete. Examples are:

  • calling or writing to the White House, the State Department, or your congressman
  • writing a note to a reporter applauding fair coverage or complaining about unfair coverage
  • calling or writing to other Jews you know asking them to join the Jewish Action Task-force

Those of us who support Israel must go on the offensive. Here are some examples of themes that JAT pursues:

  • Arab Anti-Semitism: The cry that "Jews kill Arab children" is a new form of the ancient blood libel (created in partnership with the media). The world must be alerted to this grave danger, and the Jewish defense organizations must be encouraged to act against it.

  • Incitement to Violence: Muslim leaders, including those speaking through the official Palestinian media and using TV programs for children, are encouraging suicide bombers and calling for "death to the Jews." We must insist that the news media end its "blackout" on this issue.

  • Double-Speak: The Palestinian leadership talks of peace in English (e.g., Arafat's op-ed in the New York Times), but in Arabic they continue to cry for jihad and the liberation of Tel Aviv and Haifa. We must bring those true aims, so clearly stated in Arabic, to the attention of our political leaders.

Educational Programs

The Israel Action Forum sponsors lectures about developments in Israel. A joint collaboration of five area temples has culminated in an education program to increase awareness of Israel, its history, politics, culture and the current conflict.

 Jeff Jacoby on the Middle East and the Media

Connecting with Israel: Opportunities for Young Adults

Thanks to a number of Jewish agencies there are several high quality programs that offer young adults, ages 19 -35, a range of low cost and, in some cases, free ways of spending time in Israel.

If you are a young adult who has never been to Israel, the birthright Israel program pays for a variety of approved 10- day trips. Over 20,000 young adults have already taken advantage of this program. More information can be found at www.birthrightisrael.org.

If you are independent, professional, and looking for a challenge, then you're ready for the Israel Professional Internship Program. It helps arrange for an unpaid work experience throughout Israel for 2 to 6 months. This is a unique opportunity to find out what it is like to live and work in Israel. The range of placements is broad including technical, social service and governmental organizations. It's not just an adventure, it's a job. For more information, visit www.jafi.org.il/aliyah/tourists/ which describes other programs as well.

Finally, if you want to make aliyah, but find the financial, professional and logistical obstacles overwhelming, Nefesh B'Nefesh can eliminate many of these roadblocks. The range of support is broad and all financial assistance is vested after a three year period upon arrival in Israel. Their website is www.nefeshbnefesh.org.

Israel Support Links