Today, we continue looking at the many resources on the Internet that you can use to help Israel through its current crisis.
*Give tzedakah
Here’s a challenge from Uri Miller, Ovadiah Jacob and Gershon Strauchler, three students at Yeshiva University in New York. Project One Percent calls on high school and college students to pledge at least 1 percent of their summer income to support Jewish victims of terror. According to the Web site — www.pledge4israel.com — more than 1,500 students have already pledged to donate 1 percent since the project was created in April. That number should rise thanks to the assistance of Hillel, the World Union of Jewish Students and CAJE, the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education.
Many organizations are taking contributions for Israel including the United Jewish Communities’ Israel Emergency Campaign — www.uja.org — or your local federations. Local federation Web sites are www.sfjcf.org (S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation), www.jfed.org (Jewish Federation of the Greater East Bay) and www.jewishsiliconvalley.org (Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose).
Israel’s Magen David Adom welcomes all contributions and will work with organizations or individuals that are interested in donating an ambulance for $54,900 or a mobile intensive care unit for $69,900. It’s at www.magendavidadom.org/ambulances.html
Always investigate any charity before donating by mail, phone or through the Internet.
*Show a soldier you care.
You can send your wishes by e-mail to an Israeli soldier at [email protected] If you prefer to mail a letter or send a fax, you you’ll find the address at www.bjeny.org/287.htm
In April, Israeli Shimon Aharon came up with a unique way to help boost the morale of the country’s soldiers. Aharon set up PizzaIDF — www.pizzaidf.org — where anyone in the world could donate money to have pizza and cola delivered to Israeli soldiers. The idea of delivering treats to soldiers came after years of successfully sending them mishloach manot on Purim. The story is at http://israelvisit.co.il/MM Unfortunately in these tense times, even the best intentions can raise concerns over security. The army has decided to bar soldiers from accepting pizzas that they did not order. They are concerned “that hostile elements may exploit the pizza deliveries to soldiers.” That story is at http://shlk.com/79
So even if you can’t order a pizza, you still can send soldiers a care package of goodies through www.dashcham.com/idf.html
*Visit Israel.
There are many solidarity missions and tours scheduled for the summer months. The Israel Ministry of Tourism’s Go Israel site — www.goisrael.com –specializes in finding the right Israeli tour for North Americans. The United Jewish Communities’ travel page has more information plus some very emotional memoirs written by recent visitors to Israel. It’s at www.uja.org/travel_home.html
If you want to try a trip to Israel with a difference, consider becoming a volunteer on a kibbutz, for the Magen David Adom or working with children and adults with special needs. Check out possibilities at www.jafi.org.il/daily/vol.asp
The students of Yeshiva University have been very busy. Despite the downturn in Israel’s tourism industry, 200 Yeshiva students traveled to Israel in January as part of Operation Torah Shield, www.torahshield.com/main.html While there, they met with families who have lost loved ones to terror. And when the students returned to America, they created the Kol Haneshama (“Every Soul”) site to tell the stories of “these ordinary people, whose extraordinary lives ended so abruptly.”
While there, the students met with the friends and family of Keren Shatsky, 14, who was killed in a mall bombing in the town of Karnei Shomron on Feb. 16. “All of my memories of Keren are of her smiling,” said Chani Friedman, a close friend. Together with her siblings, Keren sang their favorite songs and regularly prepared meals for Shabbat. When her friends were ill, Keren sent cards with sweet wishes for a full recovery. “She was always trying to make people happy,” noted one family friend. ‘That just reflects how much everyone loved her. She was only trying to return the love.'” Her story and others are at www.kolhaneshama.net