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Let's Put Our New Year's Resolutions Into Action
January 2006 begins a new year and an opportunity to put our new year's resolutions into action. My personal resolutions revolve around becoming a better person, wife, mother, and member of the community. For me and many Jews in Las Vegas, the "community" includes our local synagogues, Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
 A friend recently sent me an article offering suggestions to help Israel in this difficult time while the country struggles for peace. And while we may not be able to stop the suicide bombers, we can still take action to lift Israel's spirits and help it contend with an increasingly uncertain situation. I am passing along some of these suggestions in the hope you may add some to your own list of new year's resolutions.
 Buy Israeli products and services—With the Israeli economy suffering, go out of your way to support Israel's export trade. www.shopinisrael.com, www.usaisrael.org, and www.israeliwishes.com allow you to but Israeli products directly. www.shorashim.net is an online tourist gift shop. When in the grocery store, look for brands like Elite, Telma, Osem, and Ahava beauty products. Buy Israeli wine to bring as a gift when you visit friends. Home Depot and other stores have many made in Israel products— especially plastics. www.israelexport.org lists the names of products sold in the USA.
Speak out—The next time you hear something that puts down Israel, don't wonder to yourself, "What is anyone going to do about it." No Jewish organization or Israeli consulate can fight the propaganda war on every front, so don't assume they will. You be the "anyone" and pick up your pen or keyboard and start writing. Write a piece you for local newspaper, set up information tables at your high school or college, or simply talk to people. Be a roving ambassador for Israel by explaining the true facts to everyone you meet. Even the cashier in the supermarket needs good information. You never know how your contribution may affect someone else's views.
Phone Israel—Pick up the phone and make a solidarity call to your Israeli friends and relatives. If you don't know someone personally, ask someone who does. Call that person in Israel and assure them that you share their pain and understand what they're going through. Commend that person for having the courage to live in Israel now. Let them know they are not alone!
Protest bias in the media—The media has a powerful influence on public opinion and government policy. When you discover a piece of bias, immediately contact the news agency and complain. Keep your remarks respectful and stick to the facts. Build a list of e-mail addresses of friends and colleagues, so when you discover bias, you can alert others to also file a complaint. There is power in the number of responses, even if your specific letter is not printed. You can join a media watch email list at www.HonestReporting.com, which gives guidelines for how to be effective in contacting the media, and has over 25,000 subscribers protesting biased news against Israel.
Give Tzedakah—Give some charity every day for Israel. Encourage others to give charity for Israel, too. A list of worthy causes is online at: www.jewishcharitiesonline.com. One person wrote; "Because our church has been forced to cancel their annual trip to Israel, we are sending our money anyway to the tour guides and bus driver."
Visit Israel—Go to Israel on vacation, to study, or to visit family. Encourage your local organizations to sponsor trips—study tours, religious tours, Bar/Bat Mitzvah tours. It can be for 3 days or 10 days. Spend as much money as you can afford in order to help the economy. Hotels, stores, restaurants are lacking tourists—precisely what the terrorists seek! Talk to others about the beautiful landscape of Israel, about the unique feeling of thousands of years of Jewish existence in Israel. Visiting Israel will show Israelis that you really care, and will make a tremendous difference to your own sense of connection.
Recognize the God factor—With all the practical efforts to help Israel—media watch, education, economic assistance, political lobbying, etc.—don't forget the spiritual component! The very existence of the Jewish people after 3,500 years—and the return to the land after a long exile—is miraculous. Understand the significance of Abraham's covenant with God. Each of us, on whatever level of observance, must strive to connect.
 Holocaust education—With the rise of anti-Semitic incidents around the world, and the state-sponsored anti-Semitism in Arab countries, it is important to see the warning signs before a crisis happens. Learning about the Holocaust helps us appreciate the depth of anti-Semitism and its root causes. Excellent information is online at www.anti-semitism.com. Squelch all anti-Semitic language everywhere you are. Stand up against this terrible hatred—no matter what the consequences.
Visit your Congressman—Form a concerned citizen's group, and then make appointment to sit with your Congressman for an hour in his Washington office. Then rent a bus and go! He will see how seriously his constituents are about the Mideast issues.
Educate the Palestinian public—With all the hatred in the Palestinian media, textbooks, etc., an entire generation is being raised for war, not peace. Find ways to introduce democratic values into Palestinian society. Jews cannot realize their dream for peace until the Arabs desire the same.
Support Israeli citizens—Show Israelis your support, love and friendship by writing letters, postcards and e-mails to everyone you know. Become an e-mail pen pal to someone in Israel.
Organize an Israeli products fair—In Denver, Christians and Jews have come together under "ActionIsrael" to sponsor what is called "Ben Yehud ah Street in Denver." Shop owners in Jerusalem send some of their inventory and it is sold for them. This helps Jerusalem merchants keep their shops open and provide a living for their families during this terrible time.
Aliyah! Make Israel your home—You can have a great effect on what happens in Israel by living there. A large influx of educated, entrepreneurial Jews from Western countries will give Israel a major boost. Israel is the place where a Jew is truly at home and can maximize his/her Jewish potential.
Get the Israeli side—There's a lot of misinformation out there. When an incident happens in Israel, visit the websites of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign, Affairs, www.mfa.gov.il and the Israeli Defense Forces, www.idf.il/newsite/english/main.asp to get the Israeli side of the story.
Contact the president—Call or email President Bush daily or weekly, to commend his support for Israel in the common fight against terrorism, and respectfully urge him to allow Israel to take vigorous action to defend itself. Write a short, personal email with a subject line like: "Thank you for standing with Israel." Every call, letter, and fax is counted. Send email to: president@whitehouse.gov, or call the White House comment line at: 202-456-1111, or 202-456-1414.
Support Israeli soldiers—Write a letter and express appreciation for their self-sacrifice in valiantly defending our people and our land. You can even send a care package to a soldier with a holiday gift, etc.
Invest—Buy stocks on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Help Israeli companies obtain venture capital funds. You can even buy an Israel Bond for as little as $136.
Sponsor educational forums—Offer a crash course in the Mideast conflict at your local JCC, synagogue, or community college.
Show both sides of the refugee issue—In conversations and in the media, emphasize how the Arab states have mistreated the Palestinians—refusing to grant them citizenship in order to keep the "refugee" issue an open wound. Raise the issue of how 600,000 Jews were driven out of Arab lands during Israel's independence and forced to abandon their property, with no right of return or compensation ever extended to these Jewish refugees.
Hold governments accountable—Write and call (and boycott if necessary) any governments that are complicit in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activities. Educate the public about the inconsistency of the European Union stand. Why would democracies—who support human rights—not speak out against virulent Arab hate speech? Protest at the consulates of those countries that have minimized the problem of anti-Semitic activities taking place in their countries.
Support Israeli artists—With the decrease in tourism, many Israelis who depend on it for their livelihood are suffering. If you're going to buy a gift, try to buy a work (piece of art, clothing, jewelry etc.) by an Israeli artist.
Brainstorm—Get a group of friends together and spend one hour brainstorming for more ideas how you can help Israel.
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