-Caveat Lector- http://aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/7_Ways_You_Can_Help_Israel.asp > > By: Michael Freund > > > For many Jews around the world, one of the most frustrating aspects > of the > current violence in Israel is the seeming inability to do something > about the > situation. Dazed by daily reports of terror, concerned Jews are > largely at a > loss as to how they can help, even in some small way, during this > difficult > period. > > > Such feelings are entirely understandable, for one often gets the > sense that > no matter what Israel seems to do, its predicament only grows worse. > But such > thinking is neither productive nor beneficial, because the last thing > the > Jewish people need right now is despair. Instead, we must all focus > our > energies on doing what we can to lift Israel's spirits and help it > contend > with an increasingly volatile and uncertain situation. > > > Though far from revolutionary, here are some simple and practical > suggestions as to what you can do to help. They are what I refer to > as the "S > even 'P's" of Jewish activism: > > > 1) Point and Click > > The first task is to better educate ourselves and our communities > about > events in Israel. The Internet provides a range of useful sources for > getting > a more accurate picture of what is really happening in the Jewish > state. A > few useful sites are: > > the Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com) and IMRA > (http://www.imra.org.il). > Visit such sites and recommend them to friends -- you will be amazed > at how > people's eyes can be opened when they start to get the real picture > about > what is going on. > > > 2) Publish Your Views > > Once you have a better grasp of the facts, don't hesitate to speak > out. No > Jewish organization or Israeli consulate can fight the propaganda war > on > every front, so don't assume that they will. Pick up your pen, or > your > keyboard, and start writing. Whether it is a letter to the editor of > your > local newspaper, or an ongoing dialogue in a chat room, you never > know how > your contribution may affect someone else's views. Share your success > stories > with others, and turn yourself and your friends into roving > ambassadors on > Israel's behalf. > > > 3) Protest Media Bias > > The mainstream media is replete with anti-Israel bias and sloppy > reporting. > Don't let them get away with it. If you see something that offends > you, let > the editor know, tersely and politely. For resources and ideas on > combating > media bias, check out: > > Honest Reporting (http://www.honestreporting.com), > > CAMERA (http://www.camera.org) and > > CNN-Watch (http://www.cnnwatch.org). > > > 4) Provide Assistance > > If you able to provide financial support, there are many worthwhile > organizations working to address the problems caused by the intifada. > The > Israel Crisis Management Center, based in Tel Aviv (phone: > 972-3-544-5161), > assists new immigrants who have been victimized by terrorist attacks, > > including the families of those killed in the Tel Aviv disco bombing, > with > grants, loans and volunteer counseling. > > > A group called Helping Israel (http://www.helpingisrael.com) has an > extensive > list of medical and security supplies required by Jewish communities > that > have borne the brunt of the Palestinian violence, such as those in > Judea, > Samaria and Gaza. Sending money, even in small sums, is a tangible > and > meaningful way of demonstrating your support. > > > 5) Pressure Representatives > > Wherever you live, your views as a citizen need to be heard by your > elected > representatives. In many instances, American congressional offices > keep tabs > on the quantity of mail they receive on particular issues as a way of > > measuring their relative importance to their constituency. Find out > who your > elected officials are and urge them to publicly express their support > for > Israel during these difficult times. > > > 6) Pay A Visit > > The recent flap over the cancellation of Israel summer programs had > a > sharply negative impact on relations between Israel and the Diaspora. > There > is no better way to demonstrate your solidarity than by boarding a > plane and > paying a visit to the Holy Land. Yasser Arafat needs to know that he > cannot > succeed in scaring Jews away, and your visit will help to send him > that > message. > > > 7) Pray for Help > > The Jewish people have always turned to their Father in Heaven as a > source > of strength and support. No prayer goes to waste, and regardless of > your > level of observance, consider adding a request for Israel to your > regular (or > even irregular) prayer regimen. Whether in the privacy of your home > or on the > pews of your local synagogue, make the crisis in Israel the focus of > your > thoughts. > > > While these suggestions may not offer a panacea to all of Israel's > ills, > they do provide each of us with a practical means of fending off > frustration > and doing something concrete to improve the situation. Even if our > actions do > not appear to influence the overall outcome of events, by getting > more > involved on behalf of the Jewish people we do succeed in changing > ourselves. > And that, in and of itself, is already an important victory. > > > ADDENDUM: Everyone wounded in a bombing attack suffers in manifold > ways: in > addition to the internal injury, often complicated by nails and > bullets which > the terrorist put into the bomb to maximize injury, there are > inevitably > painful burns on the skin, fragments of shrapnel lodged in the body > too > numerous to be removed, hearing damage from the boom, and > psychological > trauma which lasts for years. > > > Prayer helps.. Jews identify souls according to their mothers' > names. Thus, > we pray for: First Name, Son or daughter of, mother's first name. > > > Below are some of the dozens of terror victims still lying in > Israeli > hospitals. The standard prayer is: > > "May it be Your will, Adonai, My God and the God of my forefathers, > that you > quickly send a complete recovery from the spiritual plane, a healing > of the > soul and a healing of the body to ____________ daughter or son of > _________ > among the other patients of Israel. " > > > Note: Many names can be inserted in this one prayer. Try to say this > prayer > at least once a day for the following victims of terrorist attacks: > > > From the suicide bombing outside the Natanya Mall: > > Alissia bat Tatiana - a young mother whose husband was killed in the > bombing > and her five-year-old son injured. She is still in very serious > condition. > > > From the suicide bombing at the Dolphinarium discotheque: > > Alona bat Irena - Age 17. In critical condition. > > Emma bat Larissa - Age 16. A bullet is lodged in her brain which > cannot be > removed. Danger is that it will move to a critical part of her brain. > > Nadia bat Lydia - Age 16. Her leg exploded; she is in a wheelchair. > Has > nightmares. > > Polena bat Irena - Age 18. Leg wounds, needs plastic surgery. > > Polena aspires to be a child psychologist. She is plagued by the > philosophical issues raised by the catastrophe: Does God hate us? Why > does > the whole world hate us (the Jews) and love the Arabs? > > > Oksana bat Galena - Age 17. Serious leg injuries; she is in a > wheelchair. > > Ziva bas Leeza - Serious orthopedic problems. After a month's > hospitalization, she is the last one (except for Alona) to not have > "graduated" to the rehabilitation dept. > > Anna bas Irena > > Katya bat Galina - Age 17. Both legs shattered and head injured. > Doctors > told her it would be two years until she can walk, but she took her > first > painful steps last week. She is in tremendous pain. > > Victoria bat Svetlana - Age 16. One arm and one leg shattered. She > says it > hurts her all the time "except when I have visitors." > > Fyek ben Anastasia - Age 18. Arm burned, shrapnel in stomach. He is > the last > boy still in hospital. > > Natasha bat Lydia - Age 17. Her parents are older, father has > suffered two > strokes. > > Alexander ben Svetlana - Age 18. Burns. He is a soldier. > > Anna bat Irena > > Tanya bat Ludmilla > > Sonia bat Oleg > > Larissa bat Anya > > > Author Biography > > Michael Freund served as deputy director of communications and > policy > planning in the Prime Minister's Office from 1996 to 1999. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger http://phonecard.yahoo.com/ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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