Dear fellow Temple Israel congregant,

Israel is at war, but we can do more than just watch the news and say how worried or sad we are.  We can help, even if in minor ways.

Here are some suggestions:

1.     Donate money to a worthwhile Israeli cause.  Here are a few suggestions:

a.     One obvious candidate is the Magen David Adom, Israel's Red Cross.  You can donate (and learn more about it) here: www.afmda.org

b.     UJA's Israel Emergency Fund is being used to fund the costs of taking children away from areas of Israel under attack to camp sites in safe areas, provide support services for the elderly and the disabled, and assistance to people in bomb shelters.  Information and donations here: http://www.ujannj.org/jcrc/giladreliefbox.shtml.

c.     Beit Halochem, the organization that helps in rehabilitating disabled Israeli soldiers, and which is affiliated with the Zahal Shalom program that many Temple Israel congregants participate in: http://www.fidv.org/

d.     Meir Panim helps feed the hungry in Israel: www.meirpanim.org .

2.     Attend a rally in support of Israel.  A few rallies in our area have already taken place.  Others will be scheduled, and are announced through e-mails, in the Jewish Standard (time permitting), in Temple Israel Announcements, and by other means.  Go if it's at all possible, and take a friend with you.

3.     Call or e-mail friends and family in Israel to let them know you are thinking of them and support them, and to let them have an outlet if they need to express themselves. Don't let them feel they are alone.

• Want to send a note of support (and some chocolate, at no cost) to Israeli soldiers?  Do it here: http://www.websense-media.co.il/has_200706/default.asp?gid=friend

4.     Educate yourself about what's going on.  The Temple Israel web site has a short list of web sites with information about Israel:  http://xweb.synagogue.org/israelaction/websites.htm.  Two particularly helpful subscription services are the Conference of Presidents' Daily Alert, which sends summaries of and links to numerous articles about the Mideast -- you can see it here: http://www.dailyalert.org/, and subscribe at the bottom of the page; and HonestReporting, which analyzes media coverage of the Mideast -- you can see it and subscribe here: www.honestreporting.com .

If your friends or acquaintances, or you, are under the impression that everything going on is simply "retaliation for the kidnapping of 2 Israeli soldiers", set them straight.  Of course, to do so you need to have a good understanding of what is going on yourself.  Some suggestions:

a.     Get an understanding of the broader geo-political aspects of the war.  Here's a good article, from the Washington Post, to start with: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13884768/.

b.     Understand that the Palestinian people and the people of Lebanon are victims here too.  The Palestinians have been saddled with the worst leaders and "friends" (in the Arab world and in the West) possible, and the Lebanese government is so weak that it is ineffective against the Iranian and Syrian-supported Hezbollah that has taken over a part of Lebanon.  International support for the Lebanese government will be crucial to effect the removal of Hezbollah as a threat to Israel.

c.     Don't let people think that the whole overall dispute is about the Israeli "occupation" of lands seized in 1967.  That is the most fundamental misunderstanding of all.  It is about the desire to destroy Israel.  Read the Hamas Charter, all the way through: http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm, to better understand and explain to others the nature of Israel's enemies.

d.     Be skeptical about what you see in the media. Real tragedies are occurring, in Lebanon, Gaza, and Israel, but Hezbollah and to a lesser extent Hamas are masters of manipulating the media to present the images of the conflict of civilian victims that they want the world to see.  Here's a good, recent analysis of how the media are manipulated, often willingly http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/000767.html. Make Israeli media a part of your diet of news, e.g., www.jpost.com

5.     Speak up!  In conversations with friends, Internet discussion boards, letters to media, letters and phone calls to political representatives, etc., let people know you support Israel's right to defend itself, and correct misunderstandings they have.

Contact government officials to thank them for their support or to urge them to support Israel.  You can get contact information for federal government officials here: www.congress.org;  You can thank the President for his support by calling the White House at 202-456-1111, faxing a letter to (202) 456-2461, or e-mailing to comments@whitehouse.gov; you can contact Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at: secretary@state.gov.  Most government officials have staff people prepared to take phone calls from the public, and they all keep track of what their constituents say to them -- you can make a phone call in a minute or so or jot off an e-mail or fax note in just a couple minutes.  A very little bit of effort can have a big impact.

Write letters to media challenging unfair portrayals of the war, and supporting Israel; you can get contact information for media here: http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=23.  Keep your comments respectful, specific, and to the point.

6.     Write to the International Red Cross at webmaster.gva@icrc.org to request that they make public statements and work to have the ICRC or MDA visit the three kidnapped young Israelis (Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, Gilad Shalit).

7.     Sign a petition.  Do they help?  It's hard to tell.  But in the war of public opinion, any show of wide support can help bring attention to a cause or get a point of view paid attention to.  Here's Hillel's petition:  http://www.hillel.org/supportisrael/?ref=home .

8.     Longer term, here are 2 suggestions:

a      .If you have made a pledge to invest in Israel Bonds, make good on it.  And be receptive to the Israel Bond appeal to be made this coming Yom Kippur.

b.     Plan a trip to Israel.  A first time trip, a return trip, a specialized trip, a visit to family, a mission, whatever.  Be there!  Consider the community-wide Jersey To Jerusalem trip being planned for February 2007:  http://www.jersey2jerusalem.org/

This is a very difficult time for Israelis and for friends of Israel.  Many of us in the diaspora may understandably feel overwhelmed by the events in the Mideast, and may feel in our gut that anything we do will be trite compared to the totality of what's going on.  We need not succumb to that feeling of uselessness.  This is a time to reaffirm our love and support for our brethren in Israel.  We may find that taking some of the relatively small steps described above will make us feel better about ourselves and our connection to the people of Israel.  And small as they may be, what we do will have the effect of helping some people in need financially and emotionally, and increase the understanding of Israel's position among others.  It is worth the effort.

Thank you.

Temple Israel, Israel Action Committee