Community Magazine Februafy 2009

Food and a Thought for Israeli Soldiers Active combat soldiers in Gaza long for an off-Shabbat to spend time with family and friends, catch up on sleep, and, maybe most of all, fill up on Mom’s delicious food and desserts. But for many IDF troops, this hasn’t been possible in recent months. Tens of thousands of soldiers – both conscripts and reserv- ists – are stationed in the dangerous environs of Gaza or training at nearby bases. On constant alert, these soldiers have little time to think about a Shabbat at home – let alone actually enjoy one. But on Shabbat Perashat Shemot , these soldiers received a heartwarming surprise. That Friday, 6,000 personal notes from all over the world, and goodies, arrived at a base near Gaza which served as a staging area for soldiers preparing to enter Gaza and as a rest area for those on break. “Send a Soldier a Smile” is a program launched by Honest Reporting and Gili’s Goodies to bring soldiers a short, personal message from Israel’s supporters, along with freshly-baked treats. According to Ephraim Shore, president of Honest Reporting, “The response was more than we ever expected. The ‘viral effect’ of the program has been amazing.” “The response has been phenomenal,” says Gili’s Goodies direc- tor, David Ehrlich. “We have messages coming in from children, families, and Christian friends of Israel from around the world. This has been a wonderful joint project by Gili’s Goodies and Honest Reporting. We are doing this as a labor of love, and we extend an invitation to others to join us in sponsoring the project.” “You can’t imagine how much the letters and cookies mean to the soldiers’ morale,” said Colonel B. G., who helped arrange the distribution at the base. “The soldiers feel that they’re fighting to protect their families from Hamas and Iranian rockets and ter- rorism, but now they also understand that they’re fighting for the Jewish people, wherever they live.” For further information, visit www.gilisgoodies.com . Simcha Connect Eliminates Distance for Happy Occasions Distance, illness and conflicting obligations will no longer keep family and friends from joining a happy occasion, thanks to Simcha Connect, a new innovative service that allows family members and friends to participate in a simha from anywhere in the world. With branches in Israel, New York and London, the live video webcast offered by Video Eden, can be watched via the Internet by many people simultaneously around the world. Many families whose loved ones couldn’t make it to a family simha , for a wide variety of reasons, have benefited from this service and describe it as truly the next best thing to actually being there. “We are very proud that we can use the capabilities of mod- ern technology to help family events become that much more complete,” says Donny Wetzler of Video Eden. “Simcha Connect ensures that distance and illness are no longer factors that force people to miss that special day.” For more information on Simcha Connect or other video and photography needs, call Donny Wetzler at 972-50-2515-404 or email donny@videoeden.com. Money Grants for Programs in Israel Young Jewish adults ages 18-30, may be eligible for grants ranging from $2000 to $4500 to participate in one of a variety of programs either before, during or after college. Under the MASA program, these opportunities include academic programs, com- munity service and professional internships. The programs run from five months to a year. This year, MASA Israel Journey is enabling more than 8,000 Jewish young adults to spend a semester or school year in Israel. Program choices include a diverse array of options intended to offer something for everyone. MASAIsrael Journey: The Gateway to Long-Term Israel Programs is an umbrella organization of over 150 long-term programs in Israel. A joint project of the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel, MASA’s mission is to provide every young Jewish adult around the world with the opportunity to participate in a long-term Israel experience and thereby build a life-long relationship with Israel and a firm commitment to Jewish life. For more information, visit www.masaisrael.org or contact Jaclyn Mishal at jaclynm@masaisrael.org. Community Chest 96 Community magazine