We're Still Waiting for Gilad Shalit

Last year I posted a similar post on this day.

I truly, horribly, completely wish that I were not writing the same post today.

From this website:

Gilad Schalit was born on August 28th, 1986, in Nahariya and raised in Mitzpe Hilla in the Western Galilee by his parents Aviva and Noam with his siblings Yoel and Hadas. At the end of July 2005 Gilad began his military service in a combat unit of the armored corps. For the two months prior to his kidnapping, he has been on duty guarding and ensuring the security of the settlements around Gaza.

On Sunday, June 25th 2006, in a terrorist attack on an IDF post at Kerem Shalom during which his unit friends have been killed, Gilad was taken captive and has been held since in the Gaza Strip by Hamas.

To this day Gilad didn’t receive any visits from an official faction, including the Red Cross, and there is no reliable information about his well being.

Three years have passed since his abduction. Let's remind everyone that he has yet to come home and demand his quick return.

On June 25th, the three-year anniversary to his abduction, please replace your personal profile picture with Gilad’s picture on Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, ICQ, Tapuz, bona, Mekusharim, news groups and any other social network or blog you’re a member of, and show the world that you are waiting for Gilad Schalit’s return.


Unfortunately, since my post last year, the remains of soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, abducted at the same time as Gilad, were returned to Israel.

We are still waiting for Gilad. Each and every day.

May his return come speedily and safely.

Today at the Holocaust Museum

I cannot begin to express my horror at what happened today at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

From the website of the USHMM:
There are no words to express our grief and shock over today’s events at the Museum, which took the life of Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns. Officer Johns, who died heroically in the line of duty, served on the Museum’s security staff for six years. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns’s family. We have made the decision to close the Museum Thursday, June 11, in honor of Officer Johns and our flags will be flown at half mast in his memory.

 

May his memory be for a blessing.

"A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum stimulates leaders and citizens to confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy."

May we continue to fight against hatred in the world. May the mission of the USHMM continue to be undeterred. 

Let us never forget.

Welcoming New Colleagues

Every year, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion ordains its current class of seniors. It elevates them from their status as "student rabbis" to "Rabbis." All of their training, practice, work, study, learning, and preparation culminates in a ceremony that bestows the title upon them. It is moving, inspiring, and truly memorable.

This year, there has been a lot of media attention on the ordination ceremonies that took place in Cincinnati. A great deal of attention has been bestowed upon a great "first" for the College-Institute, the ordination of the first African-American woman as a rabbi. It was a historic moment for the school, for our movement, for our people.

In many ways, however, it reminded me of the truly marvelous stories that each of these newly-minted rabbis bring to our school, our movement and our people.

I was honored to be present at the ordination ceremonies this year in Cincinnati. At that time, I witnessed the ordination of prize winners and poets, musicians and teachers. They served congregations in Ohio, North Dakota, Indiana, Louisiana, Florida, Michigan, Kentucky. They worked in nursing homes, Hillels and hospitals. They taught children and adults. Some were on the rabbinic path since childhood. Others came to it later in life. Judaism bloomed in their lives early and later. They are both parents and children, pray-ers and do-ers. They were surrounded by loved ones and friends, teachers and mentors. One was the child of a rabbi, one the brother. Their family members stood for their ordination and blessed them personally, as I did for my husband when he was ordained. In a truly touching moment, the father-rabbi took his own tallit and placed it on the shoulders of his son, literally passing on the mantle of trust and love and responsibility.

Each time I attend an ordination (I think I've been at 8), I honestly expect it to be boring. The service is, undoubtedly, long. But each year I am surprised when I am not bored at all. This year, I was instead inspired as I watched the faces of the students as they each stood on the right-hand side of the Bima first, waiting their turn, and then, as their name was called, ascending. And then, watching, as the same student received his or her blessing, a moment usually accompanied by trembling and tears. Finally, the student stood on the left-hand side of the Bima, witnessing the ordination of their next classmate, before descending back to the pews. The ritual repeated, with great care and deliberation, until each had their turn. There is great decorum in Cincinnati, we were reminded by our President, and there is no cheering. But inside we are all shouting, we are all dancing with joy, that one journey is ending and another beginning. Each year we are reminded that the distance from the right side of the Bima to the left side is short - but oh so long.

Each of the newly-made rabbis is worthy of our praise, each is worthy of our celebration. It was truly an honor to be present and to celebrate with these students who I am now honored to call rabbi and colleague.

The Ordination Class of 5769/2009 in Cincinnati, Ohio

Mazel tov to Rabbis

Elizabeth Bandyk Bahar

Katie Bauman

Rachel Crossly Saphire

Lisa Delson

Debra Dressler

Tami Elliott Goodman

Noah Fabricant

Jennifer Frenkel

Marshal Klaven

Anna Levin

David Reiner

Alysa Stanton

Howard Stein

Elizabeth Wood

Words of Mourning

I am beside myself about this.

From the NY Times article:
WICHITA, Kan. — George Tiller, one of only a few doctors in the nation who performed abortions late in pregnancy, was shot to death here Sunday in the foyer of his longtime church as he handed out the church bulletin.

I am sick at heart that this man who took over his family's medical practice after the deaths of his parents and sister and brother-in-law, who took responsibility for his then 1-year-old nephew, and who began to perform abortions because he learned that a woman had died from an illegal abortion...has now become a terrible victim of horrible violence.

May his legacy remind us that our freedoms must be constantly guarded and may his memory be for a blessing.

A Plea for the Future of HUC in Cincinnati

There is a lot of maneuvering afoot in the Reform movement. First the URJ announced its restructuring, which, to be perfectly fair, was in the works for a long time before the current financial crunch. Now the Hebrew Union College is making some major decisions in the wake of serious financial problems.

I know that there are a number of proposals on the table as the Board of Governors of HUC-JIR prepares to meet this weekend. And I also know that some versions of those proposals involve in some way closing the Cincinnati campus.

This is the letter I sent to the President and Board of Governors:


Dear Dr. Ellenson,
I cannot even begin to be as eloquent as so many of my colleagues who have composed letters and emails so far this month. And I cannot even begin to express to you my gratitude and appreciation for all that you do to make HUC-JIR the wonderful institution that it is. Please know that I come to this email from a place of deep respect for the decision that you and the Board are about to make.
I must add my voice, however, to those who have already spoken. I am a Midwesterner, born and raised. I have felt for a long time that there is a sense (on both the East and West Coasts) of the middle of the country as a place devoid of Jewish life. This is most certainly not so! There is a vibrant and marvelous Jewish community in all corners of the middle parts of this country! And these communities are, unfortunately, often maligned, slighted, or otherwise dismissed by the larger communities of New York and Los Angeles. This is unfortunate. There are strong Jewish communities in St. Louis, Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Indianapolis, and yes, Cincinnati. And there are strong Jewish communities in small towns all around Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois – not to mention all the Southern states as well. A list is too long to make! Many (if not most in the case of the smaller towns) of these communities are served by Reform rabbis or rabbinical students, most of them from the Cincinnati campus.
I firmly believe that we are remiss as a movement if we isolate ourselves in the “ivory towers” of the large coastal cities and ignore the importance of the “heartland of America” by closing the Cincinnati campus to the rabbinical program. On the contrary, in fact, I believe that Cincinnati is the very best place for Jews to be influenced and to influence. Many of our rabbinical students come from the Coasts, go there for school, and never really gain a true understanding of American Judaism across the country. If the rabbis that HUC-JIR produces come only from the coasts, will we really have a decent and comprehensive understanding of amcha in America? I don’t think so. I think that shutting down the heart of Reform Judaism will only dishearten the “Jews in the pews” in the middle of our country, and I think it will do a major disservice to our rabbinical students to deprive them of the opportunity to experience the vibrancy of Cincinnati’s Jewish community.
Sure, New York is a marvelous place to be a Jew. Wonderful things are happening there that young Jews in particular are taking advantage of. Regular and creative interaction with all that New York City has to offer is key to making sure we are not cut off from the innovative spirit that appears to exist in that great city. But that innovative spirit must have a soul, and I believe that the true soul of American Judaism is all around the country, nestled in its small communities and “flyover” cities as well as the East and West Coasts.
Please don’t condemn Cincinnati to become a relic of our past. Please remember the communities that we serve and honestly consider the importance of all the ways that the Cincinnati campus, in particular, and HUC-JIR in general, serves them.
I wish you and the Board of Governors strength and wisdom as you make your decisions.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Phyllis A. Sommer

For more information go here: http://savehuc.com/ and read through the powerful letters and links that have been shared there. Follow @savehuc on Twitter or you could always just follow me, @imabima to learn more.

Jewish Blogosphere Strikes Again!

Every week the Jewish/Israeli blogosphere produces a weekly blog carnival of posts...on politics, culture, religion, humor and more.

Go over to The Rebbetzin's Husband and read Haveil Havalim #214 - The Radiant Ziv edition.

Welcoming the New Month of Iyar

Iyar
not Nisan, not Sivan
not slaves and not yet fully free

the month of transition
of transit
not here and not there

wandering

where are we?
what are we doing here?

once we were slaves
now we are free.
so what do we do with ourselves?

we move
we keep moving
always moving
where are we going, again?
who’s leading this show?

Iyar
the month of manna
perfect in its perfection
sustaining
miraculous
delicious

as we fill ourselves with manna
it fills us with its faith

we are
not here and not there
but we are
full of faith
that we will arrive

The new month of Iyar begins this Shabbat. We welcome the month that moves us from Nisan, the month of Pesach, to Sivan, the month of Shavuot. A month of transition, yes, but a month in which it is said that the manna began to fall from heaven to sustain the Israelites on their way.

A truly incredible feature of the manna was that to each person, it tasted different, and to each person it was delicious. Only enough manna could be collected each day for each person's use; a double portion was collected on Shabbat. Any more than was necessary, any leftovers, rotted away overnight. Each day, the newly-freed Israelites had to renew their faith in their invisible God, each day they had to believe that more sustenance would come their way. What a remarkable way for God to create a bond of trust with these former slaves. Faith can be hard to come by.

We all have manna in our lives...the sustaining elements that help to define us and stir our souls. What is it for you? How do you trust that it will be there tomorrow? How do you keep the faith?

May the new month of Iyar bring blessings of sustenance and peace.

The Rabbi Watches YouTube

I'm doing is enjoying this post about the Four Questions by Hadassah. She is looking for the Mah Nishtanah in multiple languages, which is such a fun activity. There's a wonderful book of 300 Ways to Say the Four Questions, which are an integral part of the Passover Seder. My favorite one in there is Pig Latin, which I think is perfect on so many levels for a Jewish event!!!

What I am doing right now, and this is key to any good modern rabbi's life, is browsing through YouTube for all the funny new Pesach videos so that I can be the first to share them with you.

Like this one:


or this



or this one...


Have you found anything great on YouTube lately?
How's your Pesach Prep going? The cold winter-like weather is not putting me quite the right mood yet!

Bli Neder*

*no promises

Jewish law codes spend a lot of time on the concept of vows. They are not to be made lightly. This is why you will often hear someone say "I'll do that, bli neder" - meaning, "I'll do it, but I'm very carefully not making a vow." So this post is definitely bli neder!

It is 5:30am Israel time and as I prepare to leave my hotel room to head back to the United States, here is a list of things I want to tell you about from the rest of my trip since my last post:

- my tour of the spice market in Tel Aviv (possibly one of the best tours - we got samples!!!) and walk thru the Carmel Market. I bought Yael a Dora the Explorer costume for Purim!

- our viewing of a performance by NaLaga'at - Please Touch - a deaf/blind theater company.

- my dinner with Robin (and Jay) from aroundtheisland.blogspot.com - awesome.

- Friday morning's pluralist Beit Midrash at the Israel convention center. We were joined by israelis in a morning of study and conversation. It was really great.

- lunch at Mahane Yehuda at which I was told by the retaurant's proprietor that there was no shakshuka on Fridays, of course.

- buying hot Marzipan chocolate rugelach and eating it right there.

- taking a taxi home because it was hailing.

- celebrating Kabbalat Shabbat at kehillat Har-el and sharing dinner with Rabbi Ada Zavidov (and others) in her home

- attending two Shacharit (morning) services - the first at Shira Chadasha, an egalitarian Orthodox minyan at which 10 men as well as 10 men are required for a minyan. We were early enough that my presence mattered. The second in Mercaz Shimshon, the headquarters of the World Movement for Progressive Judaism, overlooking the Old City. While the service was long and not entirely to my taste, it was really incredible to witness the aliyah to the Torah of Rabbi Harold Kudan, Am Shalom's Founding Rabbi, in honor of his 50 years in the rabbinate. It was also incredible to witness our incoming president, Rabbi Ellen Dreyfus, read from the Torah to accept the mantle of leadership.

- getting into the Old City in driving rain and gusting wind only to find out that the Arab Quarter was on strike and no shops or restaurants were open.

- getting soaked walking down Ben Yehuda shooping for gifts and getting a latte at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Jaffa.

- making new friends amongst my colleagues and re-kindling old friendships. Now we don't really exchange cards - we just say "friend me on Facebook"! Talking about blogging and technology was one of my favorite parts....go figure.

- trying to absorb the constant state of change and growth in eretz yisrael. And wondering if the light rail system which is being built will ever be done...and wondering if downtown Jerusalem will ever feel the same.

- packing to go home after 6 days in which I arrived with carry-on luggage only. Everyone thought we were so laudable to only pack that way....and yet I still overpacked and didn't wear it all and I had to really cram to get it all in the bag to return....oh well, you live and learn, right? I'm all packed and ready for my last breakfast followed by the cab ride to the airport.

Reading back over this post, I realize that I did tell you now, so I think I don't have to worry about revisiting. Whew, I'm safe from the neder :-)

Back to our regular blog programming later this week!!!!

Keyn, anachnu yecholim*

*yes, we can

Today we spent the morning in Tel Aviv, a city that is truly modern Israel's reality. I haven't spent much time in this city, wandering, as I have in Jerusalem. Later we have walking tours that I'm quite excited for!

But back to my headline. I'm quoting Rabbi Meir Azari of the Israeli Reform Movement. "Yes, we can" make Reform a living and vibrant part of the landscape of Israeli religious society. Sitting in Mishkenot Ruth Daniel, a large and beautiful facility in the heart of Jaffa that serves many purposes for the Tel Aviv Porgressive community. One is really able to believe in a living and rich Israeli Reform movement when sitting here.

We heard from Mayor Ron Huldai of Tel Aviv, who was called a great friend of Reform Judaism by Rabbi Azari.

He spoke of the sand dunes of Jaffa, in 1909, when 66 families stood and lotteried the plots of what was to become Tel Aviv. Here now, this major city bears little resemblance to those early years. Sky-scraping luxury hotels line the beach and old blends with new....but how to shape the identity of the Israeli future? Mayor Huldai believes that Reform plays a large part in that identity and that future.

Rabbi Azari also pointed out Rabbi Miri Gold (go sign the petition and join the facebook group) who is the public face of the fight to recognize Reform rabbis by the State of Israel.

Now...off to a tour of Tel Aviv's markets....

Women of the Wall

This morning was the 20th anniversary of the Women of the Wall. Today, Rosh Chodesh Adar, the beginning of the month of great joy, we davened (prayed) together at the Kotel, the Western Wall, in quite a large group, Israeli women and many women rabbis from the CCAR convention and also rabbinic and cantorial students studying in Jerusalem.

We stood near the back of the women's section to pray the morning service, including the Hallel psalms, in quiet but proud voices. Many of our male colleagues came too and stood behind the wall, joining our prayer in almost a reverse mechitza (separation barrier). We wore tallitot and kippot. Young girls wearing long skirts stared and giggled and debated what they saw. "They're not Reformim," a girl told her friend. "They are something different."

Policewomen, guarding the "sanctity of the place" shouted and gestured for us to stop. "No singing!" And in typical Israeli fashion, continued to stand and yell even as the praying continued. A male policeman was brought in (why was this ok?) to help quiet us down....but it didn't work and we finished the praying relatively peacefully. (I took video, which maybe I will be able to upload later today or else when I get home.)

Then we walked together to the Southern part of the excavation of the Western Wall. Standing under Robinson's Arch we read Torah, the reading for Rosh Chodesh, sharing aliyot and singing in a loud voice, joined by our male colleagues whose voices mingled with the female ones.

The Torah used by Women of the Wall is carried in a duffel bag (a very holy and sturdy green duffel bag) and after it was placed in the bag it was passed around to kiss before itwas spirited away to someone's car. Many torah scrolls live on the men's side of the Kotel but only this one is used by the women and it is carried back and forth.

I had the honor for a few moments of carrying the Torah in its canvas bag. Its weight felt perhaps even more heavy than a usual Torah scroll, bearing the weight of so many women's years of striving....

Mish'nuchnas Adar marbim b'simcha
As Adar comes in, our joy increases.
And so it was a truly joyous experience.

Nir Barkat, Jerusalem's Mayor

Tonight we were greeted by Jerusalem's mayor, Nir Barkat. After he welcomed us home, he shared some of the scary statistics about Jerusalem - it's the poorest city with 50 percent of its children under the poverty line.

People are leaving Jlem in droves. Why? Usually due to the economiv situation, price of housing is high, schools aren't top notch and quality of life isn't the highest here. But he doesn't want to focus on the negative.

He noted that there are four consituencies to jlem - residents, israel, jewish community and world comminity. We are all shareholders in the benefit of Jerusalem.

Two million visitors (tourist) to Jerusalem each year. This is, Mr Barkat explained, paltry compared to other world cities - and we have a 3000 year old "brand" to sell! One of his goals is to increase tourism - through promotion of culture and economic opportunities.

He brings his "business approach" instead of the "army approach." Army works against enemies. Business works for customers. Obviously it would make sense to change away from the army approach and treat citizens like customers. It also gives an opening to shared collaboration....he's built quite a coalition of various viewpoints that will hopefully transcend politics.

He takes only a dollar a year salary. You gotta believe that someone with that much commitment has something going for him....right?

On our way!

We're on our way to Eretz Yisrael. My colleague, Paul Kipnes (rabbipaul.blogspot.com) calls this Aliyat haNefesh - a going-up of the soul. I do feel that the chance to reconnect with the land and people of Israel refreshes and rejuvenates me. To be able to travel to Israel regularly is one of the best parts of the rabbinate!

This time, the trip holds a special significance. My husband proposed to me in Israel about 2 hours before the end of our Year in Israel program (literally - as we were waiting for our taxi to the airport!) just about 10 years ago. We left Israel engaged but haven't returned together to the country since. (We've each been separately.) Three kids later, we travel together to make this journey today! I am beside myself with delight.

Also, we are going to be attending the annual convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, our professional organization. Three hundred friends and colleagues will be there with us and I can't wait to see old friends and catch up with them.

Truly, my travel cup runneth over today as I type this at O'Hare airport....see ya in the Holy Land!

Senate Chaplain, Rabbi Dan Fellman

(The sound is terrible on this clip but it was the only way I could find it....)

This is my classmate and friend, Rabbi Dan Fellman, today on the Senate floor.



Any Senators out there reading? How cool would that be!? Imagine live-blogging a trip to the Senate. I'm available anytime for this gig.

Benediction....

Let's Take it Real World...

Crossposted from my other blog.

I was talking with some folks (as I do constantly) about the matzav (situation) in Israel. I feel a bit obsessed, as I think many of my fellow Israel-lovers and bloggers do, with the news. I can't stop refreshing Muqata and IsraellyCool and I scroll through my tweets looking for the news.

There are so many misconceptions being played out in the mainstream media (MSM). I nearly have an aneurisum each morning as I read my newspaper and I definitely almost ripped the radio out of my car the other day as I heard Jerome McDonnell say "well, there have just been a few rockets sent into Israel, right? and no one's really been hurt by it, right?" as he interviewed an Israeli journalist. (Who responded, wonderfully, by saying "That's like having the doctor say - your 14year old is pregnant but the good news is that she's only a little bit pregnant. There is no such thing as good rocket fire.")

I really believe that I am getting a balanced view. I'm sure there are those who would disagree with me, who would say that all my sources are Israeli in origin so I'm bound to get a biased view of the operation from that perspective. And I suppose that would be true. But I do believe that the MSM seems so biased against Israel, and since I continue (oddly enough) to read newspapers and MSM websites, I feel that I'm getting a pretty good sense of what might be the "Real Story."

(Picture from Reuters.com - of Israelis sheltering from a Qassam missile.)

The thing that bothered me the most this week, however, was the very well-intentioned person who listened to me refute information about the UN "school" that was bombed. (When we think of school, I'm pretty sure you all have the same idea in your head that I do - kids running around, books, desks, teachers, papers, pencils and erasers....but this is not that kind of school. So I feel that it puts the wrong idea into people's heads right off the bat. But I digress...)

Back to the well-intentioned person. She asked in a not-snottty, totally honest and well-intentioned way: "How are those of us who are not as informed supposed to know all of this?"

And I know that she is not an internet user, beyond the email and other tasks in the office. I know that if I asked her to regularly visit Muqata or even Haaretz.com she would not really be able to do it. So truthfully, I was a bit stumped and didn't quite know how to asnwer her except to say that I could provide her with a list of sources for her to look at.

But she probably won't.

She'll probably continue, in her kind and well-intentioned and well-informed way, to read the newspapers and watch the 6 o'clock news (which I haven't watched in years...it's still on, right?). And she'll believe, like so many Americans and Europeans do, that the nicely coiffed men and women sitting so officially behind those shiny desks or standing in front of those pretty flat-panel monitors are telling The Truth and reporting The Facts.

When we know they're not always.

So I offer this challenge to you, my dear readers. I am always asking you to blog or tweet or comment or visit. But today's challenge is a little different.

I'm asking you to pick one site or post or picture that you feel is representative of The Truth -- not the stuff being thrown around by the MSM but the stuff that you find to be Real and Right. Start, perhaps, with one of Jack's round ups or one of Jameel's liveblogs, or even just the count from your QassamCount status update.

Print it out. 
(I know, I know, I'm supposed to be all green, but bear with me.)

And share it with the people that you care about most, the people that you think will not be reading it, the people that you think might look at you when you suggest that they log into TwiddleEast as though you're suggesting they jump through the Looking Glass. Share the paper with your co-workers, your friends, your grandmother.

We're all working so hard out here on the Internet. I think the time has come to move beyond that and back out into the Real World, Old School...

Are you with me?

Let us pray....*updated

The ground incursion into Gaza has begun. A news blackout is in place.

All we can do is pray.

Prayer for the Welfare of Soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces

May He who blessed our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, bless the soldiers
of the Israel Defense Forces who keep guard over our country and cities of
our Lord from the border with Lebanon to the Egyptian desert and from the
Mediterranean Sea to the approach to the Arava, be they on land, air or sea.

May the Almighty deliver us our enemies who arise against us, may the Holy
One, blessed be He, preserve them and save them from all sorrow and peril,
from danger and ill.

May He send blessing and success in all their endeavors, may He deliver to
them those who hate us and crown them with salvation and victory, so that
the saying may be fulfilled through them, "For the Lord, your God, who walks
with you and to fight your enemies for you and to save you", and let us say,
Amen.

As posted by Jameel, who is live-blogging. Stay tuned.

For other updated stuff, go to the IDF Spokesperson blog and see things like this:

(they're so young....)

Put it all in Perspective

15 Seconds in Sderot

Operation Cast Lead - Gaza Information

My colleague Rabbi Paul Kipnes has posted a great list of media sources for Israel.

These are all "mainstream" type media. Here are some of the on-the-ground blogger/non-mainstream media types who are also posting, including live-blogging. It's very interesting to hear and see what is going on from this perspective.

IsraellyCool - liveblogging
Muqata - also liveblogging
The Sderot Media Center
Jack is rounding up posts here and here. Check him regularly for updates.

And read this interesting post from Dan Illouz.

If you twitter, check out #gaza, and also consider following QassamCount, NewsIsrael and I'm sure there are others that I can't quite think of right now.

There's a lot out there beyond cnn.com and what the newsmedia is saying. Don't forget that during the Lebanon War there was a lot of misinformation and media-handling by Hizbullah. Hamas is certainly no different in trying to beat Israel out in the court of world opinion. But I don't believe that is going to stop Israel from defending herself, nor should it.

We'll all stay tuned.

Super Jews Color War Update

So I'm participating in the Super Jews Color War (Go Green Team!) and I am enjoying the little daily tasks. Each day of Chanukah we're asked to complete a mission which so far has involved "big box" Jewish organizations. For me, it's not so new. These are all organizations I'm quite familiar with -- JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency), Federation, and today Foundation for Jewish Culture.

It's all in fun, of course, but the main mission appears to be connecting young (and usually un-connected) Jews with these major players in Jewish life. It all seems well-executed and entertaining (although no one seems to really understand how they're tracking the clicks....but the Green Team is winning, so what do I care!?) and perhaps will have some level of success. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when the debrief is being done next week.

So....go Green Team! I bet it's not too late to join.

Happy Chanukah!

Accept the Mission....Green Team

The Color War has begun!
The Green Team's first mission is here.

Check it out!!!!

Team Super Jews!!!

Every day I'm giving something away on my other blog as we count down to Chanukah.

But over here, I'm going to celebrate Team SuperJews!



Go here for more information:
http://superjews.org/

or become a fan on Facebook!
(I'm on the Green Team...)

Stay tuned for more SuperJewyness around here at my blog!

*Life is A Tale Told By An Idiot*: Haveil Havalim #196- My Kids Wish It Was Chanukah Already

See what's going on in the Jewish Blogosphere....
*Life is A Tale Told By An Idiot*: Haveil Havalim #196- My Kids Wish It Was Chanukah Already

The Chanukah Countdown is coming!!!!