Membership & Community

Timely and Urgent Resources on Israel Education and for Financial Support

As you read and learn, continue to explore your questions with reliable Internet searches. If you have questions about anything you might encounter, please reach out and ask us at info@beth-israel.org.

Donate now to the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s Israel Emergency Fund. Click here for the Jewish Federation’s Countering Misinformation Around Israel ad that was published in the Houston Chronicle on March 24, 2024.

Visit our Congregation Beth Israel Advocacy Committee page to learn more about how to get involved with Israel Advocacy.

If you are interested in assisting Israeli soldiers on the battlefield by providing supplies, contact Alex Limor at 615-479-5249.

Alex is the son of Holocaust survivors, an architect, and an award-winning sculptor who designed several Holocaust memorials, including one for the Nashville Jewish Federation. His son, Avi, is currently a volunteer in the Israeli military and serving in Gaza. With assistance from Alex, Avi has been taking supplies that would otherwise not be provided by the Israeli armed forces to his military brethren. Every donation has an impact.

Literature

Passover Handout: Israel-themed resources to enhance your Seder experience

CCAR Passover Haggadah Supplement

A poem by Tamary Lia Baz, “Birth and Becoming”

“I am a Jew” by Edmond Fleg (1927)

Video Links

Our Israel 101 Series Recordings:

December 3rd featuring Johnny Landa
December 17th featuring Lyana Rotstein

www.jewishunpacked.com
UnPacked for Jewish Educators – website committed to Israel education

icenter.org
Educational resources, webinars, and videos.

Stand With Us Youtube
Advocacy website and YouTube channel with educational videos

www.IsraeliSoldiersProject.org
Give Israeli troops the gift of a good night’s sleep by providing bed-boxes (brand new, low-cost, durable, portable, and waterproof beds that elevate soldiers off the ground for a warmer, drier night’s sleep).

Articles:

How to Talk to Kids about What’s Happening in Israel Right Now

How to Talk to Kids about the Israel-Hamas War

How to Explain the Israel-Palestine Conflict to Kids

Bearing Witness: Documenting October 7 and Its Aftermath – The Experience of Jewish Communities Worldwide

Websites:

www.aipac.org 
America must give Israel the time, resources, and support it needs to win this war and achieve its objectives: destroy Hamas’ terror capabilities, drive the group from power, and free the hostages.

www.honestreporting.com
We embrace the principle that a healthy democracy requires a well-informed citizenry. Accordingly, the mission of HonestReporting is to ensure truth, integrity and fairness, and to combat ideological prejudice in journalism and the media, as it impacts Israel. We engage the next generation and educate the public to understand and value the above aspirations.

www.algemeiner.com
The Algemeiner, a global news destination published online and in print, serves as an independent media voice covering the Middle East, Israel and matters of Jewish interest around the world. It was founded in 1972 by famed journalist Gershon Jacobson as Der Algemeiner Journal and was originally published in Yiddish. In 2008, Dovid Efune was named Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director. In 2012, he launched Algemeiner.com. Algemeiner is a Yiddish/German word that means “universal” or “all inclusive.”  

www.timesofisrael.com
The Times of Israel is a Jerusalem-based online newspaper founded in 2012 to document developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world. The Times of Israel has no partisan political affiliation. It seeks to present the news fair-mindedly and offers a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces.

www.reform.org.il (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism)
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is the communal, spiritual and social Jewish movement that acts to promote the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state according to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, enriches Jewish identity among the vast and diverse Israeli public, and merits to significantly influence religious, educational and public discourse in the State of Israel and in the entire Jewish world. 

www.fidf.org (Friends of the IDF)
Purpose: To champion the courageous men and women of the IDF and care for their needs through transformational opportunities and support as they protect the State of Israel and her people.

Vision: To secure the survival of Israel, providing a thriving homeland for Jews worldwide.

Mission: We transform the lives of the young men and women of the IDF through empowering educational, financial, well-being, and cultural initiatives.

www.israelrescue.org (United Hatzalah)
We are a community-based volunteer emergency medical services (EMS) organization committed to providing the fastest response to medical emergencies across Israel even prior the arrival of ambulances and completely free of charge.

www.ajc.org (American Jewish Committee)
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. We work to shape a brighter future by taking on the toughest challenges and pursuing the most transformative opportunities. Through our unparalleled global network of offices, institutes, and international partnerships, AJC engages with leaders at the highest levels ofgovernment and civil society to counter antisemitism, open new doors for Israel, and advance democratic values.

www.myjewishlearning.com/article/modern-israeli-history-a-timeline/
My Jewish Learning is all about empowering Jewish discovery for anyone interested in learning more. My Jewish Learning was launched in 2003 and is now a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest nonprofit, nondenominational Jewish media organization in North America.

https://danielgordis.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share
Israel from the Inside with Rabbi Daniel Gordis

https://www.jta.org/
Jewish Telegraphic Agency – subscribe to the Daily Briefing

https://www.jcpa.org/
Daily Alert – Project of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Subscribe to daily e-mails here: https://jcpa.org/newsletter-subscribe/

Recommended Books by our Clergy and Educators:

Rabbi Daniel Gordis, Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After its Creation Has Israel Fulfilled its Founders’ Dreams? (2023)

Rabbi Daniel Gordis, Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn

Yossi Klein Halevi, Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor

Walter Laqueur & Dan Schueftan, ed., The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict (2016)

Deborah E. Lipstadt, Golda: Israel’s Matriarch (2023)

Dan Senor and Saul Singer, The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World (2023)

Ari Shavit, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel (2013)