Israel sees new advantage in Iron Dome anti-missile system – World Wires – MiamiHerald.com

Israel sees new advantage in Iron Dome anti-missile system – World Wires – MiamiHerald.com.

 

Help Change the World With NU Campaign

NU, means “c’mon” in yiddish, and begs a response. The NU campaign is a fashionable way to support important Israeli and global causes through a designer T-shirt.  On the inside of each T-shirt is a special message printed close to your heart so you can carry it with you and help spread the word! The video will show and explain it all.

You can help change the world! Am Yisrael Chai!

For more information or to order a shirt, you can contact Natalie Bloom at nataliecbloom@gmail.com

Or, you can visit the website: http://www.nucampaign.org/en/Home.aspx

 

 

 

Israel Inside Trailer

 

Attend AIPAC Policy Conference

Attend AIPAC Policy Conference 2012
It’s not too late to register!

From AIPAC.org:

“The annual AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest gathering of the pro-Israel movement. Thousands of participants come from all 50 states to take part in “three of the most important days affecting Israel’s future.” The 2012 conference will be held March 4-6, 2012, in Washington, D.C. Thousands have already registered, don’t miss out on this truly remarkable experience to be in our nation’s capital with thousands of fellow pro-Israel supporters.” (http://www.aipac.org/get-involved/attend-policy-conference)

YOU should get involved!

As I stated briefly in my last post..The purpose of this internship is to bring Israel back home and share it with my community. As part of the internship we (“the MZ teens”) are hosting a convention about Israel from March 30th-April 1st in PA. Whether you have been to Israel, are planning to go to Israel or even are Israeli this convention is for you! It is going to be a great way to meet people from all over the country and share stories and experiences from your last time in Israel, learn a lot about Israel and talk about your future plans with Israel. Please consider coming to the convention because I think that you are an ideal canidate! You do have to apply so the link to the application (as well as more information) is posted below and make sure to say that I am the MZ teen that referred you! Hope you can come!

http://www.theicenter.org/mz-teens-iconnect

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” – (Genesis 12:1)

After two-months of slurping through the straw of my three-liter Camelback backpack and walking around in my not-so-fashionable keens, I knew I was having the full Israel experience.

Surprisingly for an eighteen-year-old girl, I came home with a lot more then just a few T-shirts and Israeli jewelry…

I came home a new person.

Although I had previously been to Israel twice with my family and was absolutely in love with the land, there was something extremely special about going on an Israel program. I journeyed to the homeland this past summer on Ramah Israel Seminar, a trip made up of teens that were born in Israel, teens that had been there, and teens that had never been to Israel before. With people from many different regions of the country, we were able to share in our different backgrounds and explore our promised land together.

Walking a mile up the road from my base to the grocery store and little falafel stand, it’s amazing that by taking just a few steps I became so immersed in Israeli culture. Even though I looked like a complete tourist with a Hanes white V-Neck t-shirt, Nike shorts, again-my not-so-fashionable keens, and a hat, I never actually felt like a tourist.

But how could this be?

I waddled up and down the streets of Jerusalem, looking like your average American Jewish teen, but never actually felt like one. It’s as if the moment my passport was stamped I suddenly became a citizen (wouldn’t that be great?)

What was weirder was that that I wasn’t able to feel this way until I went on a program with other Jewish teens. It was the beauty, spirituality, and love that allowed me to feel at peace in a land struggling to find peace.

Like Israel, aren’t we all struggling to find some sort of peace? Whether it’s work, school, taking care of children, meeting deadlines, balancing time, etc. It was liberating to know that there was a place for me even if it was thousands of miles away, to be exactly who I was, without a care in the world.

But I was eager to find the answer. How I could possibly feel so at home, so far away from Byerlys challah?

Little did I know was the hardship I was going to have to endure to find my answer.

I attempted to take on the mysteriousness of the Negev for four days, when I went on dessert survival. Which consisted of hiking, hiking, and more hiking. Did I mention hiking? Or maybe I should mention that we were only allowed one change of clothes, our toothbrush, 3-liters of water in our Camelbacks, and yep that was just about it.

See, for some this was the experience of a lifetime, for me, it was a chance to encounter my biggest fear, snakes. But the gorgeous scenery of the Negev kept me going….for about 4 hours.

The sun went down, and so did my ability to face my fears. I suffered from an anxiety attack, where I was then taken to the hospital in Be’er Sheba, where I was given medication. Waking up in a cab on my way back to Jerusalem, I remember crying because I was so confused, I was in shock, I was tired, and for a moment I was scared.

I pressed my head against the glass, I opened my eyes, and looked out to see the gold Jerusalem stone of the old city glistening in the moonlight. My fears immediately escaped, and again, I felt at home.

I had found my answer. Without my mom or dad to hold my hand, or to lead me in the right direction, I was brought to peace when realizing where I was. I was home, the place in which my ancestors resided 3,000 years ago. The place in which I have prayed to since the minute I learned to read Hebrew, and the place in which my faith is the culture.

Israel had become my strength, my spiritual abode, and a place that provided me the ability to feel a sense of peace that is not achievable in Minnetonka.

My Jewish identity, my morals and values, and my love for the land all made sense when I returned home. It was no longer just going to Talmud Torah to maintain my Jewish education or attending synagogue to pray and teach students. Everything suddenly had more meaning than before.

With the options of birthright, synagogue missions, Alexander Muss, BBYO, NIFTY, USY, NCSY, etc, there are hundreds of programs that allow people to experience Israel no matter what age.

After spending a significant amount of time there I feel it is my obligation to tell people my story and excite them about what an Israel experience could mean to them.

Which is why I was selected to be involved in the MZ teen program, where I am an intern to help raise Israel awareness and to be an advocate. The MZ teen program is national leadership program for 36 teens that recently returned from Israel. Within my involvement in the MZ teen program, I share my personal story to my peers, and community to help be a strong voice for Israel and the Jewish people.

Truthfully, I could tell stories, show pictures, and try and make people understand what it’s like, but it’s truly unexplainable. To me, there are no perfect words to express, describe, and show what it is like to be in Israel.

Maybe you can have a less dorky experience, if the keens and Camelback don’t sound too tempting. But each person has a different experience, each person has a different perspective, and each person can feel differently. For what it’s worth, I’d hope any person who has never been would make some sort of effort to visiting, for it is more than just an average destination. It’s our home.

This is me.

My name is Sarah Ungerman. My love for Israel began in 2006 when my parents brought me for my Bat Mitzvah gift. Since then, i have been back two more times and have found myself to be attached to the land. Its beauty, history, and culture make Israel my peaceful abode.

After visiting Israel this summer for my third time, i felt obligated to share my zionism and continue to make a connection to the land from thousands of miles away. I was selected to be involved in the MZ teen Israel internship program, where I am an intern to help raise Israel awareness and to be an advocate. The MZ teen program is a national leadership program for 36 teens that recently returned from an Israel experience. Within my involvement in the MZ teen program, I share my personal experiences and viewpoints to my peers and community to help be a strong voice for Israel and the Jewish people.

This blog allows for others to see Israel through my eyes, and to learn about current Israeli issues, polotics, and culture.