Israel Action

The purpose of the Israel Action Committee is to strengthen the bond between Israel and our Temple community. Our mission is to mend some of the hurt and to extend a hand of friendship, provide encouragement and support our Israeli families.
We strive to bring awareness
to our community and
our religious school students.

Our dedicated committee members, as well as our Temple family, are committed to making a difference by offering financial and
emotional support to more
than 80 survivors of terror and their families. Some of our other activities include raising funds for youth centers, building a playground in Tel Aviv, supplying soldiers with needed warm clothing, and aiding group homes and hot food programs.

We welcome new members. We meet a few times a year and seek members who understand and are committed to further the deep ties between Israel and a devoted temple in Northern Westchester.

What have we accomplished so far? Here is a list of our activities as of September 2011:

• Donated a medical transport vehicle to SELA.
  
  
• Donated a grove of 1000 trees in Israel through JNF.
  
  
• Our biggest project: Helped over 80 families of terror survivors and still are helping over 50 of them, still in touch with all via phone calls, letter, birthday and holiday cards, and visits. So far gave in access of $750,000.
  
  
• Collected $50,000.- and together with Tel Aviv Foundation built a garden and playground in Yad-Eliyahu, Tel Aviv.

• Donated money to the burn unit at SHIBA Hospital.

• Donated money to Rambam Hospital for a medicine room in the orthopedic Dept, and a new counter for Ram 2 – the military office in the hospital.

• Visited and distributed gifts to tens of children in Rambam Meyer hospital and SHIBA Children’s hospital.

• Donated quilt wall hangings made by our religious school students to SHIBA Hospital – in the entrance to the rehab building, Rambam Hospital – in second floor of Meyer children hospital, to Ben Gurion Middle School in Rishon Lezion, hanging in the bomb shelter which is used for a hot lunch program for needy students.

• Donated money to start the hot lunch program in the school and to install air conditioning in the bomb shelter.

• Hosted 20 students and 3 teachers from that school over Passover vacation, 2006, and on April 6-16, 2008.

• Established a program to exchange videos between our students and the students of Ben Gurion School, through YOU TUBE.

• Donated money to Pina Chama, a food program in Ashdod, supplying sandwiches daily to over 500 needy children.

• Donated money to Dalia Shatz who visits daily with wounded and sick soldiers all over Israel and helping them and their families.

• Donated money to Sarah Zeltzerman, who volunteers in SHIBA Rehab hospital, taking care of wounded soldiers and terror survivors, providing entertainment, outings, holiday celebrations, Shabbat meals for their families and much more.

• Distributed baby quilts made by our students as Bar Mitzvah projects to children in hospitals.

• Helped 2 young men, retarded, both had no fathers and lost their mothers in a bus explosion, both live in a group home in Jerusalem.

• Hosted an art show of Israeli artists with proceeds donated to the art therapy program of the Kobi Mandell Foundation.

• Had a walkathon with proceeds going to ALIN, helping handicap children (Organized by the religious school).                                           

• Walkathon with proceeds going to Schneider Children Medical Center (Organized by the religious school).

• Donated money to Yeladim, an organization taking care of children in group homes (Organized by the religious school).

• Donated sporting equipment to a MATNAS – youth center in Jerusalem (Organized by Judy Fuhrer).

• Adopted a platoon of 60 soldiers in a special field intelligence unit. Sent fleece jackets for all of them, helped them to buy needed Hiking boots, special ski hats and gloves, and thermal underwear. We keep in touch with them via e-mail. Phone calls, visits, letters and cards. In 2006 the platoon doubled in size to 120 soldiers.

• Donated to Tel Aviv Foundation for special equipment for Beit Venezuela (A day program for youngsters with CP).

• Donated to SHIBA Hospital for special equipment for rehab department.

• Brought a teenage boy, a terror survivor to visit during Hanukah and during summer vacation and provided entertainment, shopping and fun. (private donations)

• Brought a teenage girl, daughter of a terror survivor to visit during Hanukah vacation and three summer vacations. Provided entertainment, beauty treatments, shopping, and fun. (private donations).

• Distributed art work made as Bat Mitzvah projects, to “our” families in Israel.

• Hosted Idan Levi when he visited New York, and bought him a much wanted guitar (private donations).

• Represent the Temple on the board of NOW ISRAEL (Northern Westchester for Israel).

• Participate in the Salute to Israel parade in NYC.

• Donated 8 baby quilts made by Nina Primer and her grand children to our families who had newborns.

• During the war in South Lebanon in July 2006, RAMBAM Hospital in Haifa was bombed and was in desperate need of new emergency equipment. We held a Concert for Israel, and due to the generosity of our congregants raised $70,000.

• Helped other congregations to start similar programs in Israel, helping Terror survivors (Wayland, MA, and Poughkeepsie, NY).

• Enabled Kineret Bussani, a terror survivor who was burnt over 80% of her body, and her mother, on two occasions, to stay at a Boston Hotel while going through facial reconstructive surgeries.

• Helped Yinon Cohen while staying in NY to be fitted with new  leg prostheses. Enabled him and his companion to go to 2 basketball games, a Broadway show, Big Apple Circus, Neshama Karlibach concert and dinners out (private donations).

• Made special donations to two brides, terror survivors, to provide honorable wedding appearance.

• Paid part of college tuition for Natalie Tavassi, a daughter of a terror survivor.

• Helped Avi Malka, a terror survivor, to pay college debts so he can continue his studies to become a lawyer.

• Joined with 14 other Northern Westchester synagogues, all members of NOW, to collect money to help the people of Sderot, on two occasions.

• Donated to GVANIM.

• Held an Israeli festival celebration event to celebrate Israel’s 60^th birthday, April 13, 2008.

• Continue to donate to Sarah Zeltzerman, Tel Hashomer, helping sick and wounded soldiers.

• Published an Israel Action newsletter twice a year – spring and High Holidays, as part of Temple Topics, and High Holiday booklet.

• Through a private donation, helped the Tel Aviv Foundation to furnish music rooms in a school for autistic students.

• Our 4^th grade students donated to Birthday Angels so needy children in Israel can have birthday parties.

• Donated to the Migdalor program to help an afterschool program for needy Ethiopian children in Rehovot.

• Hosted Hila Atias, a terminally sick young Israeli, on two occasions, enabling her respite from life at home and hospital.

• Added four needy families from Sderot to our list of recipients.

• Donated money to the Mesila project of the Tel Aviv Foundation, providing day care to children of Sudan/Darfur refugees. The money was raised during the 2008 Labor Day concert and the following three months.

• A group of our members went on a bike ride tour of Israel while raising money towards the Medical Clown program in Meyer Pediatric Hospital. A part of Rambam Hospital. Another trip is planned for 2010.

• Donated funds for a chair lift at the program for CP students in Ben Gurion Middle School.

• Donated funds to Barzilai Hospital for a piece of equipment for first response.

• Our synagogue hosted 7 Israeli teens from the Leo Baeck Institute in Haifa in February 2008, who then joined our teens in Nicaragua for an interfaith work mission. To this day, many of our families continue sustained relationships (and have visited) with these students, who are now all in IDF.

• Donated money to our platoon of soldiers for purchasing hiking boots.

• Supported Zahal Shalom, a program which brings active duty combat officers from the Israel Defense Forces to Northern Westchester to connect with our community.

• Planted a garden on Temple grounds to commemorate “our” Israeli families and Gilad Shalit.

• Installed a playground with bomb shelter in Sderot.

• Sent $25,000 for Café Europa, a program for holocaust survivors in and around Tel Aviv.

• A few Temple member knitters made 40 hats which were delivered to our platoon of soldiers

• Through private donation, helped Hila Atias to get a dog, helpful to her well being and mental health.

• Established ISRAEL LAND, thanks to a grant, a space whose sole purpose is to enhance the knowledge of, appreciation for, and connection to Israel across all ages in the congregation.

• Supported a two week camp for visually impaired children in Tel Aviv in August 2010.

• Thanks to the effort of the bike riding group, provided support for a home environment center for needy children in Tel Aviv

• Donated money to JNF to cover planting a grove of 1000 trees to replace some of the trees lost in the Carmel fire in 2010.

• Raised funds for Beit Holland, a day care program for infants through 3 yrs old with CP and other handicaps.

• Donated money for the 2^nd time to Tel Aviv Foundation for a two week camp for 50 visually impaired children in Southern Tel Aviv, summer 2011