Overnight, a major political shift occurred in Israel resulting in the broadest unity government in Israel’s history and the cancellation of early elections which were recently announced for September 4.

Opposition party, Kadima, formed by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has joined the Netanyahu coalition government. Kadima’s current chairman, Shaul Mofaz, who just two weeks ago beat Tzippi Livni for Kadima’s top spot, will now be Israel’s senior vice prime minister and will fill in for Prime Minister Netanyahu when he is abroad.

The drama began when the early election bill passed the cabinet late yesterday (Monday) afternoon and was sent to the Knesset plenum for a speedy three rounds of voting that would likely have taken just a few hours. According to all reports, the Knesset would have easily passed the vote and thus dissolved itself late last night.

Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin opened by welcoming the 18th Knesset to “what will almost certainly be its last session.” The first reading of the dissolution bill quickly passed, but behind the scenes there was intense and secret maneuvering that not a single commentator or journalist in the country had predicted.

Around 2:30 a.m., Prime Minister Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Shaul Mofaz made a dramatic announcement that the Knesset would not be dissolved and that Kadima was joining the government. The new agreement, which was approved by the MKs of all the major parties during late-night meetings, stipulates that Kadima will not seek to topple the government until the official end of its term on October 22, 2013. Under the new deal, Mofaz will be a “Minister Without Portfolio” and will also join the Security Cabinet.

The new government is a near-true “unity” government with a historically unprecedented stable coalition of 94 members (78 percent) of Knesset.  In fact, the new coalition effectively minimizes the power of smaller parties (primarily from the left and the religious right); no single party can now bring down the government, or threaten to do so.

While not the first unity government in Israel, this new government provides Israel one of its most broad-based governments in history led by a popular prime minister. In theory, this should be a mandate for some significant political and policy change. Already the new governing deal has prompted work to begin on the expiring, and recently-ruled unconstitutional, Tal Law, which granted military service exemptions for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox.  (Analysts had noted that the Tal Law could not be successfully addressed within the current coalition under threat that certain religious parties would withdraw and topple the government.)  Other key goals expressed include:  developing a responsible budget that will address Israel’s needs;  changing Israel’s system of government before the end of the calendar year; and promoting a responsible peace process where security is maintained.  Prime Minister Netanyahu said that a broad national unity government is good for security, the economy, the society and the Israeli people.

Some additional points:

• In theory, Netanyahu will allocate some ministerial portfolios to Kadima in the coming months. It will be interesting to note which parties lose portfolios.
• Clearly, this new coalition consolidates political power and stunts the recently surging political influence of Yair Lapid and his new party, Yesh Atid (There is a Future). The new government provides a lifeline to certain parties and politicians (such as Kadima/Shaul Mofaz and Independence/Ehud Barak) who were not expected to do exceedingly well in the upcoming elections. For instance, while Kadima has the largest number of seats in the current Knesset (28), it has been polling at approximately 12 seats if a new election were to be held.
• Shelley Yachimovitch of Labor, which was expected to gain seats had there been a September election, now becomes the official chair of the Opposition.
• The country’s top political/security figures – Ehud Barak, Shaul Mofaz and Moshe Ya’alon – now all sit on its Security Cabinet. While it is too soon to speculate, this may have implications for how Israel proceeds with the Iranian threat and/or negotiations with the Palestinians

Over the next few days we will analyze reports and commentary coming out of Israel and provide updates as warranted.  In the meantime, David Horowitz has penned one of the earliest commentaries on this breaking news.

Sincerely,

Mark L. Goldstein, Executive Director

Dr. Jay Lipschutz, Chairperson, Community Relations Council
Ben Davis, Director of Outreach and Community Relations

Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley

New Hebrew PJ Library Program Launches!

Join other Israeli families for snacks, music, crafts, and a special story time while you register your young children for Sifriyat Pijama. Please RSVP to becky@yavnehdayschool.org by May 10th.

Sifriyat Pijama delivers popular Hebrew storybooks and music CDs to children ages three to six free of charge! Thanks to funding from the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the Israeli Leadership Council, and the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley, Bay Area children who register will receive books in the mail, eight times per year. The program’s goals are to strengthen Hebrew language skills and to foster connections to our Jewish roots and values. At least one parent must be a native Hebrew speaker to register. Distribution begins in September 2012 for families who register at one of the Sifriyat Pijama registration events at Yavneh Day School by the June 30th deadline.

http://www.yavnehdayschool.org/page/937110_Whats_New.asp?newsid=29#29

The Community Mikvah of Silicon Valley presents
“An Afternoon with Mayim Bialik”
Sunday, May 6, 2012, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm
APJCC Auditorium, Levy Family Campus
14855 Oka Road, Los Gatos 

A successful actress, author, and neuroscientist, Mayim Bialik will speak about the experience of Mikvah. At this event, the dedication of a new sculpture for the Mikvah by local bronze sculptor Joyce Steinfeld, will take place, and tours of the Mikvah will be available at the close of Ms. Bialik’s presentation. Light refreshments will be served. A fee of $18 per person will benefit the Mikvah program. Individuals can become sponsors of this event for $360, and will enjoy lunch and a photo with Mayim Bialik before the program. The Mikvah is supported by the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley and community contributions.

RSVP: www.jvalley.org/mikvah. More information: Rabbi Leslie Alexander at rabbialexander@jvalley.org or (408) 358-3033.

The Jewish Federations of North America is asking communities to support an online petition by Jewish Community Centers urging the International Olympic Committee to devote one minute of silence to the “Munich 11” at the 2012 Olympic Games in London this summer.

The petition, initiated by the Jewish Community Center of Rockland County, N.Y., a member organization of the JCC Association, acknowledges the 11 Israeli athletes that were murdered at the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.

The JCC Association has paid tribute to those fallen Israeli athletes during every JCC Maccabi Games since 1995. The JCC Rockland, which will host the 2012 JCC Maccabi Games, has dedicated this year’s event to the Munich 11.

The JCC Rockland is working to gather one million signatures for an online petition to send to the IOC, demanding that they devote one minute of silence to the Munich 11 at this summer’s Olympic Games. The petition already includes thousands of signatures from people throughout the world, including those in the Jewish community of London.

“The Jewish Community Center movement is deeply involved in an effort to create a worldwide viral response to a wrong that has not been addressed since 1972,” said Allan Finkelstein, president and CEO of the JCC Association. “Let us finally get the Munich 11 the acknowledgement and respect they deserve from the international sports community.”

JFNA respectfully requests that you sign this petition and forward it via email, Twitter and Facebook to your family, friends and associates and encourage them to sign and forward the petition to others.

The Jewish Federations of North America, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, were privileged to host former President Bill Clinton in Palm Beach last month, where he provided fascinating insights on a range of global issues to more than 650 members of the Jewish Federations’ King David Society (KDS).

In addition to support from the Daniel and Ewa Abraham Foundation, Wells Fargo Bank provided sponsorship for the event and Palm Beach lay leader Cynthia Freeman provided copies of President Clinton’s new book, “Back to Work,” to participants.

In both an address to the KDS gathering and during an interview conducted by Kathy Manning, chair of the JFNA Board of Trustees, President Clinton discussed current events of interest to the Jewish community. In a wide-ranging and in-depth forum, President Clinton said that with many critical challenges we also face important opportunities to help repair the world.

“We were thrilled to hear from President Clinton. We share in his powerful message of tikkun olam and caring for those in need,” said JFNA’s National Campaign Chair Susan Stern of New York.

“It is so important for our generous King David Society donors to come together and have this kind of opportunity to meet with such a dynamic global leader,” she added. “It was equally important that this critical group of supporters sees how much Jewish Federations appreciate their leadership.”

The evening before the event, 75 Prime Minister’s Council donors (those who contribute $100,000 or more to the Annual Campaign) met at the home of Sandy Baklor and Arlene Kaufman for a special gathering around a shared passion for the work of Jewish Federations.

The Jewish Federations’ King David Society is a community of philanthropists who contribute $25,000 or more to the Annual Campaign. KDS donors share a passionate concern for issues that affect the global Jewish community, and set inspiring standards in philanthropic giving. KDS featured two signature events in 2011: a candid conversation with David Gregory, “Meet the Press” moderator, at the National Museum of American Jewish History, and the KDS Mission to Brazil.

Two community-minded middle schoolers launch Dress It Up, a non-profit program to help girls from diverse backgrounds feel good about themselves inside and out.-

Danville, CA, January 15, 2012 – Samantha Pearlstein and Joey Fradkin, two Bay Area bat mitzvah candidates, have announced the launch of Dress It Up (http://www.dressitup4girls.org).  The volunteer project, designed to help middle-school girls from diverse backgrounds grow their confidence and self-esteem, was launched by the two friends. Together, they are planning a series of community-focused parties that will include educational speakers, dinner, and dancing. Both monetary contributions and donations of new or gently used party dresses are being accepted for Dress It Up at Peninsula Sinai Congregation in Foster City, Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasenton, and Charlotte Wood Middle School in Danville. If you would like to know more drop off locations please go to our website www.dressitup4girls.org .

Samantha and Joey, who both go to bay area synagogues, knew that they wanted to collaborate on their mitzvah project. Together, they developed the idea of helping girls in the Bay Area who might not have the opportunity or financial means to purchase a new dress or attend a party. As part of the program, girls who attend a party will be given a dress along with professional hair styling. The girls will be able to keep the dress that they wear to the dance.

“Most girls we know get a different dress for every few parties, says Samantha. “We came up with the idea of creating parties for girls who don’t get a new dress and a fancy party.

Joey adds, “These girls will get to have fun and learn from the experience, and best of all, they will be able to feel good by wearing a new dress and getting their hair done!”

The two middle schoolers have already scheduled two Dress It Up parties one for this year at a bay area school and one for next year at a hospice for terminally ill children. The girls are now in the process of collecting donations, and lining up venues, entertainment, speakers, and sponsors. To learn more about upcoming Dress It Up parties or to find out other ways how you can help, email dressitupCA@yahoo.com.

About Dress It Up

Founded in 2011 by Samantha Pearlstein and Joey Fradkin, Dress It Up is a unique program designed to help grow self-esteem in Bay Area middle school girls. Through education and fun, participants in the program gain confidence-boosting experience and skills in a fun, supportive environment. To learn more, go to http://www.dressitup4girls.org.

The typical modern mother — so busy juggling all the responsibilities of a raising children, running a home, and juggling all the responsibilities of a demanding career – frequently finds that the last item on the priority list is taking care of herself.  To help recharge their physical and spiritual batteries, The Jewish Study Network is taking a limited number of qualifying Jewish women on a trip to Israel this summer.

The JSN is partnering with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP), a non-profit group based in Washington, D.C., that aims to empower Jewish women through an exhilarating Israel experience.

For nine days, from July 22nd – August 1st, participants of the mission will travel the expanse of the Holy Land from Jerusalem to Safed, and will be visiting many of the spiritual and historical hot spots.  Among the items on the itinerary are visiting the Western Wall, floating in the Dead Sea, kayaking on the Jordan River, and riding camels in the Judean desert.  Additionally, the participants will serve the poor in soup kitchens, volunteer with and meet Israeli soldiers, and attend a number of classes of Jewish content.

Since 2009, 1900 Jewish women from all over the world have gone on the JWRP-sponsored mission.  Dubbed Transform and Grow (T.A.G.), the mission affords Jewish women the opportunity to tour Israel, connect with other Jewish women from around the world, and discover how to bring Jewish values into their families and communities.  Lori Palatanik, JWRP founder, created the trip to empower Jewish women and reignite their passion for Jewish values.  She commented “If you inspire a woman, you inspire a family. If you inspire enough families, you inspire a community.  If you inspire enough communities, you can change the world.”

JWRP is completely free of charge to participants, including hotels, meals, and tours!  Women pay their own airfare.  For more information and to apply to go on the mission, visit www.jwrp.org.

Here’s an excerpt:

”

On a Friday night in 1985, Joan Kutner was cleaning up after a religious school dinner at Congregation Beth Israel in San Diego when a fellow congregant burst into the kitchen in tears. A young woman, the congregant said, was picking out chicken and challah from the dumpster to feed her three children. Kutner hurried to see for herself.

Kutner vowed not to turn her back on the hunger and desperation she witnessed. Six months later, her synagogue had raised $35,000, enough to kick off the CBI Hunger Project in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul Village. Run by volunteers, the grassroots project has now served more than 900,000 meals, feeding 700 people every Sunday morning. Kutner, a psychiatric nurse who was raised on a farm in Western Pennsylvania, says sharing food was always a way of life. “I contribute to international organizations, but my big goal is still to take care of those at home,” says Kutner. “I was able to get people of all ages and walks of life involved in the common goal of helping.”

For Diane Fisher, dedicating her personal and professional efforts to anti-hunger education, advocacy and direct service projects is her version of tikkun olam. “The whole food system is broken in a fundamental way,” says Fisher, 57, director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of the Silicon Valley. “Food is a basic human right, but there is no equal access.” The JCRC is part of a community-wide interfaith coalition dedicated to cutting local poverty in half in 10 years. It has sponsored experiential events, including Oxfam Hunger Banquets (guests receive different dinners—filling, simple or sparse—based on randomly assigned income levels), Food Stamp Challenges (participants live on the average food stamp benefit of $31.50 a week), and screenings of a documentary called Food Stamped.”

Click here for the full article.

I spent two great days last week helping out the Institute for Curriculum Services (“ICS”) at the annual California Council for the Social Sciences Conference in Orange County, CA. ICS is a “national nonprofit which promotes the fair and accurate portrayal of Judaism, Jewish history and Israel in schools,” a phrase I used many times when speaking to attendees at the conference and handing out free materials for them to use in their classrooms.

You might think that talking to teachers about Judaism in the classroom would be a hard sell, but you’d be surprised how many state standards actually touch on Jews, Jewish history or Israel. In fact, we had a four page handout which showed all of the California state standards from 6th through 12th grade which touch on these topics, along with a CD containing resources and lesson plans usable in many subject areas. And the teachers were overwhelmingly grateful to be given these materials and learn more about how to accurately teach about Judaism in the classroom. It was truly a pleasure to get to talk with these devoted and awe-inspiring teachers, who gave us positive feedback about ICS’ curricular materials almost across the board! They appreciated the fact that the materials are free, of course, but more than that, they could see how valuable and useful the ICS resources would be to them in the classroom.

I also had the opportunity to attend the workshop on Understanding Judaism that Ben Chaika, ICS’s Director of Curriculum, presented. There were about a dozen workshops given at the same time, but almost two dozen teachers attended this one. Ben was engaging and informative, providing content to those in attendance while demonstrating some of the activities included in the ICS materials so the teachers could see them in action. Every one of the teachers evaluating the workshop gave it the highest ranking!

All in all, it was a great – though tiring – two days. I’m already looking forward to next year’s CCSS conference in Burlingame!

Marci Gerston

After five days of rocket fire from Gaza into Southern Israel, the attacks have begun to subside and Israelis expect to return to normal life in the coming days. Since Friday, when Israel Defense Forces assassinated two major terrorists, more than 200 rockets have been fired into Israel’s south, threatening more than 1 million people.

“When we heard news of the killing of two mega terrorists, everyone in Israel knew we needed to get ready for a reaction. When something like this happens, we are facing rockets attacking our cities,” said Sigal Ariely, Ashkelon resident and JFNA’s director of the Ashkelon-Baltimore Partnership. “Luckily, this was only a very short period of tension. I hope that it ends, and we won’t have to feel that again in the next few days.”

Ariely spoke during a teleconference hosted by The Jewish Federations of North America earlier today, alongside Israel Defense Forces Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovitch, head of the International Media and Communications Branch of the IDF Spokesperson’s Office. More than 150 participants from Jewish Federations listened in to the call, which was moderated by Saby Behar, JFNA’s Israel and Overseas Committee Chair, for an update on what has become the most intense rocket assault on Israel since Operation Cast Lead in 2009.

“It’s tense but nevertheless relatively quiet, compared to yesterday,” said Leibovitch, adding that Israel’s Home Front Command has recommended children return back to school, starting tomorrow.

Both speakers credited Israel’s Iron Dome Defense System, which intercepted nearly 60 rockets, for keeping Israelis safe in the southern cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva. “The Iron Dome is a huge success,” said Leibovitch, adding that the system’s success rate of intercepting rockets ranges between 80 and 90 percent. “The Islamic Jihad is very frustrated due to their lack of achievements because of the success rates of Iron Dome.”

Ariely said the Iron Dome made “a huge difference” in Ashkelon. “We heard sirens, but thank G-d, there were no falling rockets. It’s not comforting to hear the sirens, but when you see that nothing happens, it makes you feel safer.”

Leibovitch also gave an update on the IDF’s targeted assassinations in Gaza that killed Palestinian Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) leader Zuhair Qaisi, PRC member Mahmoud Hanami and 22 other terrorists.

These assassinations were imperative, said Leibovitch, “to save the lives of Israelis.” The PRC, she said, “has a very radical Islamic doctrine. They have the goal to execute as many terror activities as they can against civilian targets inside Israel, and they have been active in launching rockets into Israel.”

Almost all of the terrorists killed were identified as belonging to the Islamic Jihad, the second-largest terrorist organization in Gaza after Hamas. The Islamic Jihad has been “challenging Hamas” as an increasing threat to Israel in the last year and half, said Leibovitch, and “initiates many terrorist activities against Israel.”

Leibovitch said the Israeli air strikes did not kill a 15-year-old Palestinian, as has been reported in the press, but instead pointed to terrorists’ own rocket fire as the likely cause. “Overall, inside Israel, there were 166 rockets that fell. Of course, [the terrorists] launched a larger number than this, but 10 to 15 percent of those rockets actually fell on Palestinian land.”

Although the violence appears to be subsiding, both Leibovitch and Ariely said that any alleged cease-fire is hardly a reason to celebrate. Leibovitch counted five rockets that had been launched since the cease-fire, and noted that in 2011, there were 627 rocket attacks on Israel – an average of two per day. “It was never really quiet.”

As technology advances, more Israelis are in the line of fire each day. “In 2000, the range of an average rocket from Gaza reached between four and six kilometers, and there were 30,000 people in danger,” said Leibovitch. “Now, the range is 40 to 45 kilometers, and the number of Israelis in danger is one million.”

Ariely agreed that these risks remain a way of life for all Israelis in the southern region. “Unfortunately this is part of our reality,” she said. “Yet this is not normal life. This is not a way for children to live, and for us as parents. Every time there’s a siren, we have to stop and look for shelter, think about where our families are and wonder, ‘are they in a safe place?’ Then we must go back to living life as normal as possible. This is part of how we live.”

The partnership between Ashkelon and THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, has helped lift the spirits of many Ashkelon residents during the recent turmoil. Ariely said many in the Baltimore community have sent notes, gifts and prayers to show their support, and on past occasions, have raised funds and sent aid when Ashkelon residents were in distress. “The fact that we know we have family in Baltimore makes us feel stronger and shows us that we are not alone.”

Still, she added, “For me, as a mother, it’s very difficult to see what these sirens are doing to these young kids. We are trying to raise our kids to understand that this conflict is part of our reality. Until we have peace, this will happen every few months.”

For more information, listen to the full recording of the call.

JFNA will continue to provide new information and updates as the situation demands.