Here is what is happening with the Israel Committee. Betty Boyd and Nancy Fleming agreed to co-chair Beth Ami’s Israel Committee. On Wednesday, December 11, 13 people attended the first meeting of 2025.. We welcome others who wish to join.
As stated in the CBA bylaws, “The purpose of the Israel Committee is (a) to provide non-politically-biased activities and programming to advance in our congregation and community love for the Jewish State and love for Jewish People throughout the world and (b) to alert our community to the dangers of anti-Semitism in all its forms and to work toward supporting those harmed by anti-Semitism.”
Here are some of the events, projects, and activities that are on the calendar:
Jewish Community Library presentations
Linda Emblen is organizing a viewing of two webinars put on by the Jewish Community Library with a discussion after Sunday, December 22. Jewish Calcutta through Music and Memory and Sunday, January 12. The Chief Rabbi’s Funeral: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Antisemitic Riot.
January 26: Webinar with Charlotte Korshack
We are co-sponsoring Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos’s Zoom presentation “An Update on Crash Course on Israel: What Has Changed Since October 7” with Charlotte Korshack on Sunday, January 26, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Charlotte is with Stand With Us ( https://www.standwithus.com/ ) and gave a five-part webinar a few years ago that many of us viewed. To view her prior presentations, visit our website HTTP://LearnIsrael.NET and search for Korchak.
Speaker from CAMERA (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis https://www.camera.org/ )
CAMERA is interested in bringing speakers to smaller communities—not just Los Angeles and San Francisco. They will provide speakers at no charge. We are working with them to find a time next spring to bring a speaker to Beth Ami and are also helping them find a congregation in the South Bay area that will host the speaker.
Teddy Bear Project
Esther Baruch’s project to create handmade teddy bears to send to Israeli kids is underway. Several people have been selected to start making these together on a date to be determined.
Liberated Ethnic Studies Presentation with Dr. Michael Harris – Tentative Date Sunday, February 23, 2025
The Liberated Ethnic Studies curricula are being introduced in elementary and high schools. Some of these have many sections that incorrectly present information about Jews and Israel, as well as include other objectionable sections. Robbie Gitlin has contacted Dr. Michael Harris, who is knowledgeable about this subject and has given several presentations on it and proposes Sunday, February 23, 2025, as a date for a presentation. Mike Harris lives in the area and has given presentations at Beth Ami in the past.
Self-Defense
Esther suggested we find ways to give self-defense training to the congregation’s members. Also, some training is needed in what to do should an intruder threaten us. She will look into this.
Report prepared by Betty Boyd.
