Ma Nishtana - Popular Song Passover

Ma Nishtana

Chorus Ma nishtana halayla hazeh mikol haleylot? Verse 1 Sheb'chol haleylot anu ochlin chametz, u-matza, halayla hazeh, kulo matza. Verse 2 Sheb'chol haleylot anu ochlin shear yerakot, halayla hazeh, kulo maror. Verse 3 Shebachol haleylot ein anu matbilin afilu p'am echat halayla hazeh, sh'tei p'amim. Verse 4 Shebachol haleylot anu ochlin beyn yoshvin u-bein m'subin halayla hazeh, kulanu m'subin.

Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we may eat chametz and matza, but on this night, only matza. On all other nights we may eat many vegetables but on this night, only bitter herbs. On all other nights, we do not dip even once, but on this night, twice. On all other nights we may eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night, we all recline.

Mazon - A Jewish Response to Hunger

Founded in 1985, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit organization that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.
Each year, MAZON grants over $4 million to more than 300 carefully screened hunger-relief agencies, including emergency food providers, food banks, multi-service organizations and advocacy groups that seek long-term solutions to the hunger problem.
MAZON (“food” in Hebrew) believes its dual purpose is to provide for those who are hungry today and to address the systemic causes of hunger and poverty, both domestically and globally. Although grants are provided to many organizations serving the Jewish poor, in keeping with the best of Jewish tradition MAZON believes it is important to respond to all who are in need.
MAZON is supported by over 100,000 donors who incorporate social justice and hunger relief as crucial components of their everyday lives.

The Importance of Friendship

The benefits of friendship are appreciated by the Jewish tradition.

The Hebrew word for hand is "yad", one of in Hebrew words that define friendship is also "Yadid", composed of two yad, or "holding hands".

With the intensity of friendship, the feeling of confidence deepens. The differences end up when there building a friendship.

Kohelet, 4:9-10 (Ecclesiastes), say:
9 - Two are better than one, since they have good reward for their toil. 10 - For if they fall, one will lift up his friend, but woe to the one who falls and has no second one to lift him up.

Friendship is clearly more than one connection in the context of Jewish culture. Friends help each other with loyalty, protection, support, unselfish love and moral guidance.

The friendship is defined as one of the primary relationships in life, sometimes more than relatives and blood ties.

The words in hebrew for Friend(s)
- Chaver, male singular,
- Chaverah, female singular,
- Chaverim, male plural,
- Chaverot, female plural.

Project Kav-Or - "Smile"

Goal :
The goal of this project is to assist sick children in hospitals through homework and peer assistance and distance learning services. It is also teaching high school students about community involvement.

Need:
Long-term diseases isolate children at a time in their lives when they thrive on inclusion and a daily routine. They endure long, boring stays in the hospital while recovering from surgery or receiving treatments; they are repeatedly separated from their families and friends; and they are absent from school, not only falling behind in their studies, but also missing out on physical and social activities they enjoy.

Based on its extensive experience in Israel, World ORT concluded that its specialty, technology, could be a key to keeping young hospital patients engaged in the midst of their isolation. The technology could function as both a learning tool to keep the children current in their studies, and a communications tool to keep them in touch with their friends.

Uniqueness:
The project benefits both -- the sick children in the hospital -- and volunteer students participating in the program. Participants per year: 120.000

Bat Mitzvah* - Cut paper collage created By Lori Peha Kezner
"A pledge to grow in mind and spirit, extending help and hope to others. To believe in one's self and uphold the ideals of Judaism. Striving each and every day to be a better person."

Would you like to help this project? Be the first to place a call!

A RACE AGAINST TIME

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Saving Lives of Jewish Cancer Patients

Goal:
For many cancer patients, the sole chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant. Genetic matching is essential for success.

Ezer Mizion's International Jewish Bone Marrow Registry aims to meet virtually each request with a postive response, thus saving Jewish lives around the world. At this time, even though Ezer Mizion is the largest Jewish registry in the world and has saved so many lives, too many requests receive the verdict; No Match Found, a virtual death sentence. It is essential that the registry be enlarged so that a match be available for each request BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Ezer Mizion's Bone Marrow Registry: An Insurance Policy for Jews Worldwide

Ezer Mizion's International Jewish Bone Marrow Registry for Cancer Patients facilitates bone marrow transplants for Jews around the globe whose only chance of survival is a transplant. Enlarging the registry is extremely vital so that each request can be met in a timely manner before it's too late. Cancer patients can't wait.

Visit the project
As an organization, Ezer Mizion has received the highest ranking for efficient use of public funds by Charity Navigator

Picture : IDF soldier rejoicing with his little 'blood brother', the leukemia patient whose life he had saved.

Help for Chile

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The Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to provide aid and relief to victims of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile. Click here for the JDC Chile mailbox for donation.

The earthquake struck about 200 miles (325 kilometers) south of Santiago, killing at least 700 people and displacing or injuring some two million others. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet opened the door to international aid yesterday, stating that the country faces "a catastrophe of such unthinkable magnitude that it will require a giant effort to recover."

Chile is home to a vibrant and active Jewish community of approximately 16,000, of whom 90 percent are concentrated in the capital city of Santiago, particularly JDC, which is working with the umbrella body of Chilean Jewry, La Comunidad Judía de Chile. Based on information we have received from our partner, Jewish communal institutions have been spared from major earthquake damage due to Santiago's distance from the earthquake epicenter.

"We mourn the loss of those who were killed and pray for the survivors,” said Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America. “The Jewish Federations and our partners can work together in a collective response to ensure we most effectively respond to this tragedy.”

"One day and two days ..."

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What does it mean to me
"One day and two days ..."

They taught me to understand that the happy life is made a day at a time, I think the same to make a better world.

When we improve every day, we reach the fullness of love doing everything better; We can understand better, see better and re-build what is not good.

As it is written in the Torah, God in his wisdom, has built the world in days, or in stages. This represents that "our human world" can be improved over time and with the wisdom of our experiences.

So too should we use every day to improve our personal skills and the all community to try to achieve peace and harmonious equality among all beings on earth.

Who knows one day and more two days later we meet, helping and joining hands to each other, we all without hunger, not disease and without malice? One day...

The Hebrew text on image says:
"Master of the universe, please place in our house light, happiness, peace & friendship, & shower a continual flow of blessing & holiness in all of our rooms & in every corner, & may the light of your Torah & mitzvot [commandments] continuously blossom here."

The Artist Zeesi Paltrowitz (click here to read his work)

Jews and Arabs - Promoting coexistence and equality

The Abraham Fund Initiatives is a non-profit organization working since 1989 to promote integration and equality between Jews and Arabs citizens of Israel, for a prosperous, safe and just society. The association called on the name of Abraham / Ibrahim, the common father of Jews and Arabs, and she works to advance policy based on social models for innovative projects run over - the scope of public relations activities.

The Abraham Fund Initiatives team has about twenty-five workers, Jews and Arabs, and is managed jointly by Amnon Beeri - Sulitzeanu Mohammed Darawshe. Chairman of the board is entrepreneur Orni Petrushka.

Key initiatives:

Bridge cultural and language: Arabic language and culture studies in elementary schools Hebrew, in order to provide knowledge and understanding of Arab culture, to motivate positive change in consciousness toward Arab society establish the profession Arab Studies basic classes required to adulthood. The project starts about a hundred Hebrew schools across the country, in partnership with local government, with the Education Ministry and other bodies. In addition to the program developed and implemented in schools, qualified teachers in Arab initiative for teaching Arabic, established a website for teaching Arabic E-Learning sessions are Jewish and Arab students in Arabic culture and activities in schools participating in the program.

Policing a divided society: promoting equal policing service, fair and respect, while establishing good relationship between the Arab community and the police. The project was developed following the "October 2000" to assist in implementing recommendations of the Or Commission "with the understanding that the police is the focus of friction between the minority and the government and represents the sovereign in the area. The project focuses on the development of applied models for community policing, training of officers (including senior command) consolidation of dialogue between the Arab leadership and the police.
Employment of Arab women - Rican resuscitation (life partnership): training and integration of non-Arab population of employed women in the labor market. In order to empower women Bkailotihn, to reduce poverty in Arab society and promote the Israeli economy as a whole. The project operates in cooperation with the Galilee Tb"t (momentum in employment) of JDC-Israel "and the Employment Service, including the Arab community campaign, training of women, employment and support them Hshmtn during Hasktn.

Cooperation between Arab and Jewish authorities - "texture Galilee: Galilee heart development as a model for living together in the country involved. The project includes cooperation between Jewish and Arab mayors for the development of joint regional projects; Action Jewish - Arab joint environmental, health and regional planning and development; Arabic Course Karmiel Municipality employees and regional events marking Jewish Partnership - Arabic. All this in order to develop policies applied models for living together, which can be implemented in dozens of areas involved in Israel.

Public persuasion Government Relations: Enhancing familiarity of the decision makers in the Arab society in Israel and characteristics challenge, and raising awareness that the integration and equality between Jews and Arabs are critical to the future state, especially in relation to promoting a political settlement areas, economic benefit, social security and stability, Israel's status moral benefits world - different value.

Resource Center for educators to citizenship and living together: Enabling a Web site bi - lingual (Hebrew / Arabic), designed for teachers, educators and engage in education and civil aspects (Commonground.cet.ac.il (. The site is designed to strengthen education to reinforce the civil and education for living together in Jewish and Arab schools in Israel. through a comprehensive collaborative database, also entered - by users themselves, including plans, proposals, activities, materials and information on a variety of democracy, citizenship and social involvement and education together.

For more information visit http://www.abrahamfund.org/

A Man and his legacy: 40,000 books

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The legacy of the entrepreneur, philanthropist, lawyer and bibliophile José Ephim Mindlin

Most important part of his private collection was donated to the University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil. About 17 thousand shares, or 40 thousand volumes, will form the "Library Brasiliana Guita and José Mindlin", placed in a building being built between the building, the provost and the Faculty of Arts, Philosophy and Human Sciences.

The works are literature, literary and historical manuscripts, journals, scientific books and textbooks, iconography (illustrated prints and albums) and artists' books (prints).

The collection includes rarities such as "In Search of Lost Time" by Marcel Proust (seven volumes in the original French), the first edition of "Grande Sertão: Veredas," by Joao Guimaraes Rosa, the first edition of "O Guarani" Jose de Alencar, documents of the sixteenth century with the first impressions that the Jesuits had in Brazil, newspapers prior to Independence and manuscripts which highlight the genesis of major literary works such as "Sagarana", Guimaraes Rosa, and "Vidas Secas" of Graciliano Ramos. He donated much of his collection to the USP - University of Sao Paulo, making it the "Library Brasiliana Guita & José Mindlin".

"...And I do not take myself seriously. I take seriously the things I do, but do not take me seriously. So, the life is very simple "

José Elphim Mindlin - (son of Jews born in Odessa, Ukraine)
(in memory, September 8, 1914 until February 28, 2010)