Now is the time for Jews to come together in common cause -- in support of Israel, in rejection of antisemitism, and for the release of the hostages in Gaza.
Since October 7, Bet Torah has organized countless opportunities to support, to pray, to mourn, and to make sense of the rush of feelings prompted by all we are witnessing.
Please join us as we find our way forward.
A letter from Bet Torah's Israel Task Force
Donate | Resources | From the Rabbis | Event Recordings| The Blog | News Coverage
Bet Torah Gatherings
Donate
- Bet Torah is no longer selling Bring Them Home Dog Tags. However you can still purchase dog tags from UJA at this link, or through other retailers such as Freedom Tags.
- IsraAID
- AJC (American Jewish Committee)
- UJA-Federation
- United Hatzalah of Israel
- Zaka
- Jewish National Fund-USA
- Schechter Institutes' Israel Emergency Campaign
- Access Israel
- American Friends of Unit 669 Air Force Combat Rescue and Evacuation Elite Unit (AFU 669)
UJA-Federation has approved an unprecedented allocation from its endowment and has opened an emergency campaign to get help on the ground in Israel immediately. If you know of other organizations you trust please feel free to direct funds there. UJA-Federation is helpful in directing to many on the ground organizations and vetting them to ensure they are effective.
Other Actions:
News Coverage
- The 10/7 Project Newsletter Signup
- Haaretz
- Times of Israel
- i24
- Jewish Insider: Daily Kickoff Archives
- For Heavens Sake Podcast - Shalom Hartman Institute
- Jerusalem Post
- Unholy Podcast
- AJC
- Israel-Hamas War: What you Need to Know
- People of the Pod: AJC Weekly Podcast
- Call Me Back: Dan Senor weekly podcast with guests.
- The Bring Them Home March on October 29 was covered by local news outlets:
Resources
- Key Resources on Israel-Hamas War; At a Glance.
- The 10/7 Project. The 10/7 Project is a communications hub advocating for accurate, unbiased coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- Golda's List is a cliff notes to all the ways you can support Israel. This is a live document with 100's of resources, history of the Israeli/Hamas war and petitions to sign. Click here to view the document.
- Here are resources for talking to our kids about what is going on in Israel. We recorded Monday's zoom session with parents. Please contact Gina if you would like the link to watch.
- The prayer for the IDF and the prayer for peace at home.
Resources to Help College Kids and Their Parents with On-Campus Challenges
- Click here to join the Facebook Group, Mothers Against College Antisemitism.
- How to talk about Israel Zeiler Briefing
- Confronting College Antisemitism: An Action Plan for University Students
- Hillel International joined other leading national Jewish organizations and world-renowned law firms to create a dedicated, free legal helpline for Jewish students and faculty impacted by antisemitism on campus, named the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL)
- Support the safety and well-being of Jewish students on campus through the ADL.
Resources for Advocacy and Help
- One Minute A Day. Take a minute of your day and make a call to your representative to Bring the Hostages Home.
- Watch this video and act! List of Local Reps.
- Bring awareness to #BringThemHome. Please take a photo of your shabbat candles each week and send to the email: Bringinthelight.bringthemhome@gmail.com. More info here.
- The American Jewish Committee is encouraging us to reach out to elected officials and thank them for U.S. support which is so critical. You can send an email to elected officials through AJC.
- Urge Swift Action by the UN and the U.S. Congress: Demand Hamas Release the Hostages here.
- Write to Congress to Vote YES on Important Bipartisan Legislation here.
- You can write to Congress urging them to support emergency aid to Israel here.
- You can also write letters to lone soldiers here.
Resources to Stay Informed
- Unpacked: Israel at War. A guide to understanding the war between Israel and Hamas.
- Wartime Diaries. The world has changed since Saturday, October 7, 2023. This is a collection of voices and testimonies that try to paint a picture of these devastating times.
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website regularly has updates on the war effort.
- An interactive map of the October 7th Massacre.
Sat, July 27 2024
21 Tammuz 5784
Local Gatherings
- What to Expect on Campus and at School This Fall with Dr. Laura Shaw-Frank, Monday, Aug 5 at 6:30pm. Address will be shared upon RSVP. Join American Jewish Committee (AJC) to learn more about what AJC is doing to prepare for Back to School. Register here.
Contact us
For more information, questions or comments, please contact our Bet Torah Israel Task Force Co-Chairs: Carol Haber Cohen (IsraelAffairs@bettorah.org) and Jill Ratner (ExecutiveVP@bettorah.org)
Bet Torah Solidarity/Service Trip to Israel
Led by Rabbi Brusso, nearly 40 Bet Torah congregants went on a solidarity/service trip to Israel in early March 2024. This allowed us to be of service, give comfort where needed and support a country that means so much to all of us. We featured some of their feelings, experiences and observations in the Bet Torah blog.
You can read what they have shared here.
You can also read how the group is continuing to help the people of Shlomi, who have been displaced since October, here.
The Solidarity Groups' Partnership with Leket
The Bet Torah Israel Solidarity Mission in March asked all the people we met whose lives were turned upside down because of October 7th: “How Can We Help?”. Among others, we met some representatives of the town of Shlomi, forced to evacuate their homes on the Lebanese border due to rocket attacks from Hezbollah. They now reside in a small hotel in Jerusalem and, due to exorbitant increases in food prices, food security has become their primary immediate challenge.
As a result, one of the projects we have worked on “to help” them is with Leket Yisrael, Israel’s National Foodbank.
Every week fresh fruits and vegetables will now be delivered for them to enjoy as a result of funds the mission group has raised.
We will continue to help and, with your support, will be able to sustain more of these projects for 10/7 evacuees, 120,000 Israeli who have become refugees in their own country. In this way, we can live out the words of our tradition: “Kol Yisrael Areveem Ze Bazeh”,
“All Jews Are Responsible For Each Other!”
