Share Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebration

Mazel tov! Your child has reached the age of Jewish adulthood, having become a bar or bat mitzvah, and is now considered ready to assume Jewish responsibilities. Family and friends will celebrate this milestone with you and the occasion will be marked with festivities, as it should be, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

In contrast, in Sderot, owing to the ongoing rocket attacks, in addition to issues of security and compromised emotional well being, the community as a whole is suffering from a depressed economy. As a result, many of the children becoming bar or bat mitzvah like your child, will have no positive memories to cherish for a lifetime. Friends and relatives will not gather to mark the occasion for fear of venturing too far away from a bomb shelter or protected environment. There will be no festivities as few can afford to celebrate, with their livelihoods largely obliterated owing to the ongoing terrorist attacks. Many do not even have the money to buy their children the requisite religious items such as teffilin, tallit and a siddur. Feeling abandoned and forgotten, this exciting milestone has been transformed into another experience of disappointment, parental ineptitude, and overall depression.

Share a Simcha has been designed to benefit both your child and the needy children of Sderot. By partnering with the bar and bat mitzvah community of Sderot, you can enable a group bar/bat mitzvah celebration to be celebrated. You can create joyous memories of this important occasion and break the cycle of depression. You can assist the struggling families in acquiring the same ritual objects your children will be receiving. Nothing solidifies Jewish identity like Jewish action! Begin your child’s Jewish adulthood with a Jewish act and Share a Simcha today!

A sponsored child will receive 2 months of personal weekly training, a brand new set of Teffilin, Talit and a Siddur.

On the special day a new wardrobe will be given (shoes, pants /skirt, shirt) and a group ceremony will take place in the morning.

Later that day, family and friends will attend the festive celebration with food, music, a photographer and more.

Contribute some of your child’s bar/bat mitzvah gift money, or make a donation in his/her honor for this very important program.

Full package for one child: $1800 (includes Teffilin, Talit, Siddur, new clothes and a festive meal for family & friends)

Festive celebration for family and friends: $700
Teffilin: $ 500
2 months of lessons: $300
Set of clothes and shoes: $250
Tallit: $ 50
Siddur: $ 18

Click here to sponsor

Sderot municipality bar mitzvah project letter

For the past seven years, the Joel Braverman Yeshiva of Flatbush High School has sponsored a week long chessed mission to Israel. This year, through Connections Israel, they agreed to add a Sderot component to this most intense and worthwhile adventure. With limited time and the outbreak of Operation Cast Lead, the decision was made that if you can’t bring Flatbush to Sderot, bring Sderot to Flatbush!

And so, this past Sunday evening, through discussion, presentations, a guided activity and small group programming, these two diverse groups came to appreciate that they are all one. They may look somewhat different; their school schedules may be as different as night and day; their living conditions may be completely dissimilar. But they are all proud Jews; they are all teenagers; they are all passionate about their families, Israel and the Jewish People and they are more complete now that they have come together.



On the first day of the fragile, unilateral ceasefire, the Sderot teens were supposed to board a bus for Jerusalem and enjoy some leisurely time out in the open. As rockets came reigning down on greater numbers, the Sderot municipality forbade buses to leave or enter the city in an effort to protect the masses. But Connections Israel would not be deterred – this important interaction would take place! So taxis were arranged to shuttle the Sderot teens out of the city where their bus awaited them and they were off to the Kotel.

They had much to say to the Divine presence which hovers overhead. Prayers for those suffering from shock and prayers for the wounded chayalim; prayers for a safer, more stable future; prayers for strength and prayers of thanksgiving for the many miracles they themselves had witnessed over the past eight years of rocket attacks.

Simultaneously, in the Inbal Hotel’s conference room, the Flatbush students were getting a briefing on the events of the day; they were beginning to understand just how complicated a simple one hour bus ride for an activity could be. In essence, they were being transported into an unfamiliar zone.

A hush fell over the crowd as the Sderot teens entered and the group automatically rose and applauded their peers as they entered. No sooner had they arrived that questions were being shouted in every direction and the familiar noise of teenagers filled the space.

The Sderot teens, who are in leadership training programs, addressed their cohorts and described life, school, their volunteer work with younger children in bomb shelters etc. The Flatbush kids were full of questions. A short clip was aired that brought home just how short a 15 second red Alert warning truly is.

This was followed by an interactive activity which ended in small group discussions. Each group had independently brought along gifts for the other and email addresses were exchanged as photos were being snapped.

As the evening ended and each group went their separate ways the resounding message was: We each have so much to give to and learn from the other. Let’s do this more often!

If you are interested in having such an experience, please contact Connections Israel and “Get up close and Personal!”

This years theme was Jewish Solidarity.

The art competition will take place every two years and is open to Jewish high school and university aged students.

The more than one hundred entries included paintings, photographs, poetry, and sculptures. A panel of experts chose 25 from among these entries that have been brought to Israel for an exhibition.

 Dear Friends,

We are happy to announce that the first Connections Israel art competition is about to debut on May 13th !

We received over one hundred beautiful works of art from students all over the world - USA, Canada, England, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina and Germany.

This year’s theme was “Jewish Solidarity”.

More than one hundred entries included paintings, photographs, poetry, and sculptures.

A panel of experts chose 25  from among these entries that have been brought to Israel for an exhibition. This art exhibit will open  in the city of Sderot and ultimately tour Israel prior to going to Jewish communities abroad.

Sincerely,

Mordechai D. Cohen
Director - Connections Israel
mdc@connectionsisrael.com

Join us on Facebook

 

Direct link here

Dear Friends,

We are happy to announce that the first Connections Israel art competition is about to debut!

We received over one hundred beautiful works of art from students all over the world - USA, Canada, England, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina and Germany.

This year’s theme was “Jewish Solidarity”.

The art competition will take place every two years and is open to Jewish high school and university aged students.

The more than one hundred entries included paintings, photographs, poetry, and sculptures. A panel of experts chose 25 from among these entries that have been brought to Israel for an exhibition. This art exhibit will open shortly in the city of Sderot and ultimately tour Israel prior to going to Jewish communities abroad.

We are busy attending to the final details and hopeful that government officials from the department of Culture will participate in the opening of the exhibit. As soon as these details are worked out, you will receive a formal invitation.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those schools and students who sent us their works.

Only one of you will get the first prize, but all of you are now more connected!

Sincerely,
Mordechai D. Cohen
Director - Connections Israel
mdc@connectionsisrael.com

On March 26th 2009, Team Connections will participate in the 17th Jerusalem Half Marathon with all proceeds going to the families of Sderot.

Many of you have participated last year in our “Team Connections - Running for Sderot” race in the Jerusalem Half Marathon.

It was a wonderful event, a great cause and with your help we managed to raised close to $20,000 that went to various projects in Sderot.

Unfortunately the situation in Sderot has only gotten worse, in all aspects, and even after the ceasefire there will be much help needed in restoring life to normalcy.

We plan on running again this year as a team and want to double the number of runners !

The funds raised this year will go to 2 projects:

1. Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebrations for under privileged families - see: http://connectionsisrael.com/educational-programs/share-your-barbat-mitzvah-celebration

2. Helping to create a safe multi-purpose space providing education, religious expression and culture for 4 communities - see: http://connectionsisrael.com/get-involved/sderot-campus-connections-build-it-with-us

Please check out the Team Connection site at : http://runforsderot.connectionsisrael.com - see last years clip and pictures.

We will be training every Tuesday at 18:00 with the Hasolelim Running Club in Givat Ram (Jerusalem) - not mandatory.

Please share this opportunity with other runners.

Looking forward to hearing from you regarding your participation this year.

Sincerely,

Adi Friedman
Managing Director
adi@connectionsisrael.com
Office: 972 2 6235266
Mobile: 972 54 3452566

(1) Contact us
Tell us that you’re interested!
If you would like posters and/or fliers, tell us how many to send, and where to send them to.
Feel free to ask any questions that you may have. We’re happy to help you!

(2) Dedicate an hour to our Educational program
We have downloadable lesson plans for grades: 1st to 12th: http://connectionsisrael.com/educational-programs/educational-modules-and-lessons

(3) Write letters to the Soldiers
The letters are a way for your students or congregants to feel personally involved with the Soldiers, and the soldiers really appreciate knowing that they have support and gratitude, even from people outside of Israel. 

(4) Fundraising
This can be done in either of the following ways:
(a) Putting up posters and giving out fliers to encourage people to sponsor a basket.  
(b) Organizing student fundraisers. For example: baking and selling cookies, doing a movie night, or a car wash to raise money for the project. You can get your students or congregants to think of their own ways to raise money for this worthy cause.

(5) Send the letters and checks, payable to Connections Israel to:
Connections Israel
PO Box 28371
Jerusalem 91283
Israel
Mail by 15 February so that we will receive the letters with enough time to get them into the Purim Baskets.

(6) On Purim
We deliver the baskets, together with your letters, to the Soldiers.

(7) In appreciation
We will send you a special commendation from the Israeli Army, as well as a picture of the unit that your gifts were delivered to. You can display these in your school or synagogue. Your students and congregants will feel proud with their connection to Israel!

Watch our 2008 clip !!!

Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s response to almost eight years of unending rocket attacks in Sderot and its surrounding environs, is in full gear. We must remember what affect this situation has on residents of the south.

Chanukah vacation, which was spent predominantly indoors, has now moved into bomb shelters for the foreseeable future; shopping malls are forbidden to open; schools are closed indefinitely.

The sounding of the Code Red alert now screams through additional communities on a constant basis, followed by loud booms, smoke and fire.

Children and adults, who have tolerated this situation for so long are at their wits end. Being cooped up in small spaces drains everyone of their coping abilities and adds new levels of stress.

If your relative or friend were living under these circumstances, you certainly would spare no expense to get them some relief. Kol Yisrael Achim - we are all brothers. Help us give our brothers some respite from their living conditions.

Operation Take-a-Break is underway. We are sponsoring full day respite trips for the residents of the south. Bus loads of individuals will be given a “day off” to engage in relaxing, fun and age appropriate activities out of the line of fire.

Each bus costs $500. In other words, for just $10 you can make a real difference in the life of an individual. Better yet, sponsor an entire bus and spare a community!

To sponsor this operation - click here !

For thousands of Sderot families, Chanukah highlights all that is missing. There is no money for jelly donuts and Chanukah gelt; there is no mood to sing and play dreidle games when parents are unemployed and unable to provide for their families. And the only color these families know is red - the color of the warning alert that gives 15 seconds in which to find shelter from an approaching rocket.

In Israel, companies distribute shopping coupons to their employees in time for every holiday. This enables families to buy something extra, something which makes the chag special for them. Since most Sderot families are unemployed, they do not even receive this. We at Connections Israel will be distributing special coupons for Sderot families in the form of Chanukah Gelt coupons.

In an effort to empower parents to once again be providers for their families and to infuse some commerce into this debilitated city, in order to bring some light and joy into Sderot homes, Chanukah Gelt coupons can be purchased online in any amount click here to donate now .

These coupons will be honored at the local supermarkets, clothing stores, bakeries etc.

While you’re doing your own Chanukah shopping, consider buying the Giving Gift. - Chanukah Gelt Coupons for Sderot Families. There is no greater mitzvah than enabling another family to celebrate a holiday with simcha!