Ali blogs on our January meeting

On January 10th, at the Jewish Tzedaka foundation meeting, we had a speaker from the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation named Marna Edenson. She spoke to us about how the Federation and the Foundation work together, and how their donors decide where to give money to.

After she left, we split up into groups and discussed different topics. The topic my group discussed was Pidyon Shvuyim, which means freeing captured Jews. Most of us felt that it was extremely necessary for the Israelis to do anything they can to get back their captured Jewish soldiers. One of the other groups had the topic of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was captured on 25 June 2006 by Palestinian militants in a cross-border raid. Most of us also said that the Israelis should do anything they can to get him back, although in order to do that, we in turn have to give back 1,000 Palestinian soldiers. I personally think it is imperative that we get him back, because if it was me I would be hoping and praying that my family, and country would do anything in their power to get me home.

After this we split into new groups and looked up organizations, and places we can donate our money. My group looked up a soup kitchen in Israel, that helps unprivileged families. We concluded the meeting by discussing the organizations every group looked up, and found many great places that we will consider giving our money to.

Jillian blogs on our January meeting

To kickoff our meeting, we welcomed guest speaker Marna Edenson from the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation.

Next, we split up into three groups to learn about Chesed, Pidyon Shvuyim, and Gilad Shalit. Although the three topics are seemingly unrelated, they are actually interconnected with one another. The value of Chesed teaches us to be selfless, and the commandment of Pidyon Shvuyim instructs us to free any captured Jews, no matter the cost. Gilad Shalit is an abducted Israeli Sergeant, kept in Hamas’ clutches for over three years. According to the two principles we discussed, Israel should do everything within its power to have Shalit freed. However, there’s a catch: in order for him to be brought home, Hamas is demanding the release of 1,000 Palestinian terrorists from Israel’s prisons. As a group, we had a heated debate over whether Israel should refuse the negotiation and protect its civilians from future attacks, or listen to our morals and free Shalit. Personally, I feel Israel should accept the swap, despite the threat it might pose and the country’s vow to not negotiate with terrorists. How would you feel in Gilad Shalit’s position? His faith in all of us to fight for his freedom his what keeps him alive day to day. Do we want his blood on our hands?

Finally, we had an opportunity to research various charities to donate our funds to later this year. Everyone was reminded to keep the organizations within the boundaries of our mission statement. Aside from beneficiaries based in the United States, we looked at those aiding the impoverished of Israel and Jews worldwide. I am certain we will continue to search for the deserving charities.

New Year, New Knowledge

January's meeting was packed with interesting ideas, debates, and new perspectives. We welcomed Marna Edenson from the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation to our group to help us understand the critical work they do to support our growing community. We tossed around some moral and spiritual ideas, as well. We ended our meeting beginning the exploration of non-profit organizations that benefit our community. Jillian's post will clue you in!