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.