dr raveh, the implant specialist at schneider ent, says that zamir is doing great and can be released later today. he will be on antibiotics for five days and will be back tuesday next week. the genetics folks wuho are tryinaretto the ltimate cause but are handicapped a bit by the ethiopian genetics, a classic case of one of the consequences of our era s expanding sense of peoplehood. they have plenty of ashkenzi data but very few ethiopia dna results to matchtnx again. shabb

shabbat shalom with much thanks for all the angels who pitched in. apologies about typos but can t seem to correct using my handheld phone

ran into wexner heritage alum at schneiders and she lovingly offered to sit with zamir in the hospital as I ttok my ucsj board call. mazel tov to larry lerner on being elected preseident of ucsj. larry is a class act with great political instincts and contacts. the immediate former vp and treasurer of ucsj larry also has served as a board member of ncs the other soviet jewry umbella group. I have been divesting roles to spend more time on family so it felt right, although sad, to do the transition by phone with zamir at the hospital. I went over briefly what we accomplished on my watch but not usually with my own hands but collectively. micah naftalin continues his historic role as national director.

endured 8 hr surgery, is now hospitalized for probably rest of week. his top half of head covered in white bandages with medium bleeding on right side. his caughing has settled down and is fighting a mild fever w more antibiotics. quite a journey for such a young kid, from northern ethiopia to addis orphagane to newton to kibbutz.

1.  After a decade at the helm, I will be stepping down from my role as President of UCSJ:  The Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union. See FSUMonitor.com.  During my tenure, we won over $7 billion in benefits for legal immigrants from FSU and elsewhere in the U.S. federal budget, raised about $10 million in operating and project funds, were conominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize with our partners at the Moscow Helsinki Group, held dozens of conferences and consultations throughout the FSU, established a web-based strategy that has had over a million visitors (website, Bigotry Monitor and CoalitionAgainstHate.org blog) and established on-the-ground monitoring in all 89 providences.  Our Annual Meeting Board call will be taking place Tuesday, noon, EST. To find out the next President, tune in. But it wont be Vladimir Putin:-)   Some of the highlights include keynoting Russia’s national human rights convention, teaching Russian activists about the history of the movement over there, leading the rally on benefits in the U.S., having a press conference with hostile media representatives in Moscow, and confronting Chernamedin at the dinner in DC with Al Gore about Nikitan.

 I want to thank the staff and Board for the opportunity to have served the Jewish People and the Human Right Community. I especially want to thank Micah Naftalin and Leonid Stonov, who represent the soul of the movement. And I want to thank Pam Cohen, the previous President, who saw in me some potential to retool the movement with a media focus.  I am only sorry I didn’t accomplish all our goals that we set, but am proud of what we have done, and for being faithful trustees for a nobel and noble mission.

2.  Zamir is going to be operated on early Monday morning at Schneider Hospital for Children in Petah Tikva, to receive two implants for his hearing. We expect to be there about a week. This means I’ll be slower on email and calls, so please be patient. Thanks everyone for good wishes. His Hebrew name is Zamir Gidon ben Haran Shoshana Elianta and Yisrael Yosef.  054 692 2008 for domestic; 011 972 54 692 2008.

Abu Dhabi–the World Future Energy Summit is wrapping up in an hour or so.  They are going to spend $15 billion into a massive renewable energy push.  Some of it looks like just playing along with a trend, like some of the make-overs we see from some of the oil companies who are doing mostly symolic work while taking in billions.  But, frankly, some of the renewable energy push here seems genuine.

The United Arab Emerates is actualy a not unseemly place to have spent tu bishvat.  They haven’t exactly made the desert bloom; it’s cemented over with towering, artistic buildings, long highways, and many water fountains that are exquisit.  But these areas are green and we are in the desert, although nothing like Wadi Araba. 

Elton John performed last night, and, of course, I couldn’t resist, under the full moon, with the palm trees on the edge of the Persian Gulf.  I took particular pleasure when he sang “Mad Man Across the Water.”  I quipped to a neighbor that he was speaking to the President of Iran across the Gulf. 

When I first landed here, amid the kaffiyahs and jalabias and business suits, I can’t say I was comfortable. (those who know me well know I’m most uncomfortable around the biz suits:-) But three days of talking and learning solar and renewables–having a common cause, in addition to business cause–certainly made it easier and I learned a lot.  Wearing my BabagaNewz Jewish star glasses at night in Abu Dhabi is a dazzling experience, helping to put a Jewish values lens on the whole experience.

There is a lot of oil money here. I know we all know that. But I mean A LOT. I think it skews what gets done, what people say. Let’s see if later I have the guts (or time) to say it, hopefully next week. Off to Amman tomorrow.  

Today’s session at the Knesset on Israeli policy post Bali demonstrated how far Israel has to go to meet her potential.  KKL sponsored the session and MK Ophir Pines Paz, who has been great on environmental issues, spoke as part of a panel.  All Ophir now has to do is, as head of the Interior and Environment Committee, is declare PV fields a form of agriculture. 

I’m off to Dubia and Abu Dhabi to attend the World Future Energy Summit with the Emir and 4,000 of his closest friends to have a tu bishvat seder at the Palace. What a crazy world in which a Jewish educator who has co-authored a special seder (seeds of hope) is actually doing renewable energy in a country with no diplomatic relations with Israel.  more later.

Adar One Lessons with BabagaNewz Tzelem Elokim/In God’s Image In This Issue Adar One Lessons The Big Draw Contest Celebrate Tu B’Shevat with BabagaNewz Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees is coming (January 22, 2008)! Visit our Tu B’Shevat teaching resources section to find our festive Tu B’Shevat seder, holiday vocabulary, Treevial Pursuit: A Tu B’Shevat Game, and much more. Students can visit Tu B’Shevat Central for e-cards, games, and more.   Quick Links Link to Us In the last 60 days over 11,500 visitors came to our site thanks to a link from web sites like yours. We invite you to join the organizations that are helping to impact the Jewish values education of our students. Link your web site to BabagaNewz.com. Let kids connect directly to the engaging educational games, music, crafts, videos, and more from your home page. Click here for more information! Join our list January 16, 2008 / 9 Shevat 5768 Greetings! Adar One, which has no holidays, gives us a chance to catch our breath in school and think about the most important lessons we want to teach. Teaching your students that we are all created b’tzelem Elokim, in God’s image, can be one of those major messages. I hope these lessons and corresponding materials will help you get the message across. In addition, you are invited to join other Jewish educators for a conference call on Thursday, January 24, 2008, at 4 p.m. EST to discuss the Adar One issue of BabagaNewz and the Teachers’ Guide which accompanies it. Click here for the details and the new phone number. Next month for Adar Two/March, we will share Purim resources, regularly monthly lesson plans, and materials for our second supplement in celebration of Israel@60 entitled A Proud Nation Establishes Roots (1949-1967). B’Shalom, Sara Lindholm Web Editor

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pef.pdfDear Friends, Family and Peoplehooders,

Hallel Abramowitz-Silverman will be called to the Torah on February 23rd at Kibbutz Ketura.  You are all invited for services, kiddush and lunch (email confirmations to RabbiSusan@aol.com).  Hallel has chosen for her tzeddakah project resettling Sudanese refugees on Kibbutz Ketura.  To contribute directly without receiving a tax-deducation benefit, please make your check payable to “merkaz hashachar”"and send it to:

Merkaz Hashachar, Kibbutz Ketura, DN Eilot 88840 Israel and under memo, write, “Hallel’s Bat Mitzvah Sudan Fund”

To contribute with a tax-deduction, please Read more