token charity

October 13, 2006 8:03 AM

How can I help israel?

I want to support israel but I dont have money to give. Short of immgration and becoming a soldier is there anything meaningful I can do to show support?

posted by petsounds to Religion & Philosophy (10 answers total)

Write to politicians who are influential on foreign policy and don't agree with your views.
posted by joannemerriam at 8:08 AM on October 13, 2006

Best answer: if you're a student here's the Hasbara handbook (pdf), "a complete resource for those dealing with attacks on Israel on campus, those who wish to learn the arguments about the current situation in the Middle East, and for those interested in learning how to campaign effectively on campus. The Hasbara Handbook contains sections on the principles of Israel advocacy, the skills needed for effective Israel advocacy, and the common accusations made against Israel, and how to rebut them".
posted by matteo at 8:10 AM on October 13, 2006

Look for opportunities in your local Hadassah chapter.

(full disclosure: I work for Hadassah)
posted by hermitosis at 8:17 AM on October 13, 2006

Response by poster: thanks for the link matteo. ive often heard otherwise kind people say "israeli murderers" in an offhand way and it really bothers me
posted by petsounds at 8:20 AM on October 13, 2006

Volunteer. I've worked for Americans for Peace Now, Volunteers for Israel, and The American Zionist Movement. I get the impression that there's always work to be done.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 8:47 AM on October 13, 2006

Educate yourself about the underlying causes of the conflict and work educate others. Use your knowledge to preach understanding between the two sides.
posted by chrisamiller at 8:50 AM on October 13, 2006 [3 favorites]

thanks for the link matteo. ive often heard otherwise kind people say "israeli murderers" in an offhand way and it really bothers me

Read other sources too; if you're going to advocate for the country you should be prepared to deal with the arguments of thoughtful, considered people who believe it morally rotten.
posted by Aidan Kehoe at 9:11 AM on October 13, 2006 [1 favorite]

There's a good Zionist argument to be made that to help Israel is to encourage the people of Israel, and fellow Zionists inside and outside Israel, to confront contradictions in their politics and society. Many people find themselves pushed away from other Zionists when they become too critical of Israeli policy. IMO this is bad for the Zionist movement and for Israel.
posted by By The Grace of God at 9:48 AM on October 13, 2006

chrisamiller and Aidan Kehoe are wise, wise people. There are two sides to every story. Make sure you are at least au fait with those positions before you start.
posted by ninthart at 10:44 AM on October 13, 2006

1, 2, and 3 are pretty heavy-handed links for organizations that support the existance israel (some which i read and some which i don't); but be warned that many of them carry stories that demonstrate a paranoia and dislke of muslims. the worthwhile part is that they are full of stories of local organizations that support israel, and full of local communities and activists that maybe you can get in touch with, and you can skim to get inspiration and ideas.

another suggestion is to go through your stuff, and find things that you can part with to donate to israelis. the reason is that many synagogues in the USA have programs and partnerships with existing communities in israel, and they have groups of volunteers that travel there at least once a year.

my personal experience is that i went to israel a handful of years ago as a volunteer to work with the kids in a community center outside of tel aviv. i love stationary and ribbons and stickers and pens, etc...and i had bought so much stuff that accumulated through the years and i just wasn't using it. so i brought all the stuff with me in a huge box, and gave it to the kids. but when i went, tons of other people at my synagogue had asked us to bring for them other things like that to donate. the kids went crazy for that stuff, because all of them came from families that were too poor to buy them cool things.

so my suggestion is to call a local synagogue and find out if they coordinate trips to israel, and if there is anything they need donated that they can bring for you. you're not really doing anything of terrible importance, but you're making a few kids happy, which is pretty cool.
posted by naxosaxur at 11:32 AM on October 13, 2006