Time to celebrate Israel Independence Day

DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP

Israeli soldiers stand in front of 12 Israeli flags, representing each tribe of Israel, at the site of the Kotel, which is across from the plaza where they are standing. Susan Heller, principal of Gan Yeladeem: The Looking Glass School, took this photograph during her recent visit to Israel. Photo by Susan Heller

1. If your community has an Israel festival of any kind, don't miss it. Here's your chance to show your children another way of being Jewish that does not involve hours of sitting still in synagogue. At an Israel festival, you can dance in a Jewish way, eat Jewish and maybe even sit in a movie theater watching an Israeli film. Children today need some help connecting pride in being Jewish with pride in Israel. The local Israel Independence Day celebration is 12:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. The festival will feature more than 40 booths and activities and will include children's activities, games, camel rides, Israeli music and dancers, Israeli food and a "Stand up for Israel" rally. For a schedule, visit www.jewishphoenix.org.
   
   
2. Rent an Israeli film from your local library or video store. Have your own Israeli film festival at home or with some friends. The Israeli film industry is thriving. Depending on the ages and interests of the viewers, you may want to check out a 1991 film called "Cup Final" that tells the story of an Israeli soldier captured by the PLO while the World Cup soccer finals are going on. The soldier and his captors reach an understanding through their mutual love of soccer. This may put a little too sweet an ending on a very complicated subject, but it will get you talking. Then there's always the classics. "Exodus" wasn't an Israeli film, for example, but it does tell the story of its beginnings in an exciting way.
   
   
3. Eat Israeli food. Falafel and hummus are so easy to make. You can even buy mixes in your grocery store's natural food aisle and most grocers now offer pita bread. Just add water to the mixes and chop up some cucumbers and tomatoes and you'll have an Israeli feast. Pita bread is also pretty easy (and fun) to make, especially if you have a clay pizza brick. If you prefer more of a challenge, find some recipes in "The Foods of Israel Today" by Joan Nathan.
   
   
4. Play some Israeli music. Even your teens will like some of the exciting and fun pop music coming out of Israel today. Check out Ofra Haza, one of my favorites who unfortunately died a few years ago. There's probably a section on Middle Eastern music on your teenager's favorite independent music store. Don't expect "Hava Nagila" unless, of course, it's done with a world beat sound or as a rap song.
   
   
5. Send a letter or e-mail to a friend in Israel. If you don't have a personal friend there, search for a school Web site and solicit some pen pals for your children. Children in Israel are interested in polishing their English, so don't let your lack of modern Hebrew scare you away. And e-mail is almost always in English. This would be a great way for your children to learn more about what it's like to live in Israel today. A pen pal will beat a religious schoolbook or teacher nearly every day. If you are unable to make this happen on your own, ask your rabbi or your child's religious school teacher for suggestions. Locally, the Israel Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix can facilitate pen pal programs. Contact Eitan Ben-Ami, 480-634-4900 or israelcenter@jewishphoenix.org.
   
   
6. Study the history of Israel as a family. There are a lot of good books on this topic. Be wary of Web site information unless you are confident of the site's quality. Look at the Web site of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (www.caje.org) for the newest thoughts on how to teach about Israel.
   
   
7. Review the history of the Middle East peace process - the high points and the low points. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is an excellent source for timelines on all issues regarding Israel. They may not have materials intended specifically for children, but they explain the situation to busy adults all the time, so they have a need to make their materials easy to understand. Check out the Near East Report on www.aipac.com. To gain another perspective on Israel's modern history, read an Israeli newspaper online. Many of them publish English editions. Check out the Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) and Ha'aretz (www.haaretz.com). The CAJE Web site recommends reading the editorials on Israeli newspaper Web sites to gain more insight on the current situation.
   
   
8. After you've done some learning about the situation, have an open and honest debate about the issues. Help each other, especially the young people in your family understand what is happening in Israel today. Talk about media bias and anti-Semitism, but don't get bogged down with simple excuses for what's happening. This is a very complex situation involving many important issues from water rights to refugees. For help in understanding the news media's treatment of Israel, visit one of the following Web sites: www.honestreporting.com or www.camera.org. If you are a regular reader of a Jewish newspaper, you know this issue can't be tackled in a five-minute argument. Your goal should be to find some more understanding and gain interest in following the issues more carefully so you will all be prepared to discuss this issue with others in an intelligent way.
   
   
9. Don't forget Israel Remembrance Day on April 25. This is the traditional day to remember Israeli soldiers killed in action, but it would also be a good time to talk about the civilians who have been killed in terrorist attacks over the past three years. Several Web sites offer photos of the Israelis who have died and stories about their lives. An Israel Memorial Day ceremony will be held 7:45 p.m.z Saturday, April 24, at The Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, 12701 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.
   
   
10. Plant a tree in Israel. Jewish National Fund is still planting trees in Israel and you still don't have to go there to plant a tree. They even have a special deal. You can pay to plant two trees and JNF will plant the third for free. They cost $18 a tree, $36 for three or $72 for five and can be ordered online at www.jnf.org.