Beautiful New Year’s Resolutions ~ Mezuzah Contest ~ 10 Ways Israel Is Treated Differently10th January 2018

I hope everyone stayed nice and warm during the deep freeze that hit most of the United States this past week. With two snow days for the kids last week, the kids had fun sleeping late and sledding. This weekend, my family will be hitting the slopes for the first ski trip of the winter (although with 50 degree weather on Friday and Saturday and rain, it may be a bit slushy). Enjoy this week’s newsletter!

10 Ways Israel Is Treated Differently

I am on the mailing list of AJC – American Jewish Committee, and I read an article by David Harris on Friday that I wanted to share with you. The article was also published on Aish.com. Below is a summary, but I recommend reading the entire article.

1. Israel is the only state whose capital city, Jerusalem, with which the Jewish people have been umbilically linked for more than 3,000 years, is not recognized by almost all other countries.
2. Israel is the only UN member state whose very right to exist is under constant challenge.
3. Israel is the only UN member state that’s been targeted for annihilation by another UN member state.
4. The UN has two agencies dealing with refugees. One, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), focuses on all the world’s refugee populations, save one. The other, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), handles only the Palestinians. The UNHCR defines refugees as those who have fled their homeland; UNRWA defines refugees as “the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948,” without any generational limitations.
5. Israel is the only country that has won all its major wars for survival and self-defense, yet is confronted by defeated adversaries who have insisted on dictating the terms of peace.
6. Israel is the only country in the world with a separate — and permanent — agenda item, #7, at the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council. No other member state, including serial human-rights violators like North Korea, Syria, Iran, and Sudan, gets its own agenda item. Only the sole liberal democracy in the Middle East is treated in this blatantly biased manner.
7. Israel is the only country condemned by name at the World Health Organization as a “violator” of health rights. And this is despite the fact that Israel is at the forefront of medical innovations.
8. Israel is the only country that’s the continuous target of three standing UN bodies established and staffed solely for the purpose of advancing the Palestinian cause and bashing Israel.
9. Israel is the only country annually targeted by at least 20 UN General Assembly resolutions and countless measures in other UN bodies, such as the Human Rights Council.
10. Israel is the only state targeted by the BDS (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) movement.

David Harris, the CEO of AJC, goes into more detail on each point in the article. Read the entire article here.

Contest Winner and New Year’s Resolutions

Congratulations Rebecca Pearson! You won the Classic Legacy Jewish Charm Bracelet!

The winner was chosen randomly using Google’s random number generator.

There were a lot of great responses to the question:

What is your New Year’s Resolution?

Some responses were:

• I resolve to be a better me than last year.
• Have more patience and tolerance for the inexplicable behaviors of others.
• To be more happy.
• Deal with whatever comes my way in the most joyful way possible!
• Live life and take more chances.
• Dedicate more of my time and experience to helping and supporting others.

Demond Johnson’s New Year’s Resolution

…and one more New Year’s Resolution from my friend, Demond Johnson, who I interviewed a few weeks ago.

Demond served in the Army for 20+ years, he is the President/CEO of A2 Fitness Professionals, he was raised Jewish, he volunteers his time with many organizations, and he is a speaker.

Demond lives his life based on Jewish values and in his New Year’s Resolution below, he talks of making the world a better place – Tikkun Olam – repairing the world.

“As for New Year’s Resolution’s:

The New Year typically brings about resolution and by definition I’m talking the action of solving a problem, dispute, or contentious matter.

Last year I asked all of my friends to complete a physical task daily (along with myself) and we kept it going via social media. The reason behind this was to overcome the many shortcomings of resolutions when accountability is an issue.

This year the task will focus on a contentious yet resolvable issue. The issue is simply making the world a better place. I am asking that all of my friends take a moment every day to perform a selfless act that positively impacts the life of a total stranger. I’m doing this in hopes of creating a worldwide ripple effect of change.

We have just about reached our goal of one hundred coats and once done, we will head out to different shelters to pass them out. So, things are going amazing.”

If you live in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area and would like to hear Demond speak, he’ll be at the Ann Arbor JCC on January 18, 2018 speaking about The Impact of Journalism on Society.

This Week’s Contest

Fill in the blanks:

If I could have dinner with any famous person (entertainment, politics, sports, history, publishing, academia), I would spend it with ______________ because ___________.

Reply to this newsletter with your answer and a random winner will be chosen to win this Patrick Meyer Pomegranate Mezuzah. The winner will be chosen next Wednesday, January 17, 2018.

:

Do you know the symbolism of the pomegranate in Judaism? Read the article, Symbolism of the Pomegranate.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Light, peace, and love,

Risa Borsykowsky, Owner

www.JewishGiftPlace.com

P.S. Although Valentine’s Day is over a month away, check out our Ahava/Love gift selection. Every item in this collection either has the word, “Love,” or “Ahava,” or has a heart on it.