What is your connection to Israel?  A good icebreaker question for a Jewish audience of any age.

It is also a good question to open up the topic about celebrating Israel and its accomplishments, as it is celebrating its 72nd birthday.  Israel is a nation among the nations of the world.  During this time of crisis in the world, we are proud to see Israel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, not just for its own citizens but for all who can benefit from its knowhow. It is a leader in medical treatments and  testing. It creates and uses technology to help mankind. It shares its knowledge about assisting after trauma and continues to run to places to help when it is needed.    

Most Jewish young people today have received the gift of a trip to Israel from Birthright during their college years. I do not have official statistics, but I know of several of my generation and older that still have that trip on their bucket list, and are still figuring out how to make it happen.  

I have been lucky – while my family had no relatives that lived in Israel, it has been a part of our family’s DNA.  We said, “next year in Jerusalem” every Passover and and could picture the possibility. It is what I learned about in Hebrew school, and if we saw a product that said “Made in Israel” in a store in the 1960s and 70s, it was a thrill. I am sure many of us still have an Israeli blue/green metal Judaica piece –jewelry, mezuzahs, bookends, a  seder plate, and a menorah are ones I can account for. These items were part of bat mitzvah gifts or sourced from a synagogue’ s gift shop.  I had also been influenced by my parents, the generation that experienced Israel’s birth, and hearing about the dancing in the streets in Brooklyn in 1948 when the announcement of the creation of the state was on the radio.   We continued to be glued to the news when I was a youngster and teenager hearing about the wars for its survival that followed.   

Living in New York City, I experienced the annual Israel Day Parade that brought youth groups and schools to Fifth Avenue. I remember learning a line dance with my Israeli Hebrew teacher that we would perform as part of the synagogue delegation, wearing a white dress tied with blue ribbons. As I got older, the parade offered the social element of seeing friends I had made in United Synagogue Youth, meeting other teens  around the city and tristate area.   

My first trip to Israel was a sweet sixteen present from my parents, offered as their gift instead of a party. Traveling with a teen tour for six weeks , we saw Israel from end to end, experiencing kibbutz life at Ein Gedi, and a week with Israeli teenagers at Gadna camp, with the most adorable Israeli soldiers as instructors.    

I got to visit again in 1980 as part of a B’nai B’rith staff mission. It was a wonderful way to bond with colleagues and learn about the people and projects of B’nai B’rith that have had roots in the country since 1888.  It was another view of the country, seeing behind the tourist scene, presenting some of the difficult social issues for Israelis and their struggle living alongside their Arab neighbors.  We saw the presence of B’nai B’rith in various form. From a Moshav named for Henry Monsky, to libraries and streets named in recognition of B’nai B’rith’s role in their creation. We were present just months after the B’nai B’rith World Center was established  in response to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 that in August 1980 called on all member states to remove their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem.

B’nai B’rith provided another opportunity for me to experience Israel at the 1998 International Convention.  It was also the occasion to share an Israel experience with my husband and  introduce my kids to Israel at age 12 and 16. 
The venues were amazing, opening ceremonies at David’s Citadel in Jerusalem, dinner at the Israel Museum with a private tour and a banquet that filled a ballroom with members from around the world.

The closing program included a spontaneous line of dancers that moved between the tables to celebrate the occasion of this event. A special memory was the dedication by the B’nai B’rith Center for Community Action of a playground outfitted for physically challenged children in Hadera.   

I had the unique experience of seeing Israel in 2005 as a parent with a child spending their first year in a college program at Bar Ilan University.  It was another view,  33 years after my first experience.  For this visit, we could tak  a bit more time to experience Jerusalem and Tel Aviv , soaking in the historic and cultural sites in Jerusalem and then the  beach in Tel Aviv.

When my grandson Jacob was born in 2014, we joked about holding a special upcoming date on the calendar  July 2027, for his  bar mitzvah.  We have since then talked about a summer trip to Israel as a wonderful way to celebrate with his parents and his two siblings.  It is strange to think that this summer it will be just 7 years away.  But, looking at the events of these past months, it feels like that that may be too long to wait.  When we can hopefully see these days in our rearview mirror, and our prayers and social distancing maintains good health , I hope a family trip to Israel will be in the plans for me.  
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Happy 72nd Birthday, Israel. Hope to see you soon.

There is an official Random Acts of Kindness Day celebrated every February.  The concept has also found a home during the “season of giving,” so whether you choose to observe on the official day, (February 17, 2020) or when it works for you, we encourage you to connect these acts with B'nai B'rith.  Our organization has a long history of bringing acts of kindness to the world and initiating new ideas.  There are hundreds of ideas about what one can do to be part of this initiative, as individuals and as a group.  It can be just one thing you do, or it can become a tradition.  You can do it alone, with your family and with a B’nai B’rith group. 
 
 A new film about Fred Rogers turns a spotlight on his life teaching generations about kindness. He said, "There are many ways to ultimate success. The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind. A similar thought has been attributed to the novelist Henry James, who said,  “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” An eight-year-old girl has written a book called “BE KIND, Silly: A Child’s Quest for a Kinder World” to combat bullying. A young man who lost his life to mental illness is remembered by his family with an organization and award in his name called Matt’s Kindness Ripples On. 
 
Kindness has its roots in the Torah, as many of the deeds of our forefathers and mothers stressed their acts of kindness for others.  Kindness is also emphasized in Perke Avot, The Ethics of the Fathers.  It tells us that the world is upheld by three things - Torah, Service and Gemilut Chassadim (Acts of Loving Kindness).  
 
At B'nai B'rith, we can say that most everything we do is because it is the right and kind thing to do.  Our founders based their mission on kindness for widows and orphans, providing for their financial needs.  We offer kindness, community and a home to senior citizens via B'nai B'rith housing.  We support the people of Israel as they deal with daily attacks against their country. We join with our fellow community members to stand up against hatred and violence against others by providing disaster funds to support projects that help the community heal. Our community service programs are daily, weekly or annual events filled with kindness. Volunteers bring breakfast to children in schools and shelters in the Greater San Fernando Valley in California. Hundreds of families receive Passover food each year to help them celebrate the holiday, recognizing that without this project, they could not provide this for themselves. We bring assistance to people who are dealing with devastation and destruction due to natural or man-made disasters.  We are on the scene when it counts, at the time of a disaster and long after it has occurred during the recovery and rebuilding stages.  
 
The kindness meter in B'nai B'rith heats up during Christmas, when volunteers make sure that workers or volunteers who want to be home with their families can do so because a B'nai B'rith volunteer is stepping in for them that day.  It has also become a time to thank community workers serving in VA hospitals and the veterans who are receiving care in these facilities. We bring teddy bears to children who need a loveable hug to help them face difficult situations. Volunteers collect and deliver books, clothing and household goods in their communities and support food banks and schools with the donations. 
 
Do we need a day to remind us to be kind?  Looking at the wide assortment of service events in the B'nai B'rith community, we can say that we remind ourselves of this every day of the year.  But sometimes, it is nice to point out something we take for granted. This year at the B'nai B'rith Leadership Forum, International President Charles Kaufman instituted a President's Award for individuals who went above and beyond in their efforts to provide leadership and service. Of the thirty awards presented, more than half were for volunteers who make community service programming a reality.  
 
Kindness Day can be a time for those who may have been thinking about getting involved to help make something happen in their community. Lodges and units can support these efforts by providing the link individuals are looking for something meaningful to do and funding for the project. 
 
So yes, we need to remind ourselves and others that B'nai B'rith has kindness at its core.  It confirms that kindness is the way to ultimate success and doing something important.  Come get started and be kind with us.  

The moon is celebrating an anniversary. 

We are fascinated by the moon. It is referenced in song lyrics and featured in works of art called moonscapes. We look for the face of the man in the moon, perhaps recalling the opening visual of The Honeymooners. The distance from the earth to the moon is often used to define the depth of our love with the statement, “Love you to the moon and back.”

The moon will celebrate a 50th anniversary this year, recalling July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon. I remember watching the landing live on television, the words of Neil Armstrong (“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’’) and the reaction of the newscasters and the NASA engineers and scientists at mission control.  This gives the event its place in history for me and many others. It was not to be the only news event of the summer of ‘69. I did not get to Woodstock, but I really love the music and the significance of what brought people together for that gathering.
Israel’s recent mission to the moon connected every Jew to Israel’s attempt to land the Beresheet robotic spacecraft this past April.  Funded by private investors, it evoked the positive feelings we share about Israel and the challenge of space.  Watching live coverage, this time online, the sign attached to the spacecraft defines the nation of Israel for many Jews: “Small Country, Big Dreams.”  The landing turned into a crash, but this setback has not stopped the plans to try again.  The investors are prepared to put in more money to make the next landing a successful one.   

The moon is a celestial body that waxes and wanes. It appears each night, providing light in the darkness. It plays a role in Judaism as the regulator of the Jewish calendar. Each month begins with the appearance of the new moon and ends when the next moon appears. 

There is a prayer to bless the new month called Kiddush Levanah.  It is expected to be one that is fulfilled as early as possible when the new moon is visible at the end of Shabbat.  The prayer is said under the night sky and provides the opportunity to acknowledge one of G-d’s creations. It also recognizes the importance of the community, as it is said with a minyan, and as the prayer ends, the participants greet the others they are with by saying Shalom Aleichem, wishing them peace.

Anniversaries of historic events are internalized as we remember our own experience when the subject is called to mind or what we may have heard about from a parent or someone from another generation. That is how history is taught as we share information about an event in history that is remembered.    That memory is usually followed by where they were when they heard the news. This brings us closer together with the people we know, as well as with new connections as we share something about our own life experience.    
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Memories of experiences within B’nai B’rith help us keep and grow our collective memory. As B’nai B’rith continues to observe its 175th anniversary year, we hope to capture the memories that members and supporters have about their own experiences in B’nai B’rith.  Please consider sharing your thoughts about memorable B’nai B’rith milestones, people or other influences on your B’nai B’rith experience with us.  We will share them on the BB and I Blog page on the B’nai B’rith website, which brings these memories together for our B’nai B’rith community.  You can even write them under a moonlit sky for additional inspiration.
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Lists of names, sorted by country of origin. Columns that provide ages and places of birth and death.  Last names listed alphabetically, first names that you can find on a typical Hebrew school roster. Entire families follow, line by line. A grandparent, Mark, age 75; his child, Emanuel, age 40; and then the grandchild, Benjamin, age 7.  An entire family, murdered by the Nazis.

These names became a program with the goal of remembering the victims of the Holocaust by reading their names aloud and in public spaces.  This is the tribute to the six million Jews, one and a half million of them children, who were murdered. As the names of victims are read aloud, they are remembered.  For many on these lists, it is the only time their name will be said aloud, as their entire family was murdered or there is no one left to remember them.

The program was inspired by the poem “Unto Every Person There is a Name” by Zelda, which begins “Unto Every Person there is a Name bestowed upon him by God and given him by his father and mother”. The program is held each year on Yom Hashoah, which is observed on the 27th of Nissan. The date was chosen by the Israeli Knesset to serve as Holocaust Remembrance Day.  This year, the commemoration will be on May 2nd.

The program was created to remind us that the victims were not just a number. Every individual had a name. They loved, worked and enjoyed their lives until they were murdered by the Nazis.

How do we remember each year? How do you bring more information to the participants who are part of the remembrance ceremonies? As survivors are passing away, the second and third generations of their descendants have committed themselves to bear witness. It is up to the Jewish community to support them in this task. B’nai B’rith became the North American coordinator of this program in 1989 and has brought the program to the community and campus for 30 years. Those who participate share stories of their experiences. Dignitaries and schoolchildren from public and parochial schools attend as readers.  Passersby stop to listen and then ask if they can read as well.  The readings take place in public places such as parks, in front of Holocaust monuments, the US Capitol (before 9/11), courthouse steps and shopping malls.  It has also been held in cooperation with community events with synagogues, JCCs and Holocaust museums. 

I remember when Congressman Jerome Nadler came to the District One ceremony in New York City in 1994. The program chair that year, Charles Friedman, president of the Leo Baeck Unit, shared a story about his family’s experiences during Kristallnacht. At another ceremony, B’nai B’rith leader Margarete Goldberger, who was saved as a child by the Kindertransport, was randomly given a list to read that included the name of a school friend in Germany who had not been able to flee the country in time. There are many memories that span the program’s 30-year history.  Please share your own experiences at a program with us so that we can include these personal stories in our commemorations.

Names are also read on campus in conjunction with our partner, the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. This year, over 130 campus programs were scheduled on campuses as part of their “We Walk to Remember” program. The brothers of AEPi wore stickers that said “Never Forget” and passed out information about the Holocaust as they walked silently through their campus. They proudly recognize their duty to be part of the remembrance, and we are grateful for their commitment to make this a part of their campus activity. 

An international committee convened in Israel develops a theme and includes readings that relate to the topic.  Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem, represents B’nai B’rith on this committee. The program is also under the auspices of the of President of Israel Reuven Rivlin, who sends a message of thanks to the communities that take on this important activity. This year, the theme is “The War Within the War:  The Struggle of the Jews to Survive during the Holocaust”. 

The names are available via a database.  In many communities, the printed pages become part of an “Unto Every Person There is a Name” binder and are saved from year to year, as the lists take on a special significance to those who gather to remember them.  Treated as a sacred object, the pages are brought out for special commemorations.

There is an ongoing project to collect as many names as can be found as part of the “Pages of Testimony Project”.  In accordance with the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Israeli Knesset in 1953, Yad Vashem established a Hall of Names and maintains a database of information about victims of the Holocaust.  To date, there have been 4.8 million names of Shoah victims documented in the Central Database of Shoah Victims.
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B’nai B’rith International is grateful to Kurt and Tessye Simon (of blessed memory) for their support of the Unto programming. You can find information about the Unto Every Person There is a Name program at this link: http://www.bnaibrith.org/unto-every-person.html. 

​As B’nai B’rith continues to celebrate its 175th anniversary, the menorah continues to be a link to the past, a commitment to the present and a promise for the future. 
 
The founders of B’nai B’rith found their inspiration in the Torah.  The name they chose, “Sons/Children of the Covenant,” referred to the covenant that the Jewish people have with God.  That definition made them a Jewish organization, with the Torah as a guide to living a Jewish life.  B’nai B’rith’s founders wanted each of the members of the organization to commit to becoming a better person by developing good character. This would be accomplished through their personal relationships as well as by helping others that needed assistance in their community.  
 
They chose the menorah, one of the ritual objects described in the Torah, as their emblem.  The seven-branched menorah is described in detail in Parashas Terumah.  The placement within the Tabernacle is very specific.
 
We are told that the menorah should be made out of one piece of gold and God shared its creation in a vision to Moses. Commentaries have interpreted the design to have several meanings.
 
The Italian commentator Sforno interprets the branches, saying that the three branches on the right represented intellectual ideas and the ones on the left represented ideals that applied to how one made a living.  The central candle represented the Torah.  The six candles on the left and right are connected to the candle in the middle. 
 
The menorah would stand in the outer chamber of the Tabernacle as an inspiration to those who saw the light it emitted.  It was not to be placed in the Holy of Holies, as that was the place for the Torah, which did not need any additional light beyond its own. In Parsha Beha’aloscha, we find out that the job of lighting the menorah was given to Aaron, Moses’s brother, and the tribe of Levi.  While other tribes were involved in the creation of the Tabernacle, the tribe of Levi did not have a special role until this important responsibility was given to Aaron. The menorah becomes a central piece of history later on later in the Chanukah story, as the Hasmoneans, descendants of Aaron, were the ones who drove the Syrian-Greeks out of the Temple. 
 
The menorah has continued to be the emblem of B’nai B’rith, and in each of our districts, regions and communities we find its counterpart.  We have seen it used in many ways; on the large display banner surrounding a stage of leaders and dignitaries at special events, on invitations or on certificates of service.  It is proudly displayed on a lapel pin and used as a signet ring.  You will see it on T-shirts, hats or neckties.  
 
The menorah candles are used for the induction of members, installation ceremonies, conferences and special occasions. Each candle represents an ideal that B’nai B’rith members are expected to strive for. Light, justice, peace, benevolence, brotherly and sisterly love, harmony and truth are the words and concepts described in the reading.  These words and concepts are also referenced in daily prayers, often as attributes of God and how man treats his fellow man. The traditional ceremony used today is one found in B’nai B’rith guides to ritual, but many other creative interpretations exist. The honor of lighting the menorah is one that is taken very seriously, and the ceremony is given a place of honor.  The candle lighting ceremony has also been used to share the work of the B’nai Brith Program Centers and /or events in Jewish history, with each candle assigned a special project or event.  
 
B’nai B’rith has been described by scholars as an organization that helped create civil society in America.  The desire and need that existed for a Jewish civil society organization helped create the mission that continues to this day.  As the Jewish community spread its wings across America, activities that support the Jewish and general community grew.  Across the globe, the Jewish community adopted the organization as their means of organizing themselves within the Jewish community.  The menorah came with them and the ritual demonstrated a link for all of those involved.
 
The menorah’s message for today’s members and supporters becomes even more meaningful when it is shared at events that bring together leadership from around the world.  At these gatherings, individuals are honored for their good work in the community when they are called to light one of these candles. You will see the menorah used in the logo of B’nai B’rith International. It also is a symbol of the Jewish people and our bond with Israel, as it is part of the official seal for the country and stands outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. 
 
Help us keep the candles burning by introducing people you know to the wonderful work of B’nai B’rith as members and supporters. There is a pin with a menorah waiting for them.