July 2014 – LISTEN ISRAEL

Watch: IDF Soldier Drums for Peace on his Nagmash (APC)

July 30, 2014January 5, 2017Tagged Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Jewish Music, Peace, peaceinside, rehumanizationLeave a comment

During times of war it is very easy to dehumanize those we perceive to to be the ‘other’ and to forget we are human beings ourselves. The humanity in this IDF soldier resonates off of him as he chants ‘no more war, no more bloodshed’ and turns his nagmash (Hebrew for armoured personnel carrier) into a drum for peace.

Although this was filmed in 2011, it still captures a spirit that I know is very strong today in the Israel Defense Forces, and it is this spirit that is the key to a peaceful future.

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10 Photos of the Peaceful Warriors of the Israel Defense Forces

July 27, 2014January 5, 2017Tagged Gaza, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Peace, Peaceful Warriors, Protective Edge, Shalom1 Comment

I know many soldiers in the IDF who pray for peace and do not want war. Sometimes it’s hard to see that through all the reports of the bombs and the body counts.

My friend who Yonatan A. who served in the infantry of the Kfir brigade and is now in the reserves told me: “The pain and suffering of the people in Gaza is heart-wrenching, it hurts. It’s every soldiers dream to wake up one day and be sent home because there is peace but until then we gotta do everything to protect our families, but not in a barbaric way, obviously. I hope for a time where both peoples realize how similar and closely related we really are, that just working together we can reach unbelievable places.” Continue reading “10 Photos of the Peaceful Warriors of the Israel Defense Forces” →

Rekindling the Dream at Max Steinberg’s Funeral

July 23, 2014January 5, 2017Tagged Aliyah, Israel, Jerusalem, Max Steinberg4 Comments

Yesterday morning a friend messaged me to call him ASAP. He told me he was in touch with the IDF official who was going to meet Max Steinberg’s family at the airport. Being that Max was a lone soldier, he wanted to make sure there were people at the funeral. He asked me to do something social media wise to put out the word. So I made a Facebook event and the word spread quickly. I work in social media and it’s usually exciting when posts go viral, but as the event got bigger and bigger my heart remained heavy. I also felt a certain sense of disconnection because although I honored Max as Jew, as a lone solider who deserved the highest respect, and I recognized the huge honor I had been given to provide people information, I didn’t know him. Continue reading “Rekindling the Dream at Max Steinberg’s Funeral” →

Erev Shabbat Playlist: 3 Forms of Ancient/Modern Mind Expanding Jewish Chanting

July 18, 2014September 1, 2015Tagged Eretz Yisrael, Israel, Jewish Chanting, Jewish Music, Jewish Spirituality, Judaism, Kabbalah, ShabbatLeave a comment

The words to these songs are from the Torah and the Book of Psalms (both over 2,000 years old), and Jewish prayers going back many hundreds of years. Open your mind and listen to the soul inside these words as they are revealed through these incredible modern renditions. Continue reading “Erev Shabbat Playlist: 3 Forms of Ancient/Modern Mind Expanding Jewish Chanting” →

Grassroots Jerusalem: Fasting for Peace with Jews and Muslims in the Holy City

July 16, 2014September 1, 2015Tagged Choose Life, Interfaith, Israel, Jerusalem, Judaism, Peace1 Comment

When I worked at the National Library of Israel, I found a book of photographs depicting the graffiti covering the giant concrete slabs that make up part of what is known to some as the ‘security fence’ and to others as the ‘separation wall’. In big white letters someone had spray painted ‘we are not enemies’. These words haunted me. I wanted to meet the person living on the other side of that wall who wrote that. Continue reading “Grassroots Jerusalem: Fasting for Peace with Jews and Muslims in the Holy City” →

Erev Shabbat Playlist: 3 Songs of Musical Ecstasy from Eretz Yisrael

July 11, 2014September 1, 2015Tagged Israel, Jewish Chanting, Jewish Music, Prayer, ShabbatLeave a comment

Clean and cook for Shabbat with some positive sounds from the Holy Land! Open your ears and hearts to this playlist of 3 songs from Israeli artists that channel the spirit of Eretz Yisrael. Shabbat Shalom! Continue reading “Erev Shabbat Playlist: 3 Songs of Musical Ecstasy from Eretz Yisrael” →

7 Positive Group Bomb Shelter Activities

July 9, 2014September 1, 2015Leave a comment

(May Hashem bless us that this article no longer be relevant. Either way the activities are great.)
Just because the code red siren starts, doesn’t mean life has to stop. If you find yourself in a bomb shelter, there is a good chance there might be a lot of fear and anxiety in the room. I invite you to volunteer to become a change-maker. To shift the vibe from fear to positivity. Continue reading “7 Positive Group Bomb Shelter Activities” →

Singing for Peace in Jerusalem After a Heavy Week – One Day

July 3, 2014September 1, 2015Leave a comment

I so much want peace in Jerusalem, and sometimes it feels so far away. Singing Matisyahu’s One Day here in the Holy City, the words take on new meaning and I pray they come true. I share this prayer with you. Continue reading “Singing for Peace in Jerusalem After a Heavy Week – One Day” →

A message from Robert Kennedy to those in Israel seeking revenge

July 2, 2014September 1, 2015Leave a comment

I write this in Jerusalem as I hear siren after siren scream past my window and reports of violence in the streets. To all those of any race, religion, or ideology here in Israel and Jerusalem, who think revenge is somehow going to assuage or solve their problems, listen to this message from Robert Kennedy. He said it on April 4, 1968 to a to a crowd of Americans both black and white as he told them that Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. Continue reading “A message from Robert Kennedy to those in Israel seeking revenge” →