THE
STORY:
Hi Everyone,
In honor of my 25th birthday on June 21st, I believe that even
better than presents and Facebook love would be if all my
friends and family donated to a non-profit organization
that I believe is doing amazing and necessary work in Israel.
Hand in Hand, the Center for Jewish-Arab Education in
Israel, "brings
together thousands of Jews and Arabs in five
schools and communities throughout
Israel: In Jerusalem.
In the Galilee. In Wadi Ara. In Jaffa. In Haifa. [They]
are
proving on a daily basis the viability of inclusion and equality
for citizens of Israel."
I first learned about
Hand in Hand this winter when the CEO
came to visit Ann Arbor, MI and I was
fortunate enough to
hear him speak. These schools bring together Israeli Jews,
Arab Muslims, and Arab Christians to learn together from
kindergarten until
12th grade. I believe that the best way for
Israel to have peace in the future
is through educating the
youth to love and understand each other. These schools
do
just that and demonstrate that when you grow up and truly
know someone
different than yourself it is harder to see
them as the enemy. This is not to say that the communities
do not struggle and disagree on issues, rather, that
they
are willing to have peaceful dialogue and recognize that
friendship and
community can trump the hate and violence.
I encourage everyone to
check out more about Hand in Hand
questions, or would like to hear more about this cause, I
would be happy to
tell you more about it in my own words.
I personally want to donate $25
for my 25th birthday and
an additional 25 cents for every individual who
donates to
this cause! Please help me do something meaningful as I
reach a
quarter of a century years old! Thank you for all the
love and for being a part
of my life in the past 25 years.
Lots of Love,
Judy
Note: The organization
says Project Harmony, which is a
part of Hand in Hand but crowdrise assured me
that Hand
in Hand would be able to use the money however they
wished.