Horrible News

It was just announced that Gilad, Eyal and Naftali's Z"L bodies were found dead in a field near Hebron. I don't know how to break the news to kids.  It is horrific. They were killed only because they are Jews. Instead of doing a current event today, we will take a moment to reflect instead. 

More Ways to Help Bring Our Boys Home

I will not be blogging current events for the next week. 

Please tune back in on Monday, June 30. 

In the meantime: 

• Please keep praying for safe and speedy return of the three kidnapped boys, Eyal, Gilad and Naftali, especially with Psalm 121. 
• Sign this letter for the families of the boys. 
• Show your kids this video of people singing at the Kotel/Western Wall for the boys' return.
• See this fundraising campaign to bring food and care packages to the Israeli soldiers directly working on Operation Brothers Keeper. 
• Have your kids make a card or letter for the soldiers working to find the boys. Take a picture of the card/letter and send it to Help Our Soldiers Help Our Boys Facebook page. It will be printed out and delivered to the soldiers, who could use a boost of morale. 

Search for Boys Continues; Iraq-Syria Chaos

Please continue to pray for the kidnapped Israeli boys; here is a video of the first public joint statement from their parents. I will be showing it to my kids. 

Also, StandWithUs is initiating a campaign to tie white ribbons in honor of the boys around your cars, trees, doors, etc, to show solidarity. You can like this campaign on Facebook; you make make it your Facebook Profile picture using this image (you have copyright permission to use it); you can send a picture of your white ribbon to social@standwithus.com to keep the campaign momentum going:

Article: Since the end of World War I, there have been two independent countries of Syria and Iraq. However, in the last few days, an Islamic terrorist group, known as ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), which has already taken over Syria, has attacked Iraq and gaining a foothold in the country. Their goal is to create one joint Islamic nation ruled by Shariah law. (Kids: look on map and find these two countries). A recent find by the Iraqi army uncovered all the intelligence about the ISIS and their money. It is a treasure trove of info that no one knew before. US CIA agents are hard at work decrypting all of it. But already it is now known that they have billions of dollars in cash--making them probably the richest terrorist group in the world--and that likely it was taken from Syria's oil rich fields and looting Syria's archaeological priceless treasures. (Kids: what does this mean?)

Help an Inventor!

Article: 2 guys were tired of having to throw the guck out of the kitchen sink after washing dishes. So they invented a new contraption to throw out the mess. Now they are looking for donations of $1 or more to help fund their invention. Watch their Video. 

Kids: Do you think it is a good idea? Should it be funded? Would you fund it? What invention would you like to design and get funding for? 

Come Togetherl for Kidnapped Boys

Article: As most of you reading this posting probably know, on Thursday night, three teenage Israel boys were kidnapped as they were coming home from yeshiva/school by terrorists/bad guys. The boys are Eyal Yifrach, 19, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Naftali Frenkel, 16 (an American citizen, whose wonderful mother recently visited Los Angeles and spoke about her amazing work helping women.) Click here for a picture of the boys and here for a video of Naftali's mother thanking people for their prayers. I have spoken about it with my kids.

Jews around the world are praying for the boys' speedy and safe return. Kids are said to have a direct pipeline to God. Instead of doing a current event tonight, please discuss how yesterday in Israel, over 30,000 people gathered to pray at the Western Wall for the boys' return. See a picture here. See a video here of Eyal's brother praying for his return, saying Psalm 121. Please begin dinner tonight by reciting two psalms for the boys' safe return: Psalm #121 and Psalm #130. 

May the boys be returned to their family quickly and unharmed: 

Yaakov Naftali ben Rachel Devorah

Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim

Eyal ben Iris Teshurah 

If your kids want to do something proactive, have them pledge a mitzvah for the boys return and declare it on this site 

Landmark Victories Against BDS This Week!

This week, for the first time, a university has adopted an anti-BDS resolution. (Kids: do you remember what BDS is--boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel?) Western Washington University  is now the first university in America to adopt a resolution saying that it will not consider boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) resolutions based on national origin. This means that anti-Israel students can no longer bring resolutions to boycott Israel to the student Senate. The university student government unanimously adopted the resolution saying that the BDS resolutions lead to tensions on campus and discrimination and intimidation based on national origin (being Israeli). The resolution was brought by a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, Alysa Kipersztok. 

Kids: why does the fact that the vote was unanimous matter? What does it signify? How is this an example of proactive activism? As opposed to reactive? Discuss pros/cons of each type.

Also this week, the Modern Language Association (MLA), one of the US's main academic associations, also voted against an anti-Israel resolution, which would have said Israel denies academics entry into Palestinian territories.

More Pharmacists in ERs to Cut Errors in Medication

Article: Often, when you get prescription medication from a doctor, there is something wrong with the medication--the wrong dosage amount, the wrong drug even. This leads to over 7000 deaths a year in the U.S. It could be the result of bad doctor handwriting, name mix ups, etc. Now, hospitals are trying to avoid this problem by having pharmacies directly in the hospital. When you are in the hospital and the doctor assigns medicine, the doctor send the prescription to the hospital pharmacy, who will do an extra careful job to make sure it is correct for that patient. They look at the patient, the quantity of the drugs, allergies, other drugs the patient is taking, and do extra review of children's medication. Not all hospitals have this because it costs money to have full time pharmacists on staff, 24 hours a day. 

Kids: how can this help reduce mix ups and even deaths? If a pharmacist fills out a prescription and doesn't check carefully what other medicines that patient is taking, how could this lead to a big problem? 

      

Special Unit of the IDF for People with Special Needs

Article: The IDF is a people's army, meaning everyone in the country is supposed to enlist when graduating from high school. But what about kids with special needs? Israel has created a unit for them too. Now, kids with special needs can go into a special unit where they can do tasks to help Israel -- they assemble kits, clean devices, etc. It empowers them with a feeling of equality, unity, and success. They feel like they are also part of Israeli society and gives them some skills to help integrate into regular society afterwards. Watch this powerful video about the special needs unit.

Kids: what does it mean to have special needs? Whom does it help to have them integrated into society? (Their families, the kids themselves, all who interact with them and learn compassion)

Obituary: Maya Angelou Dies at 86

Article: One of my favorite authors died last week, Maya Angelou. Known for her memoirs, such as "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing" and most recently, "Mom & Me & Mom," she broke down literary and racial boundaries in her life and work. Once you heard it, you never forgot her deep, resonating voice. (Click here to listen.)

(Parents Only: Angelou had a complex life. I don't know what you want to share with your children. She was raped when she was seven years old by her mother's boyfriend and stopped speaking for years. She got pregnant after her first sexual encounter and gave birth as a single mom at the age of 17. After graduating high school, she moved out with her son and worked as a stripper for a while. These are the parts of her life you may not want to tell your kids about. She also knew over 6 languages, worked as a reporter, was the first black street car conductor in San Francisco, became a famous author, and never felt sorry for herself in hard times. Click here for her biography to choose what you wish to share).

To read a beautiful letter she wrote to her "younger self," click here.

For a great story from when she was a teenager:

"I was the first black person to be on the streetcars of San Francisco, a conductorette. And my mother had asked me, 'What would you like to do this semester? You're ahead of your class, what would you like to do? You have to work.' So I said, 'I'd like to be a streetcar conductor.' She said, 'All right, go get the job.'

“ I told her, 'That's what you were — you were my great protection.'

"[My mother] drove me [to work] as long as I kept the job, which was a few months. And she'd drive right behind the streetcar until daylight. And at daylight, she'd honk her horn and blow me a kiss. [Angelou's mother carried a gun in that car, to protect Angelou.]

"I told her, 'That's what you were — you were my great protection.' She said, 'I was more than that. You were mine, too.'"