September 15, 2004

Overland Park Congregation is First to Join OU’s Two-Week Fundraising Campaign to Provide Sukkot Joy to Israel Defense Forces

Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner in Overland Park, Kansas is the first synagogue in the United States to respond to a request by the Orthodox Union to participate in a two-week fund-raising campaign to bring joy during Sukkot, Zeman Simchatenu – the Season of our Rejoicing -- to members of the Israel Defense Forces. The program will provide soldiers with gift packages of food, candies and other treats at Simchat Bet Hasho’evah celebrations in sukkahs on IDF bases throughout the country.

“At this important time of the year on our calendar, our synagogue felt that it was time to make a statement of solidarity with our brothers and sisters on the front lines in Israel,” declared Rabbi David Fine of Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner. “Jewish unity and solidarity are crucial during these times and we felt that providing a little joy on the holiday was the least we could do for the soldiers.”

The OU is sponsoring this program by providing its own funding and by going to its constituency for additional resources in response to a request from the Israel Defense Forces Rabbinate and the Agudah Lema’an Hachayal (Association for the Well-Being of Israel’s Soldiers) to provide assistance. The OU has called for contributions over the next two weeks of at least $36 from individuals and of at least $500 from OU member synagogues. For that $500, an OU synagogue becomes a sponsor of the program and will receive Tefillah L’Chayalei Tzahal (Prayer for Israel’s Soldiers) cards for each of its congregants, as well as a certificate of appreciation and recognition on the OU website. Contributions may be made by credit card at www.ou.org.

The OU has announced that there is no overhead in the program, and that every dollar raised will be used for the benefit of the IDF soldiers.

OU members in Israel are already assisting the program through the efforts of the Seymour J. Abrams OU Jerusalem World Center. Together with the many hundreds of OU members and their families who are expected to visit Israel during Sukkot, they are being encouraged to attend the celebrations. For times and locations, call the OU Center at 011-972-2-561-7432.

“Our leadership responded positively and at once when we were asked to support this program, declared OU President Harvey Blitz. “We are calling upon OU members and non–members alike, as well OU synagogues -- and indeed, all of those who feel an emotional attachment to these brave young men and women who are protecting our homeland in these troubled times -- to make a contribution to this program and to bring joy to our soldiers.”

The Simchat Bet Hasho’evah dates back to the first Temple in Jerusalem, in which there was a joyous water drawing ceremony on Sukkot. Minus the water drawing, the festivities now take place as a sukkah party.

Sweetening the lives of IDF soldiers is nothing new for the OU. Two years ago, it established the Tefillah L’Chayalei Tzahal program with the goal of selling at $1 apiece 100,000 credit card-sized cards featuring the MiSheberach Lema’an Hachayal – the Prayer for the Israel Defense Forces – to be recited daily. The program is well on the way to its goal, and at Rosh Hashanah a year ago and at Passover this year, the OU sent substantial checks to the American Friends of the Israel Rabbinate to initiate a distribution process to soldiers in need which was overseen by base commanders, welfare officers and base chaplains.

The Simchat Bet Hasho’evah program is the next step in the OU’s efforts on behalf of Israeli military personnel. The two programs are related, according to Howard Rhine, OU Senior Vice President, Chair of its Israel Task Force Initiative, and the originator of the Prayer Card program. “Above all, we must use the holiday season to pray for the safety of the men and women who defend Israel – and who thereby defend all of us. But in addition, we want to provide joy at Sukkot to these young men and women. That is the purpose behind this program,” said Mr. Rhine.

In addition to credit card contributions via www.ou.org, checks may be made out to “Orthodox Union IDF Campaign” and sent to the Orthodox Union, Attention: Batya Harris, at 11 Broadway, New York, NY, 10004. For further information, contact Batya Harris at 212-613-8154, or harrisb@ou.org.

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