GIVING TUESDAY
NOVEMBER 28, 2023
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי
Am Yisrael Chai:
The People of Israel Live
Giving Tuesday, November 28,
is the most generous day of the year, and we invite you to partner with USIEA and support our work and Israel in this crucial time.
We must do all that we can to support G-d’s chosen people and nation.
Join the global generosity movement that encourages people to support nonprofits and give back.
Everyone has something to give, and every act of generosity counts.
Your gift will be matched up to $18,000.
Your gift will go towards:
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USIEA's Congressional Tours
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There is interest from our U.S. Congress to visit Israel at this time and be educated on the complexities of the region and their role.
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USIEA facilitates bipartisan Congressional tours to Israel and empowers U.S. leaders with innovative initiatives on the path to Middle East peace, connects Members of Congress with direct access to West Bank visits, and educates as thought leaders in the media and through strategic global partnerships.
2. USIEA's Capitol Hill Education
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USIEA interacts on a regular and personal basis with members of Congress and their staff to educate and inform on the foremost initiatives related to the U.S.-Israel partnership.
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We offer different perspectives to help members of Congress assess complex issues affecting the United States and Israel.
3. Thought Leadership
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There is a lack of balanced public information available on Israel. Most media, and even some government resources, are flooded with biased opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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To counter this, USIEA has resourcefully stepped up as a thought leader and expert on the topic to provide an unbiased educational voice on these issues.
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USIEA is engaged in providing advanced education to the press on local, national, and international levels, and our fellows have appeared on podcasts, news specials, and various other forms of media.
USIEA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER BIBI NETANYAHU
USIEA ON CAPITOL HILL WITH REP. RANDY WEBER AND REP. MARIO DIAZ-BALART
HEATHER JOHNSTON, USIEA FOUNDER & CEO, ON THE ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS SHOW
"The Meaning of Chai" by Ari Sacher
Many Jews typically give charity (and gifts) in multiples of 18 dollars (e.g. 18, 36, 54, 72 etc.) On a simple level, this is because the numeric value of the Hebrew word “chai,” which means “life,” is 18.
We are thus symbolically blessing both the recipient and the giver with good, long lives. It is unclear when or where this custom originated, but one classic example dates back to the 1700s when, on multiple occasions, Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, better known as the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism, instructed people to donate in multiples of 18, using the term chai, promising his followers that giving charity would be rewarded with a long life.
What, then, do we mean when we shout “Am Yisrael Chai” – “The Nation of Israel lives”?
Ari Sacher
USIEA Senior Policy Advisor and Chief Systems Engineer of Iron Dome
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, the Rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue, explains that as a slogan, “Am Yisrael Chai” affirms that despite the systematic attempts to exterminate and annihilate the Jewish people, thanks to G-d’s guiding hand and the tenacity and resilience of the Jewish People, we stubbornly persevere.
G-d has made an eternal covenant with the Jewish People; He has their back. “Am Yisrael Chai” links our finite world with the infinite world of G-d.
The Jewish People do not “live” merely because after two thousand years of exile we have returned to our ancient homeland. We do not “live” merely because we are the startup nation that has invented Iron Dome, Waze, and Soda Stream.
We “live” because G-d has promised us [Leviticus 26:12] “I will walk among you and be your G-d, and you will be My people.”
Come what may, through thick and thin, through the Romans, the Nazis, and the Hamas, He is our G-d and we are His people.
