Israel Resources

Chag Sameach!
Many of the Jewish holidays we celebrate relate to Israel, so use these holidays as opportunities for great Israel programs! For most holidays, you can determine the differences between Israeli and American customs and try to incorporate both in your celebrations.

Here are some other ideas for Israel programs for holidays:

Tu B'Shevat:

• Plant a tree in Israel
• Hold a Tu B'Shevat Seder
• Have a contest to see who can raise more money to plant trees (offer an award for the winner)
• Decorate tzedakah boxes to collect money for trees
• Organize a contest among the different organizations in your shul (i.e. Sisterhood, Men's Club, USY...) to see who can plant the most trees in Israel
• Plant one of each of the seven species
• Eat the seven species
• Go on a nature hike and look for plants that grow here and in Israel
• Participate in JNF's plant your way to Israel program

Chanukah:

• Purchase Israeli dreidels that say "Nes Gadol Hayah Po" (a great miracle happened here)
• Have a dreidel contest; serve sufganyot (jelly doughnuts) instead of latkes.

Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day):

• Hold a ceremony on your own or go to a community wide ceremony
• Bring a speaker into your chapter who was in a war/ a soldier in the Israeli army
• Have a moment of silence
• Talk about the purpose of Tzahal (IDF)

Yom Ha'Atzmaut:

• Hold a somber, meaningful memorial ceremony for Yom Hazikaron, which is the day before Yom Ha'Atzmaut, and follow it up with an exciting, spirited Yom Ha'Atzmaut carnival
• Eat Israeli food
• Do Israeli dances and/or sing Israeli songs
• Discuss the importance of having a Jewish state
• Watch a movie such as Cast a Giant Shadow about the War of Independence in 1948

Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day):

• Watch a movie about the Holocaust
• Get the perspective on a holocaust survivor about the connection between the Holocaust and the formation of Israel
• Have a moment of silence
• Have someone who worked on a boat such as the Exodus come speak to the group
• Watch Exodus
• Go to a community wide ceremony
• Hold your own USY tekes (assembly) including a moment of silence, lighting six candles, meaningful readings and recitations, appropriate music, and slides from people who went to Poland or Eastern Europe and Israel on Pilgrimage

Yom Yerushalayim:

• Build a mock Kotel in your youth lounge: discuss the importance of it, and have USYers write notes for the Kotel that a future Pilgrim can bring to Israel
• Almost anything can be done with this: a festival, flags, speakers, discussions on divided Jerusalem
• Talk about the regaining of Jerusalem in 1967 and its historical significance
• Send out cards to members of HeChalutzim in honor of the holiday

Purim:

• Discuss how Jews around the world, especially in Israel, celebrate Purim in similar and different ways

Pesach, Sukkot, and Shavuot:

• Have a shalosh regalim (3 festivals) ceremony and go up to Jerusalem in a parade like the time of the real shalosh regalim, where Jews made a Pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem