Membership & Community
Timely and Urgent Resources on Israel Education
and for Financial Support
As you read and learn, continue to explore your questions with reliable internet searches. If you have questions about anything you might encounter, please reach out and ask us at info@beth-israel.org.
Donate now to the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston\’s Israel Emergency Fund. Click here for the Jewish Federation’s Countering Misinformation Around Israel ad that was published in the Houston Chronicle on March 24, 2024.
Visit Congregation Beth Israel’s Advocacy Committee page to learn more about how to get involved with Israel Advocacy.
TEMPLE PROGRAMS
> January 9-10, 2026
Shabbat with Rabbi Michael Marmur, Former Provost of the HUC-JIR campus in Jerusalem
TIMELY RESOURCES
> Matti Friedman: Is Gaza Starving? Searching for the Truth in an Information War. (The Free Press, July 27, 2025)
> Once again, Israel tried to restrict Gaza aid. Once again, its policy failed miserably (The Times of Israel, July 28, 2025)
> The Times of Israel Daily Briefing Podcast: A deep dive into Israel and the Jewish World
> Bret Stephens: No, Israel is Not Committing Genocide (The New York Times, July 22, 2025)
STIPENDS FOR ISRAEL TRAVEL
The following are trips to Israel for Congregation Beth Israel teens and adults. Please contact Martha Barvin Martha.Barvin@gmail.com or David Scott DScott@Beth-Israel.org for further information. The deadline for applying for scholarships is March 1, 2026.
- Jewish National Fund (JNF) Volunteer in Israel – 4 Day Missions
$3,000 per person for single OR double occupancy. Plus airfare
Must be age 18 or older.
Must be physically and psychologically able to perform the tasks required for 4-6 hours per day.
Trips are available throughout the year.
Volunteer in Israel: 4 Day Mission – Jewish National Fund USA
- SAR-EL Volunteer in Israel – 5 Days to a few weeks
The Sar-El programs offer prospective volunteers an opportunity to live and work on IDF bases to gain an insider view of Israel. Volunteers work alongside soldiers, base employees, and other volunteers, performing non-combat support duties such as packing medical supplies, checking and repairing machinery and equipment; as well as cleaning, painting, and maintaining bases.
The cost is one week $250 and additional weeks are $60 up to 6 weeks. Plus airfare.
Ages 17 and above (16 years if accompanied by a parent).
Trips are available throughout the year. SAR-EL – The National Project for Volunteers for Israel
https://www.sar-el.org/magen-david-adom/
https://www.sar-el.org/krav-maga/
- Volunteers for Israel
Volunteers for Israel’s mission is to connect Americans to Israel through volunteer service. We achieve this goal by collaborating with Israeli organizations that enable volunteers to work side-by-side with Israelis.
$2,042 to $2700 per person double occupancy ($235 single supplement). Plus airfare (15% El Al discount)
Ages are based on each program
9-day all-inclusive program
Each volunteer program has its own pricing and tour dates.
- Birthright Volunteers – 8 and 14 day trips
Ages 18 to 50 years
$600 from “gateway airports/NY, LA…” in the USA. Accommodation and airfare included. They will give you $100 per week for food.
Trips are available throughout the year.
https://birthrightisraelvolunteer.com/?utm_source=BRI_website&utm_medium=top_navigation
- Kehillah High – Houston Teen Israel Experience
Current for 10th, 11th and 12th graders
21 Days from June 10 to July 1, 2026
Cost is $2500, which includes airfare.
Deadline to apply Feb 27 2026.
https://www.kehillahhouston.org/israel-trip-2026.html
VIDEOS
Our Israel 101 Series Recordings:
> December 3rd featuring Johnny Landa
> December 17th featuring Lyana Rotstein
www.jewishunpacked.com
UnPacked for Jewish Educators – website committed to Israel education
icenter.org
Educational resources, webinars, and videos.
Stand With Us Youtube
Advocacy website and YouTube channel with educational videos
www.IsraeliSoldiersProject.org
Give Israeli troops the gift of a good night\’s sleep by providing bed-boxes (brand new, low-cost, durable, portable, and waterproof beds that elevate soldiers off the ground for a warmer, drier night\’s sleep).
RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES:
> How to Talk to Kids about What\’s Happening in Israel Right Now
> How to Talk to Kids about the Israel-Hamas War
> How to Explain the Israel-Palestine Conflict to Kids
WEBSITES
www.aipac.org
America must give Israel the time, resources, and support it needs to win this war and achieve its objectives: destroy Hamas’ terror capabilities, drive the group from power, and free the hostages.
www.honestreporting.com
We embrace the principle that a healthy democracy requires a well-informed citizenry. Accordingly, the mission of HonestReporting is to ensure truth, integrity and fairness, and to combat ideological prejudice in journalism and the media, as it impacts Israel. We engage the next generation and educate the public to understand and value the above aspirations.
www.algemeiner.com
The Algemeiner, a global news destination published online and in print, serves as an independent media voice covering the Middle East, Israel and matters of Jewish interest around the world. It was founded in 1972 by famed journalist Gershon Jacobson as Der Algemeiner Journal and was originally published in Yiddish. In 2008, Dovid Efune was named Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director. In 2012, he launched Algemeiner.com. Algemeiner is a Yiddish/German word that means “universal” or “all inclusive.”
www.timesofisrael.com
The Times of Israel is a Jerusalem-based online newspaper founded in 2012 to document developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world. The Times of Israel has no partisan political affiliation. It seeks to present the news fair-mindedly and offers a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces.
www.reform.org.il (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism)
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is the communal, spiritual and social Jewish movement that acts to promote the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state according to the spirit of the Declaration of Independence, enriches Jewish identity among the vast and diverse Israeli public, and merits to significantly influence religious, educational and public discourse in the State of Israel and in the entire Jewish world.
www.fidf.org (Friends of the IDF)
> Purpose: To champion the courageous men and women of the IDF and care for their needs through transformational opportunities and support as they protect the State of Israel and her people.
> Vision: To secure the survival of Israel, providing a thriving homeland for Jews worldwide.
> Mission: We transform the lives of the young men and women of the IDF through empowering educational, financial, well-being, and cultural initiatives.
www.israelrescue.org (United Hatzalah)
We are a community-based volunteer emergency medical services (EMS) organization committed to providing the fastest response to medical emergencies across Israel even prior the arrival of ambulances and completely free of charge.
www.ajc.org (American Jewish Committee)
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. We work to shape a brighter future by taking on the toughest challenges and pursuing the most transformative opportunities. Through our unparalleled global network of offices, institutes, and international partnerships, AJC engages with leaders at the highest levels ofgovernment and civil society to counter antisemitism, open new doors for Israel, and advance democratic values.
www.myjewishlearning.com/article/modern-israeli-history-a-timeline/
My Jewish Learning is all about empowering Jewish discovery for anyone interested in learning more. My Jewish Learning was launched in 2003 and is now a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest nonprofit, nondenominational Jewish media organization in North America.
https://danielgordis.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share
Israel from the Inside with Rabbi Daniel Gordis
https://www.jta.org/
Jewish Telegraphic Agency – subscribe to the Daily Briefing
https://www.jcpa.org/
Daily Alert – Project of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Subscribe to daily e-mails here: https://jcpa.org/newsletter-subscribe/
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Click here for a comprehensive list of books about Israel, available at the Schachtel Library.
> David Friedman, Former US Ambassador to Israel, One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2024) – Available at The Schachtel Library
> Rabbi Daniel Gordis, Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After its Creation Has Israel Fulfilled its Founders’ Dreams? (2023)
> Rabbi Daniel Gordis, Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn
> Yossi Klein Halevi, Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor
> Walter Laqueur & Dan Schueftan, ed., The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict (2016)
> Bernard-Henri Lévy, Israel Alone (2024) – Available at The Schachtel Library
> Deborah E. Lipstadt, Golda: Israel’s Matriarch (2023)
> Dennis Ross, Doomed to Succeed (2015)
> Dan Senor and Saul Singer, The Genius of Israel: The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World (2023)
> Ari Shavit, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel (2013)
> Amir Tibon, The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel\’s Borderlands (2024) – Available at The Schachtel Library
> Dr. Einat Wilf, We Should All Be Zionists: Essays on the Jewish State and the Path to Peace (2022)
ADDITIONAL LITERATURE
> Passover Handout: Israel-themed resources to enhance your Seder experience
> CCAR Passover Haggadah Supplement
> A poem by Tamary Lia Baz, “Birth and Becoming”
> \”I am a Jew\” by Edmond Fleg (1927)