I9: Israeli Politics

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Pursuing Peace

The Hebrew word "shalom" means peace and is used
to say Hello and Goodbye too. Peace is so ingrained
in Jewish culture that we greet each other and part
from each other with peace.

In the Psalms, there is a revealing verse about peace: "God will give strength to His nation, God will bless His nation with peace" (Psalms 29:11) What is the connection between strength and peace? Being peaceful and being tough seem to be opposites. However, this verse is talking about achieving peace. Have you ever tried to break up a fight? Have you ever tried to reunite people who have started to hate each other? Have you ever tried to sort out a dispute without prejudicing either side? If you have tried any of these then you'll know that achieving peace is extremely difficult. It takes great strength not give up when one side turns on you, or when you are disillusioned with people's commitment to real peace, or when you just can't see a viable solution. That is why we ask God to give us strength so that we may be blessed with peace.

Where to find more

Here are a few ways to get up-to-the-minute information about the situation in Israel:

· Contact your local Makor or Shaliach (see Contacts Update) and ask them for information

· Read the newspapers and watch the News on TV

· Look up the following internet addresses:

http://tqd.advanced.org/3526/ - This site explores Peace in the Middle East and includes a trivia game.

http://www.jpost.com, http://www.haaretzdaily.com - News Updates from Israel's English daily papers, the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz.

The best resource can be found by looking at the site http://www.ort.org/jeworld/jeworld.htm and then clicking on the icon called MAVEN. Under the category of Peace process or News you will find dozens of useful sites.
Happy surfing!!!

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