I have received many emails and phone calls from people – all over the world – asking me the same question: “What can we do, from where we live, to help our beloved Eretz Yisrael during this difficult time? Here’s my answer: (Thanks to my daughter, Nava, for brainstorming these ideas with me and by the way, 11 in gematria is “Aleph” + “Yud” – Eretz Yisrael!)
Add something extra to your davening. If you normally do not say all of the prayers, this would be a perfect time to start saying one of the ones you skip and if you do say them all, add something during Shemona Esrei or after Aleynu. Hashem loves when you talk to Him and He’s listening… so now is the time to say those few extra, yet powerful, words.
We have all heard of the magic of Tehillim but we tend to keep saying the same ones over and over again. Take a look at your Tehillim book and you will see that it is divided in two different ways; 7 days (around 20 chapters each day) or 30 days (just 5 chapters each day). Try doing this one time. Set aside the time and just JEW it… I mean DO it! If you select the monthly option, it will take less than 10 minutes each day and you will finish the complete Tehillim in one month. Amazing!
We seriously believe that all Jews are connected and therefore, someone who does a Mitzvah in Australia, Ecuador or Canada helps his/her fellow Jews all across the globe. Therefore, during these critical days, we need all of the Mitzvot we can get, so please… do something extra and “wire-transfer” the credit of that Mitzvah to your brothers and sisters in Sderot and Ashkelon and to the IDF soldiers in Gaza.
Am Yisrael is based on chesed and one of the best things to do is an act of chesed that you were not planning to do. When is the last time you called an elderly neighbor who is living alone? How about helping to clean after the Shul’s kiddush? Or maybe offering to drive someone to the hospital to visit a loved one? The list is endless and the chesed is priceless.
What are today’s two most powerful words? Social media! Spend time and post/forward good, positive articles/videos about the situation in Israel. Use every tool possible including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsAPP, Telegram, Instagram, Snapchat and even Tik Tok. Email articles to friends and lists and tell them to share and forward as well. The anti-Israel people are very active on social media and we must do whatever we can to combat them.
Educate yourself regarding the situation. Learn the history and facts and make sure you know the truth! Most of what you read and hear is fake news and total lies. You must know what is really going on so stop watching Shteisel and learn about real people in Israel. There is a tremendous amount of information available at your fingertips so please invest the time to study it. It’s well worth the effort.
Make sure your shul is saying both the prayer for the State of Israel as well as the prayer for the IDF soldiers. If your shul normally does not say both of these prayers, impress upon your Rabbi that now is the time to change that!
While on the subject of your Rabbi, allow me to suggest that you urge him to speak to the community about Israel. Unfortunately, many Rabbonim today do not mention Israel… so where should we find the truth? CNN? Where will our teenagers receive their education about Eretz Yisrael? From the liberal professors in university? Our community Rabbis must guide us and if you need to give them a gentle, respectful push, then do it!
I can guarantee – 100% - that your inbox will be filled with dozens of fundraising emails about giving money to causes in Israel. Trust me that I am the last guy on the planet to convince anyone not to give to Israeli causes, but I just want to warn you about scams. Yes, give money – now, more than ever! – but only to organizations you are familiar with and trust. Immediately after the Meron disaster, before the funerals even started, people were raising money “to help the families”… and many of these were dishonest and without authorization. The same will be true now so please make sure you give your hard earned dollars to places with proven track records. Allow me to repeat this; Many worthy organizations indeed need money, so please help them, but only those you know and trust.
This is probably the last thing on your mind, but if you truly want to help Israel, start planning your next trip! Tell your family and friends that you are coming to visit soon… and watch them smile and gain tremendous strength. Nobody wants to feel alone and abandoned so plan that trip and give incredible chizuk beyond what you can ever imagine!
My final suggestion is something completely different. Every time Israel is involved in situations such as these, anti-Semitism soars higher around the world. In the last week alone, anti-Semitic acts have tripled in the UK and I expect that number to be the same in Europe and North America as well. University campuses in the USA and Canada will experience new waves of violence against Jews so please; learn how to defend yourself and use every legal measure possible to keep yourself, your family and your property safe. Israel will be taking very severe measures against Hamas in the coming days and the anti-Israel, Jew haters will attempt to punish their local Jewish neighbors. Therefore, be vigilant and on high-alert and make sure you prevent attacks… which are definitely on their way.
Dearest friends, I could have added many more things to this list, but I wanted to focus on these 11. From prayer - to chesed - to education – to social media and all the way to defending Jewish lives and property around the world, I urge you to take these 11 suggestions seriously. The Jewish people are strong and undefeatable… but only when we stand together. May Hashem annihilate and destroy our enemies while protecting us from harm!
Am Yisrael Chai!
Shmuel Sackett is the Founder and Director of the Am Yisrael Chai Fund, which supports agricultural, educational and building projects across Eretz Yisrael.
www.AmYisraelChaiFund.org