supporting Israel by Spencer Kent and Gabriella Ring Buy Israeli ith Israel's 60th anniversary upon us, you might wonder what you can do here at home to help our beloved country. One great thing about globalization is that products made on one side of the world are becoming easily accessible to another. Buying Israeli products essentially supports Israel because exported product revenues go back to the country of origin. An increasing number of services and goods are labeled "Made in Israel" and sorting through them all can become hectic, so we've selected a few of our favorites. { Dead Sea Products A wide variety of skin care products originate from Israel's Dead Sea minerals. Its natural mineral concentration is the highest in the world at 32 percent. AHAVA (ahava.com) is the most recogniz- able. Care and Beauty Line (careandbeauty.com ), Belmon Ltd. (www.belmon.coll/), Dr. Nona International Ltd. (http://drnona.net/webusa/) are brands that also utilize the unique water. {MF} The Jewish National Fund's tree planting pro- gram is an excellent way to give back to Israel and help shape its landscape. Through the JNF's Web site at wwwjriforg, visitors may purchase a tree in honor of a special occasion. The cost is $18; a certificate is mailed to the giver or recipient. Teens can show support through what they buy. state now can be found all year-round. Nearly all U.S. grocery stores sell bagels, lox, pita, hummus, matzah and challah. One local grocery chain carries about 300 Israeli-made foods on its shelves. Jim Hiller, owner of Hiller's Markets in Metro Detroit, is proud to support Israel by bringing these products to lo- cal consumers — even though it meant suffering some anti- Israel picketing at his Arm Arbor store. "The products are mostly unadulterated and as fresh as possible given the distance they travel to our store shelves," Hiller said. "Everything grows in Israel, where the climate and terrain vary from north to south. It may be a tiny country, but it produces virtually a taste of everything. "I support Israel because it is my responsibility and my honor to support the world's one tiny Jewish nation and refuge half a world away." For real Israeli food, you don't have to go to Israel. Try some falafel, shwarma or shnitzel at Yossi's Israeli Cui- sine, 7325 Orchard Lake Road, Robin's Nest Plaza, West Bloomfield. You can even practice your Hebrew with own- er Yossi Benjamin. visited Israel. They may never float in the Dead Sea or hike up Masada, but now they can have their wishes and prayers placed between the ancient stones of the Western Wall. The Web site letter2god. corn allows people to have their prayers tucked into the stones with literally the click of a but- ton. The best part is you can have a prayer sent from your home com- puter, saving you a 14-hour plane ride for the small price of just $9.99. { Buy Israel Web sites } After the second intifada (Pales- tinian uprising) in 2000, fewer visitors came to Israel and stores and artists suffered. Some came together to form non-profit Web sites promoting Israeli-made items includ- ing art and ritual objects. Check these out: shopinisrael. corn, buyisraelgoods.com, buyblueandwhite.com . Go to http://middleeastfacts.com/mef buy-israeli-products.php for a directory of other Web sites. Spencer Kent, 18, is a senior at Birmingham Groves High School and Gabriella Ring, 14, Israeli Food and Hiller's Market } Jewish cuisine often comes tied to holidays, but products from the Jewish Letter2god.com } According to the Jewish Agency Is a freshman at Berkley High for Israel, 60 percent of American Jews have never School. take action by Adina Applebaum and Rachel Margolin Becoming Advocates: Expert teaches teens to stand up for Israel. "You are the people that can make the difference, and repeat these false conclu- the tips I learned from Mr. Lazarus, I can help I mean that with all sincerity," Neil Lazarus to a group sions to plant them inside to change those strong opinions." of 15- to 17-year-olds who had come to learn about people's minds. Most of the becoming leaders in Israel advocacy. Lazarus concluded the program by explain- 1. Don't explain, market 2. Don't be afraid to say time, he said, people do not ing to teens that the best way to make a dif- Lazarus, a native of England who moved to Israel understand the real issue, but ference is to be a history maker, and not a 20 years ago, is a professional Israel advocate. His just believe what the media bystander. If you see something that's wrong, job includes talking to teens worldwide, conducting tell them. don't be afraid to speak up and change it. advocacy workshops and explaining why ft is so im- portant to support Israel. He did explain, however, By the time the program had ended, the that advocating for Israel is an overall consensus was positive. Kallie Alpiner, At a workshop sponsored by the Jewish Commu- easier process than most may 15, of Franklin summed up this feeling perfectly nity Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit, Laza- think. One tip he mentioned is when she said, The tips I learned for Israel rus spoke about the prevalence of propaganda in the to talk about something peo- Nell Lazarus advocacy will help me as I go out into the real news media worldwide and how people are manipu- pie can relate to. Persuasion, world and come face to face with people who lated into believing false information about Israel. An idea he stressed was the importance of being able to find the truth in what you see. It is vital to look beyond what's first presented. he said, is about the power of direction, and thus, teens should use stories and personal examples to get their points across. Another tip to help teens advocate for Israel is to Advocacy Tips don't have the same support for Israel as I do." If there was one thing students understood from the program, it was that they can make a difference because if they don't, no one else will. someone is wrong. Ft's OK to contradict someone. 3. Be positive. Talk about the future, not the past. 4. if you watch the news media, question them. 5. if you don't know something, look it up. it's not so hard. 6. Ask for a solution. 7. To answer a media question, remember H.A.R.M. H - Hear the question One example is the claim that Israel exists as talk about the future of Israel and not the past. Men- an apartheid state. Apartheid is a racist system that tion the positive things Israel is doing now and not the originated in South Africa; and many people claim that advancements they made 30 years ago. Additionally, Adina Applebaum, just as South Africans once gave black African fewer it is important to be positive and not be afraid to ad- 16, and Rachel Mar- To contact Neil Lazarus: log rights than whites, so, too, is Israel denying Arabs mit someone is wrong. golin, 15, are sopho- onto www.awesomeseminars. mores at the Frankel com. E-mail him at their rights as Israeli citizens. Justin Polk, 16, of Walled Lake said, "It was eye- You all are the pioneers are tomorrow," Lazarus told his audience. { R - Reframe the question Lazarus explained that the media often use unre- opening to see the ways young kids are brainwashed Jewish Academy in lated facts to come to untrue conclusions and then into believing anti-Israel propaganda. I hope that with West Bloomfield. B2 teen2teen May • 2008 A - Assess the question M - Message delivered nell@awesomeseminars.com