Chaverim Yekarim,
 
This past week we celebrated Tisha Be'av. We learned from Jewish sources why Tisha Be'av was declared a day of mourning. The emphasis was put on the idea that senseless "hatred" between brothers led to the Destruction of the Temple and that "senseless" love among Jews will bring our Redemption.
 
In three days we will celebrate "Tu Be'av" (the 15th of Av), the holiday of Love. We have a great deal planned for the event. We will set speakers in the building and Hebrew love songs will be played. Children in our summer day camp will hand flowers to visitors. In the evening everybody is invited to our folk dancing class, free of charge.
 
On August 9-10, we will have our first Ecological Forum:

Awareness regarding ecological issues such as the quality of the environment is slowly increasing in Israel. This issue has become very prominent in many countries, but it seems as though in Israel it took a while for it to sink in. Most Israelis are burdened by security and financial matters and caring about the environment has not been very high on their list of priorities. This is changing. It is very hard to ignore environmental problems for long.  The 2005 Environmental Poverty Report, handed to the Israeli president, presents disturbing facts, for example:

• The State of Israel does not reinforce standards of water quality compared to other western countries
• Cellular companies set antennae next to elderly citizens' homes (taking advantage of the weakness of the tenants).
  

The ecological forum at Or Hadash will be held in cooperation with the Society for the Protection of Nature and with one of the most active ecologists in Israel, Marsha Reznick from Hadassa in Israel.

Dr. Yishai Lachter will be giving a lecture about Judaism and ecology with a representative from the Society for the Protection of Nature. Al Gore's documentary on global warming will be screened.

On August 10th we will have an ecological Kabalat Shabbat including a nature dance by our summer camp children (choreographed by Or Hadash board member, Pnina Sohetzky) and an ecologically-themed sermon for Shabbat.
 
Our youth madricha, Shira Rotbart, is just about to join the IDF as a paramedic instructor. Shira is the granddaughter of Teah and Nehamia Aharon, an Or Hadash Immediate Past President and founder. As her mother, Michal z"l did, Shira celebrated her bat mitzvah at Or Hadash, was very active with our youth group for many years and went on the first Or Hadash mission to visit our sister congregations in the Boston Area. Shira has been working at the Or Hadash summer camp for the past two years and the children love her.

In the farewell party we organized for Shira, our campers (ages 7-8) had a chance to say a few words. Here are some of their comments: "I hope you don't get hurt during your army service", "I hope you have interesting tasks during your service ", "I will miss you a lot".

We wish her all the best in her IDF service!
 
Or Hadash staff and members warmly welcome our dear friends, Abby Joseph and David Cohen and their daughters Ellen and Lauren Cohen who came to Or Hadash for a special occasion: The Bar Mitzvah of Gil Berger, son of our board member, Shlomit and her husband, Rudi. Our thanks go to our dedicated and generous friends and Mazal Tov to the Berger family.
 
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom and a romantic Tu Be'av.
 
Edgar