Shalom chaverim!

I hope everybody is as happy as I am to be a part of this wonderful Delaware Jewish community. I know that I am having the most wonderful time meeting everyone here and finding out just how much all of you are interested in Israel.

I recently experienced my very first Thanksgiving. It was such an incredible experience that I wondered why we don't have this kind of a holyday in Israel? And then, I remembered that every holyday in Israel is like Thanksgiving - an occasion to express our gratitude to G-d for giving us a land where we can live freely as Jews!

Last week, I had an amazing experience on the University of Delaware campus. I was honored to participate in a joint event sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and the Student Life Board of the Kristol Center for Jewish Life (Hillel), which benefited Pakistan earthquake relief efforts.

Muslim students on campus felt a special kinship with the victims of this devastating natural disaster. They emailed all the student organizations seeking co-sponsors for a fundraising event. Hillel was the only campus group to respond. According to Susan Detwiler, Hillel executive director, the November 29th CommUnity Earthquake Relief Dinner raised more than $400 for earthquake relief, with the funds being sent to the President's Relief Fund at the Pakistani Embassy.

Both groups cooked together in the Kristol Hillel Center's kitchen, learning about each other's foods and customs. They each made soup, and supplemented it with ethnic specialties. The Hillel contribution was a pareve Matzoh Ball soup, a sweet kugel, pita with hummous, and rugelach. The Muslim students contributed a spicy tomato soup, several vegetable dishes, and honey balls.

More than 75 people attended the program, with students and community members from the Jewish, Muslim, Catholic and other Christian faith traditions.

In the words of Anum Mallick, President of the Muslim Students Association, "Thank you for opening your doors, your kitchen, your friendship...I truly felt loved and appreciated."

I helped the Hillel students make posters that explained how Israel welcomes people from many cultures and celebrates diversity. Although it seems ironic, Israel is the place where Arabs and Israelis can live together in peace. In our sister city of Arad, the Bedouins live nearby. In Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other major Israeli cities, Jews, Arabs and Christians live as neighbors.

Israel's major sport is soccer and three Arab Israeli players are celebrated as star players because they scored goals in crunch times. The field of politics is another arena where Arab Israelis are well represented. Arab Israelis constitute a full 10 percent of the Israeli Parliament.

Israel tries every day to cope with the needs and demands of the diverse groups that live within its borders. While I have to be honest and say that not everything is perfect, one has to remember that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and has been in existence for just 58 years! Despite its youth, Israel exerts a tremendous impact on advances in the fields of science, medicine, agriculture and high technology. Almost every day there is news about a product or service invented by Israelis.

The CommUnity event emphasizes the potential for Arab and Israelis to work together to make a difference in peoples' lives. I feel confident that our young people are committed to seeking peace - what a wonderful sentiment as we celebrate Shabbat!

• Please join me for the following Delaware community events:

• Chanukah Choopla- 12/11

• Israeli movie-Congregation Beth Emeth-12/11

• Lunch-Beth Emeth-12/14

• BBYO bumper sticker song program-12/14

• Conversational Hebrew class-12/13

• Say Hello at Temple Beth El in Newark -12/13

• Gratz Shabbaton-Congregation Beth Shalom 12-16/12-17

• Cook for a friend an Israeli dish at the JCC-12/22

Until next time,
Shabbat Shalom