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Passion
and faith as well as common sense, guts, integrity, tenacity, business, leadership
and people skills (plus luck and good health) are shared characteristics
of the women included
in Portraits in Passion: Vision and Values of American-Israeli Women,
Anita Jacobs, author of the recently published book, told @TheSource Israel.
``Passion and faith fuel success'' and these women all have faith
in themselves, in people generally and in the future of the State of Israel.
``Values enrich success'' she continued, and identified four key values
she found these women share: ``kol yisrael aravim z'lzeh'' -- all Israel
is
responsible for one another; kavod ha'brit -- respect for one another; inclusiveness
-- reaching out to the entire community; education; and diligence. The stories
are inspiring and motivating and each demonstrates the power of an individual
to make the
world a better place.
The book includes the stories of twenty-one women including Judith Edelman-Green,
who created a program enabling special needs children to become bnai
mitzvah;
Sari Rivkin, founder of Yedid: The Association for Community Empowerment,
assisting the disenfranchised to secure government services, educating them
on the values of democracy and pluralism, and
advocating policy changes on their behalf and Barbara Bloom
Silverman, who created A Package from Home, sending thousands
of care packages to combat soldiers and to soldiers without families in Israel.
Dr. Jacobs identifies ``American know-how'' as key to their successes.
Although it is probable that all would have been outstanding achievers in
the US, she thinks that their missions
would not have been as well defined. Anita Jacobs hopes that the women will
serve as role models for bat mitzvah age girls as they think about their
futures and the contributions they will make to their communities.
While she hopes to ultimately produce a video about these women's work,
until that time this book can be used as a resource in religious schools,
bat mitzvah classes, and seminars. Dr. Jacobs conducted her research in 2001
as a Melton Senior Educator Fellow
at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is currently the president of
the National Center for Effective Speaking and is the former director of
the New Jersey-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
Text by Deborah Rosenbloom.
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Updated contact information will be sent
Click here to buy a book by Anita Jacobs from Amazon US