SHABBAT SHALOM GREETINGS

UNITE TO IGNITE!

“When one flame ignites another, the flame does not diminish, together the flames shine more brightly.”

UNITE TO IGNITE is our way of life at Jewish Girls Unite and it is the theme for our upcoming Jewish Girls Winter Retreat. We are repeating the theme of the winter retreat during the last “Hakhel - Unity” Year in 2008. We are so excited for another Grand “Hakhel" Retreat (see flyer below), which will also include an Alumnae Reunion, to foster unity between Jewish girls of all ages and backgrounds.

"Here are several heartwarming examples that illustrate the beautiful meaning of the theme, "Unite to Ignite".

Last Wednesday, "Chayelet" Chaya Winterfield, a soldier in Israel stayed up until 2 am to be a guest at our JGU Online Class. She united with Jewish girls from across the globe to ignite our souls. She shared with us that during the Gaza war she was stationed to guard at one of the borders. One Friday night, she found a metal box to light Shabbat candles. Chaya invited two soldiers who had never lit Shabbat candles to light with her. One girl declined the invitation because she didn’t know the blessing. Chaya united their voices to recite the blessing word for word and ignited their connection to G-d. In tough times, out in the field and in middle of no where, Jewish Girls united to ignite the Shabbat candles and dispel the darkness.

"Unite to Ignite" is our way of life at Jewish Girls Unite! Here’s how it all began….

Ten Years ago, Leah (Larson) Caras, at the young age of 14 was publisher of Yaldah Magazine and an Alumna of the Bat Mitzvah Camp. She united with directors, Rabbi Avraham and Nechama Laber to create the first Jewish Girls Winter Retreat in Lake George, NY. Leah gave of her time and talents and designed the first logo, website and flyer for JGR. Mazal Tov to 10 years of uniting Jewish girls and igniting their souls!

Today, Leah is the founder of CarasmaticDesign.com and the webmaster for JewishGirlsUnite.com and will be honored with the first YALDAH Achievement Award at the upcoming Winter Retreat.

"Unite to Ignite” is our way of life at Jewish Girls Unite! Here’s another living example…

The talented Racheli Jacks (Nechama’s sister) of WorldofHarmony.net united with us and composed original songs for our winter and summer camp themes for almost two decades. Her gift of song ignited the souls of hundreds of our Alumnae who continue to sing her songs and recall the lessons years later.

Who remembers these camp songs? “Lights, Camera, Action”… “Infinite Connections”… “Finding Direction”… “Deep in the Ground”… “Like the Stars, we’re spreading light, learning what’s right… dispelling shadows, shattering the night!”

"Unite to Ignite” is our way of life at Jewish Girls Unite! Here’s Susan’s story…

Susan Axelrod, of ConfidentFundraising.com discovered her deep philanthropic passion to support our Jewish daughters to become Jewish mothers. She decided to take action and offered her free services and skills to Nechama Laber and Leah Caras to grow Jewish Girls Unite into a global movement for Jewish girls. We united with a common mission and ignited the light of JewishGirlUnite, where every girl is empowered to "Shine her inner light"!

Susan could have fulfilled her deep desire to support our Jewish daughters on her own. She often quotes the words of Wendy Lipton - Dibner of ProfessionalImpact.com: “If you’ll believe in yourself only half as much as I believe in you, then together our impact will be far greater than either of us will ever make alone.” Susan truly leads by example.

"Unite to Ignite” is our way of life at Jewish Girls Unite! Here’s how we ignited the light of Torah for a global community of Jewish girls...

Last November, Rabbi Yosef Resnick of Room613.net, who offers Judaic studies in a live virtual classroom for children of all ages united with Jewish Girls Unite to host and provide the technical support and training for our ONLINE CLASSES and CELEBRATIONS that have ignited the mind, heart, and souls of numerous Jewish girls from around the world.

When one flame ignites another, the flame does not diminish, together the flames shine more brightly.

THINK for a moment how much more we can accomplish when we support each other and unite with strength. Please ask Chaya, Leah, Nechama, Racheli, Susan and Rabbi Yosef Resnick to tell you how by igniting the flame for others, we ignited our own souls and brought more light and joy into our personal lives!

CALL to ACTION!
Please reach out to someone who is a good “match” to your mission, tell them that you believe in them and unite as one to ignite more light into our dark world. How can YOU "Unite to Ignite” today?

With blessings for unity and peace forevermore!

Shabbat Shalom,
Nechama Laber on behalf of the incredible JGU team!

P.S. Stay tuned for more “UNITE TO IGNITE” stories at JGU in next week’s SHABBAT SHALOM GREETINGS and email your Unite to Ignite stories.