AIPAC Journals - Invitation and Preparation

   I recognize that I have not posted regularly on this blog for well over a year, but I recently attended the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC and wanted to share with you all my experiences at the conference through a series of #AIPACJournals. My hope is that you will find these #AIPACJournals interesting and informative as you view this important conference through the eyes of a pro-Israel college student. Enjoy!

Invitation and Preparation 

   Several weeks ago I received a text from my dear friend and fellow Christians United for Israel on Campus (CUFI on Campus) student activist, A., inviting me to attend AIPAC with her. Last year as I viewed the Facebook posts my friend, M., and others were posting about the AIPAC Policy Conference, I wished I was at the conference and began to hope that next year I would be able to attend. Not surprisingly, I was very excited to receive A.'s invitation and immediately planned to check my school schedule to see if I could attend the conference.

   After reviewing my school schedule, I was delighted to discover that the AIPAC Policy Conference coincided perfectly with my spring break. Thus, began the process of registering for the conference and anxiously waiting for the confirmation email. When the email finally came through, I began to recognize that my dream of attending the AIPAC Policy Conference was about to become reality.

   Thankfully, I attend a school that has always been supportive of my activism and had a professor this semester who was very understanding and reasonable. I alerted my professor to the fact that I would be finishing up my course a little bit early in order to attend AIPAC and then worked hard last week to finish on time. Late Friday night dragged into early Saturday morning as I worked for almost 4 hours to complete my final (essays) for my course, but I knew that all this hard work would be well worth the effort.

   I went to bed in the wee hours of Saturday morning and rose later that morning to pack for my trip and travel to Washington, DC to begin my adventure!

Shalom,
Nili Smit

Gilad Shalit - Free at Last!

   This past Tuesday Gilad Shalit finally came home! After 5 years of being held by Hamas in captivity cut off from the world, Gilad has been reunited with his family, friends, and Israel. In Israel and around the world, people celebrated his safe return. This excellent video, made by a friend of mine, is very meaningful because of the background music. She used this same background music in other videos of Gilad Shalit that were advocating his release. Praise God "dream[s] really do come true"! (Please enjoy and share with your friends.)

   Another great video and this one is from United with Israel:

   May God bless Gilad with a restful recovery and rapid progress as he returns to his life in Israel!

   God bless and Shalom,
   Nili

Announcing Sunday's Special! (A Day Early.)

   Announcing Sunday's Special...a day early! Even if you are only able to watch one these videos in a single sitting,  please consider watching all of them over the next week. The first video went viral on the Internet (a couple years ago, I think.) I wanted to share something truly special, so here are several videos that I highly recommend:

 

God bless and Shalom,
Nili Smit

America's Hatikvah on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Americas-Hatikvah/250897508280121
America's Hatikvah on Twitter: @AmericasHatikva

Blog post of the week: http://liveaction.org/blog/fourth-trimester/
Movie of the week: http://www.180movie.com/

180 Movie Has Over 338,000 Views!

   If you have not watched the 180 Movie, please take the time to watch it today. So often in our fast paced world we forget to take the time to consider what really matters. History matters. Life matters. Eternity matters.

   We often take the time to argue over History and its influence on our lives today. We sometimes take the time to argue over Life and what are called the prolife and prochoice positions. We less often take the time to argue about Eternity and the afterlife. In all our arguing, we too often forget to consider the ramifications of our positions and the logic or lack of logic behind our arguments.

   The 180 Movie is a way to remind ourselves: History matters; Life matters; and Eternity matters. It is a way to reconsider our view of History, Life, and Eternity.

   Please watch the 180 movie below and please visit the website and Facebook page listed below the movie.

http://heartchanger.com/  

https://www.facebook.com/180moviecom

   During the course of our arguments, we toss around words like Holocaust, Hitler, Nazis, Germany, United States, World War II, abortion, adoption, prolife, prochoice, pregnancy clinics, life, death, God, eternity, Heaven, hell, and Judgement. From now on, let us toss another couple words into our arguments: "180 Movie."

God bless you today as you contemplate History, Life, and Eternity, 

Nili

Announcing @AmericasHatikva! Please follow us on Twitter!

   America's Hatikvah is now on Twitter. Unfortunately, our last "h" seemed to go over the number of characters allowed in a handle. Please follow us on Twitter for exclusive America's Hatikvah updates in the days and weeks to come.

   Shana Tova!
   Nili

Announcing Wonky Wednesdays -- A Very Interesting Article!

   I am pleased to announce "Wonky Wednesdays." Starting today I will begin focusing on policy wonk articles and sharing  my thoughts on public policy on Wednesdays.


   This article by Jeffrey Lord at the American Spectator is very fascinating. I found most interesting this line from the article: "The too-cute-by-half cleverness in this current argument over the newest appearance of anti-Semitism as an anchor of Neoliberal philosophy is the use of the term 'neoconservative' as a euphemism for 'Jew.' ": http://spectator.org/archives/2011/08/23/ron-paul-and-the-neoliberal-re


   While is is a long article, I hope you take the time read it to better understand the current Libertarian movement.


God bless and Shalom,
Nili

What Changes People's Mind in a Matter of Seconds? Watch This Documentary to Find Out!

   This is the documentary of the year in my view. The arguments made in this film are convincing and powerful! Please take the time to check it out and share with all your friends! What changed these people's minds in seconds?

http://www.180movie.com/

http://heartchanger.com/

Check out their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/180moviecom

   God bless and Shalom,

   Nili Smit

Announcing Shabbat Shalom Saturdays!

    In the future, Saturdays will focus on current news related to Israel and the Jewish people. While I blog about Israel regularly, I want a specific day set aside to devote to an important Israeli news article for the week.

   The big story of this week was the Palestinians' bid for statehood at the UN. Here is the link to an article that explains the time schedule the Palestinians want for a recognition of a Palestinian state: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4126774,00.html

   God bless and Shalom,
   Nili Smit

Freedom Friday -- Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

   This has been a historic week for American-Israeli relations. This week Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited New York City to address the United Nations. The night before his speech to the UN he visited Ground Zero with his wife, Sarah. They remembered all those murdered that fateful day including four Israelis and laid a wreath at Ground Zero to honor them. PM Netanyahu's sympathy for the pain we experienced that day reminds us that Israel is no stranger to the heartache terrorism brings to a nation and its citizens. Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu know better than most how to comfort those who have experienced the horror and shock of an terrorist attack fueled by the hatred of Islamic fundamentalists. They know...They understand...They care...They share our pain. We will be forever grateful to them for their sympathy and support. The following video of the Netanyahu's visit was posted by the Prime Minister of Israel's Facebook page:

   Prime Minister Netanyahu announced several days after speaking at a remembrance service for September 11th in Israel, that he would appear before the United Nations to tell those assembled at the UN the truth ahead of any vote on Palestinian statehood. It is no coincidence in my mind that he made this announcement just days after discussing the lessons we learned on September 11th. We must view any Palestinian statehood achieved through the UN without direct negotiations as a ploy of the Palestinian Authority to avoid recognizing the Jewish State of Israel. If the Palestinians secure a state through the UN and attempt to establish such a state, we can be assured that the said state will be a threat to Israel specifically because it will not recognize Israel's right to exist. If Palestinian Islamic fundamentalists control this new "state," a September 11th-style attack on Israel or the United States seems imminent. Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement, the Thursday following the 10th anniversary of September 11th, to address the UN serves as a stark reminder of the lessons of September 11th -- the consequences of underestimating the determination and misreading the capability of those who wish to destroy Israel and the United States were tragic. The United States made those fundamental mistakes and suffered the dire consequence -- September 11th. Israel understands this very well. They will not repeat the same mistakes. Those who oppose freedom - Islamic fundamentalists - must not be allowed to circumvent the peace process and destroy our allies.

   The Prime Minister's address to the United Nations was a thoughtful, educational, and serious reminder of the need for peace through strength. Another great leader, Ronald Reagan, used to stress the importance of peace through strength. President Reagan achieved peace with the Soviet Union through strength. That victory was achieved by President Reagan's heeding the words of a Russian proverb that he liked to repeat to Mikhail Gorbachev often, " Trust but verify." Israel, though its dedication to peace through strength and the speeches of its Prime Minister, among other things, has demonstrated that it is ready for peace. Prime Minister Netanyahu is ready on the behalf of the Israeli people to negotiate peace. Israel is ready to trust, but only if it can verify.

   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's excellent speech to the UN: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/NetanyahuU


   God bless and Shalom,
   Nili Smit

America's Hatikvah Joins Facebook

We are now on Facebook. Please "like" our page and encourage your friends to "like" America's Hatikvah on Facebook. Thank you.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Americas-Hatikvah/250897508280121?sk=info

Gilad Shalit's 6th Birthday in Captivity

   Imagine being abducted by terrorists while defending your country. Imagine being separated from your family at the age of 19. Imagine being virtually cut off from the world for 5 long years. Imagine spending your birthday for 6 years with your terrorist abductors. Imagine being Gilad Shalit.

   Gilad was abducted on June 25, 2011 by the terrorist organization, Hamas.

   Millions of people care about Gilad Shalit and have been praying and working for years to obtain his release. Are you one of them? If you are not, now is a great time to get involved! We need your help!

   Please consider attending the Facebook event "Gilad Shalit's 6th Birthday in Captivity" https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129565940473360 this Sunday and clicking the "like" button on the Facebook page "5 Million for the Release of Gilad Shalit" https://www.facebook.com/ReleaseGiladShalit. Both the page and the event were launched this week. Please help increase the number of attendees at the event this Sunday, August 28, 2011 and have the Facebook page go viral and reach 5 MILLION "LIKES."

   Thank you for caring about Gilad Shalit and working for his release!

   God bless you and Shalom,
   Nili

America's Hatikvah -- The Beginning

   Welcome to my blog! Thank you for taking the time to visit. I hope you get enjoyment, education and energy from what I post. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you, hearing from you via your comments and learning from your experiences.

    America's Hatikvah (Hope) is a place to share with you my thoughts on America, Israel, and politics. I love this country, the United States of America, where I was born and have been raised. I love our close ally, Israel, who inspires me daily with her courage, strength and determination. I love politics, particularly conservative politics, because I believe that the future of our country depends on an informed and engaged citizenry. Most of all, I love G-d and people both of whom teach me every day that life is a gift - an adventure worth living!

    So what exactly is America's Hatikvah? What is our hope in these days of economic, political and social upheaval in the United States and around the world? I believe that the answer is found in America's founding documents. It is found in the writings of our Founding Fathers and Mothers. It is found in the buildings they built and in the institutions they created. Quite simply, America's Hope, our Hatikvah, is found in the Judeo-Christian Heritage our Founding Fathers bequeathed to us. Our Hatikvah is summed up in one word: G-d. Our nation was built on the belief that the greatest freedom of religion comes through the Judeo-Christian heritage, where man's free choice is given by G-d and should not be infringed upon by man. History shows us that this ideal has not always been achieved, but it is nevertheless an integral part of Judeo-Christian ethics. (You may notice that I left out the middle letter. I did this out of respect to my Jewish friends who strive not to use G-d's name in vain, and write it thus, to avoid doing so.)

   If you love America, love Israel, love politics, or love all three topics, I hope you will frequent my blog and share with me your thoughts on these fascinating topics. I want you to feel at home on my blog. Consider my blog a place to chat with friends about issues you care about with people who share your interests.

   G-d bless you and Shalom,
   Nili

(Note: I do not necessarily endorse "Act for Israel," but their video of Israel's National Anthem is excellent.)