From a story posted today on the Jerusalem Post's website:

Israel's Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver "apologized" on Wednesday to American Jews who were offended by a controversial advertising campaign by her ministry aimed at persuading Israelis living in the United States to return.

She said the campaign was approved by the cabinet in May and achieved its goal of bringing home 15,000 returning Israelis, adding to 43,000 who have returned in the past four years.

Landver and officials from her ministry said American Jews who are not Israeli were not targeted or taken into account. Jewish Federations of North America senior vice president for Israel/Overseas Rebecca Caspi and her predecessor in the post, Kadima MK Nachman Shai, criticized Landver for thinking that Israelis could be targeted by the ads without US Jews seeing them.

"We don't think anyone intended to harm American Jews but it hurt them to the depths of their souls," Caspi said. "It presented a message that a Jewish life can only be lived in the State of Israel. It is unacceptable that US Jews are expected to hit the streets when they are needed to protest on Israel's behalf, while Israel delegitimizes their Jewish lives in their home country."

The most controversial ad featured a young Israeli woman trying to commemorate Remembrance Day for the Fallen of Israel's Wars but failing to adequately explain its significance to her partner, who many critics assumed him to be an American Jew. The ad's tagline reads: "They will always remember Israel but their partners might not always understand; Help them to come back."

Shai said the campaign was unsuccessful because it ignored the US Jewish community, was insensitive to them, and demonstrated a lack of understanding of their lives. He said it should have been coordinated with the Foreign Ministry, Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy Ministry and American Jewish groups.

Nationally-known scholar Rabbi Michael Cook will speak tonight (Weds., Dec. 7) at 6:30 pm at Temple Beth-El at a program for teens and adults. His talk, "Close Encounters of the Religious Kind," will explore and offer strategies on how to respond not only to those Christians who strive to convince Jews to embrace Jesus as their personal savior but also to Christian friends who ask questions merely out of good-natured curiosity.

The program is open to the entire Birmingham community and is for anyone who wants to learn to engage respectfully in conversations about Christianity and Judaism and religious diversity.

Topics such as "Rapture," "Armageddon," "AntiChrist," "666" will be discussed along with why Jews are often targeted for conversion by religious groups. Rabbi Cook (pictured here) will share responses which can be respectfully offered and even strengthen relationships with such Christians.

Rabbi Cook is the Bronstein Professor of Judeo-Christian Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati campus, and the only rabbi in America with a Full-Professorial Chair in New Testament. His latest book, Modern Jews Engage the New Testament, has become widely acclaimed by both Jewish and Christian theologians and scholars.

Rabbi Cook is a dynamic, enlightening and humorous lecturer and facilitator. He believes in the importance of interfaith discussion and the need for modern Jews to be knowledgeable about Christianity so as to enhance their sense of well-being as Jews living in a predominantly Christian environment. He travels widely, addressing Jewish and Christian audiences.

Dinner is available at 5:45 pm at Temple Beth-El for $8 per person, $20 per family. Rabbi Cook's presentation will follow at 6:30. To attend, please RSVP to brothman@templebeth-el.net or call 933-2740.

This program is being underwritten by The Jewish Community Relations Coalition of The Birmingham Jewish Federation, the Temple Beth-El Foundation and the Rabbi Michelle Goldsmith Discretionary Fund. Rabbi Cook is being brought to Birmingham by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, www.isjl.org

As 2011 comes to a close, Update is providing "Tax Tips of the Day." These tips are not intended as specific tax advice, but rather as a reminder of issues you may want to raise with your tax advisor.

For some people, shifting part of this year's tax burden to next year may be a good idea. Either shifting income until 2012 by deferring a bonus payment or accelerating deductions from next year by prepaying a deduction, such as making a larger charitable gift (or both), may lower the 2011 tax bill for some individuals and leave those saved tax dollars in their pockets rather than the government's. Thus, this may be a good time to consider opening a fund in The Birmingham Jewish Foundation.

Although there are proposals in Washington to increase taxes on "high income" taxpayers, through both higher rates and limits on the value of deductions and adjustments to income, these proposals are not expected to take effect before 2013, if at all.

Another factor to look at is alternative minimum tax (AMT). If you are subject to the AMT, it is vital to figure both your regular and AMT tax numbers before executing year-end tax strategies. Individuals with large state and local tax deductions, large long-term capital gains, exercised stock options and those with a large number of dependents are among those most prone to AMT exposure.

The above is an area where skilled tax advice is very important, so it is essential that you engage a tax professional before taking final action.

Charitable giving, however, is not all about the numbers -- it's about making a difference in the world and ensuring our future. The Birmingham Jewish Foundation can help you maximize your giving and broaden your impact. For more information on how you can support causes important to you through The Foundation in a tax-advantageous way, contact Foundation Executive Director Sally Friedman at 205.803.1519 or sallyf@bjf.org.