The following is a New Year's message from Birmingham Jewish Federation President Jimmy Filler:

On behalf of The Birmingham Jewish Federation, I want to extend a Happy New Year to all of our Update readers and your families. My prayer is that 2012 will be a year of fulfillment, tranquility and good health for all of us.

As always, our hearts are with the people of Israel as they continue to fight for their existence in an increasingly hostile and unpredictable world. We must remain strong in our resolve to help them anyway we can and not lose sight of the fact that there is growing hatred toward the Jewish people and the Jewish state.

In particular, that Iranian madman, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, continues to be a mortal threat to Israel and the world in general. We remember well when such a madman went unchecked in the 1930s -- what it led to for the world -- and especially for the Jewish people. Let us never forget that it is our beloved Israel -- this tiny, heroic democracy -- that provides life and breath to the Jewish people worldwide.

WHEN CALLED UPON

Though we remain anxious about our welfare overall, I am especially excited, in my role as President of The BJF, about what's ahead for our Federation in 2012. Yes we will meet every challenge when called upon, while at the same time continuing to introduce new ideas and recruit new people -- especially young people -- to lift our Federation into the future. LIFT is a word we use a lot these days at The BJF. It stands for Leadership Initiatives For Tomorrow -- a series of programs and strategies that I am proud to say will make our Federation even stronger in the years ahead.

As Jews, we are privileged to celebrate two New Years -- the Jewish new year and the secular new year. It's one more thing that makes Jewish being special -- twice we get to think about the coming year and resolve to do more, be better and aspire to higher goals. Count on us at The BJF to keep doing that -- aspiring to be better -- and, as always, we thank all of you, both our Jewish community and many friends who are not Jewish, for your wonderful and continued support of The BJF.

Best wishes from my wife, Carol, and myself for a wonderful 2012!

Photo is of Jimmy and Carol Filler.

Implications of the "Arab Spring" continue to be felt in the Middle East as the new year begins, causing continued anxiety and rethinking in Israel. A story today from Israel, posted by the Israeli news service Ynet, highlights the need for Israel -- and friends of Israel abroad -- to remain concerned.

"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel under any circumstances and might put the peace treaty with the Jewish state up to a referendum, the movement's second in command told the Al-Hayat newspaper in an interview that was published Sunday," Ynet reported.

"The announcement comes days before the final round in the first parliamentary elections in post-uprising Egypt. The Islamist movement has emerged as the biggest winner in polls, capturing nearly half of the seats so far."

As BJF President Jimmy Filler suggests in his remarks featured above, supporting Israel and helping people better understand Israel's difficulties and dilemmas will continue to remain a top priority of The BJF in 2012. It's especially crucial that the White House, Congress and leaders at every level of government understand that a strong and secure Israel benefits the US on many fronts, especially as the Middle East becomes increasingly volatile and unpredictable.