The Birmingham Jewish Federation thanks all those who called and emailed this week in the wake of the latest tornadoes to hit Alabama. There were no reports of direct damage to Jewish households and businesses. Unfortunately, others in Birmingham didn't fare so well.

According to the Birmingham News, "The tornadoes slashed across north Jefferson County on Monday morning...leaving two dead, 22 hospitalized, more than 500 homes and 50 business destroyed or damaged, and one school in ruins."

The BJF's Director of Community Relations Joyce Spielberger participates in weekly meetings of United Way's Long Term Recovery Committee, formed after the deadly tornadoes of last April, and the impact of this latest tornadoes was discussed at this week's meeting. Damage is still being assessed.

The BJF extends our condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones this week. Through funding, participation in assessments and staffing, The BJF will continue to be part of our area's ongoing recovery effort.

Photo is of tornado damage from early morning storms this week in eastern Jefferson County. (Birmingham News/Bernard Troncale)

The Birmingham Jewish Federation enjoys hearing from young adults who have participated in recent Birthright Israel trips. Birthright is an international program that provides young Jews, ages 18-26, with the gift of a first-time, peer group educational trip to Israel.

Birthright experiences deepen a young adult's connection to their Judaism and Israel. Birthright is one of the agencies The BJF helps fund with dollars raised through our annual campaign. An estimated 250 young people with ties to Birmingham have participated in Birthright trips to Israel since the program's inception.

Before they leave for Israel, The BJF offers our Birthright participants a crimson t-shirt that says Alabama in Hebrew in exchange for a picture of them wearing it in Israel and their "shirt story" -- written impressions about their experience for Update.

Today's story comes from Josh Stokes, a graduate of Huntsville High School and the University of Alabama. After earning a masters degree in Public Service from the University of Arkansas, Josh went to work as a staff assistant for US Sen. Joe Lieberman in Washington DC. He decided to apply for Birthright after being inspired by Sen. Lieberman's dedication to his Jewish faith. Currently, Josh lives in DC and serves as the Director of Operations at the Armed Forces Foundation.

Josh is pictured here wearing his Alabama Hebrew shirt at the Western Wall in Jerusalem during the morning prayer service. Josh is also wearing tefillin, small black boxes with black straps, which contain biblical verses and are worn during the recitation of prayers. Below is an excerpt from the email Josh sent to us about his trip:

From the bunkers in the Golan Heights where the Israel Defense Forces valiantly held off a far larger force of invaders, to the holiest of sites in Jerusalem, from the playful simplicity of the Dead Sea to the fast paced "western" lifestyle of Tel Aviv, Israel was an unforgettable experience. But I had a realization while there. Israel is not all that different from the land from which I call home.

Sitting here several months out from the trip, I would venture to say that the sentiment I took away from the experience was "Common Humanity." The Jews of Israel and the Jews of the South both face a lack of understanding at times; yet, we continue to persevere and shine as a beacon of never-ending determination and strength.

My trip to Israel has made me a prouder Jew. I have grown up in a land of tradition and to find that commonality in another country is remarkable. I was honored when I became the first member of my immediate family to make the trip to Israel. I was honored to stand outside Yad Vashem (Israel's Holocaust education center and memorial) and see the sprawling Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem defiantly glaring at the history I had just walked through. I was even proud when a few Israelis gave me a "Roll Tide" when I wore my Alabama shirt around Jerusalem!

When I returned to the US and was able to tell my family and friends what I had just witnessed in such a short amount of time, it gave me chills. I will forever be indebted to Birthright and Israel Outdoors (the trip provider) for allowing me such an unbelievable opportunity. I hope to return to Israel soon and spend more time deepening my perspective of the wonders of this proud nation.

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Please let The BJF know if you are planning a visit so that we may give you a shirt as a gift for you to wear while you are there. To obtain your shirt, please contact Donna Berry at The BJF at donnab@bjf.org or 205-879-0416.

Operation Grassroots gifts have been pouring in! What makes this even more gratifying is the wonderful comments many donors have included in their responses after receiving emails asking them to participate in this unprecedented effort.

"I will be happy to increase from $450 to $550. I feel very fortunate in my life and do appreciate all the wonderful work you all do for Israel and for our local community. You have the most amazing and dedicated staff," responded one donor who knows our organization well and comes into contact with our staff on a regular basis.

This friend also gave us high marks on other fronts. "I love the addition of so many young people to give the Federation great energy and new creative ideas and so enjoy reading Update every day!"

Operation Grassroots is an unprecedented BJF effort to raise 1000 new gifts and increases of at least $100 to receive a $100,000 challenge gift. Operation Grassroots is open to anyone who would like to participate. As of this writing, 145 Operation Grassroots gifts have come in -- only 855 to go!

Click to make an Operation Grassroots payment.

Click to make an Operation Grassroots pledge and be billed.