Noted attorney, author and law professor Alan Dershowitz, who writes often about Israel, has a piece on the Wall Street Journal's website today about the prospect of Iran attacking Jewish institutions in the US.

"The US government should deem any Iranian attack against Israeli or Jewish soft targets in America to be an armed military attack on the US -- to which the US will retaliate militarily at a time and place of its choosing," writes Dershowitz. Recent news reports suggest that such attacks are possible.

In Birmingham, The Birmingham Jewish Federation continues to coordinate security issues for our local Jewish community and urges all institutions and their staffs and users to report people, things and events out of the ordinary to law enforcement authorities and the staff of our agencies and congregations.

The Birmingham Jewish Federation's BUY BUY ISRAEL initiative continues as we receive great tips and emails from our Update readers about Israeli-made products they discover while shopping.

Recently we received an email from reader Milton Goldstein of Charlotte, NC about cookies he purchased at Costco that he noticed were made in Israel and were kosher.

Milton, a Birmingham native, was very active in our Jewish community before he and his wife, Arlene, moved to Charlotte in 2007 for Arlene's position as Fashion Director for Belk department stores. Milton and Arlene keep up with happenings in Birmingham through Update.

The cookies Milton discovered are called Elsa's Story and are made in Nahariya, Israel. Milton (pictured here at Costco) purchased the cookies as a gift for the winter holidays. Upon further investigation, BJF Projects Assistant Samantha Dubrinsky found that Elsa's Story cookies are available all year at most Costcos including the one in Birmingham.

Elsa's Story started as a small family bakery in Israel and now controls a large portion of the premium biscuit market. Elsa's Story exports to over 15 countries including the US. The success of the product, according to the company's website, is the "emphasis on homemade and home-style products focusing on simpler times and quality ingredients."

We encourage our readers across the country to continue to be on the lookout for more Israeli-made products in national chain stores. Please send the information and a picture of yourself with your find to Samantha at samd@bjf.org.

The BJF's BUY BUY ISRAEL initiative is a proactive way to combat those who want to say "bye bye" to Israel through economic boycotts. The BJF works with the American Israel Chamber of Commerce Southeast Region and BuyIsraelGoods.org to update lists of where to find Israeli-made products in our area. The Chamber is one of the 32 agencies and programs funded by The BJF Annual Campaign.

By Richard Friedman, Executive Director

JERUSALEM--It's not often I'm speechless. It happened Saturday night in Jerusalem.

My wife Sally and I saw the outdoor sound and light show at David's Tower, a major landmark in Jerusalem's Old City. It was a crisp but pleasant wintry evening as we watched the show under a brilliant star-filled sky. This was Sally's second time seeing the show. It was my first.

The show does a magical job of recreating Jerusalem throughout the ages, from the time of King David to the rebirth of Israel as a modern state. The imagery, drama, realism and poignancy of the show are indescribable. (I should've figured this out when, waiting in line to enter, I asked Sally to describe it to me and she said "I can't put it into words.")

The 45-minute sound and light display uses the huge walls beneath the Tower of David as a backdrop.

"A simple written description doesn't really do the concept justice," notes GoJerusalem.com. "It's hard to fully conceive of what a titanic expanse of age-old monolithic walls look like when used as backdrop until you've seen it done."

"The moving images, sent from 20 projectors and two projection rooms, tell a wordless, politically neutral pictorial tale of the history of Jerusalem from the time of the Israelite kings down almost to the present day, treating viewers to dramatically larger-than-life reenactments of the deeds of David, the Romans, the monks, Muhammad, the Crusaders, Suleiman the Magnificent and the rest of the historical family."

If you find yourself in Jerusalem, consider seeing it. Even if you've seen it, consider seeing it again. In addition to the breathtaking aesthetics and riveting drama, the production is testimony to the eternal connection between Jews and Jerusalem and the remarkable saga of the rebirth of Israel as a modern Jewish state.

The show ends by casting this message against the towering walls: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem." These words are lit up brilliantly in three languages: Hebrew, English -- and Arabic.

Photo of show is from GoJerusalem.com