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Connections Attendees: "Best Speaker Ever"

Posted on Monday Feb 1, 2010 9:40 AM

Alina Gerloving Spaulding, our Connections speaker, really hit a nerve.

  • “Today, as I was sobbing in the parking lot, I realized that for the first time, this event meant something; it really connected for me. The story that Alina told was my story but a lot less dramatic. You know how something that is part of your own life is ingrained that you never really reflect on it because it is such a part of you? Today, as I heard this story through Alina's eyes, I realized that everything that I have in my life is owed to the fact that there was a Jewish agency willing to help my parents get a visa and get out of Poland.”
     
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    Another attendee explained, “This was the best event I have ever attended. I was so moved, so proud to support the Jewish Federation. And I couldn’t wait to make another gift so I could help Jews overseas in need.”

  • "Thank you very much for a well organized and informative event. This is my first time at the Jewish Federation event in Seattle. I was pleased to see such a big community and willingness to make a difference in the world."

These were the types of sentiments heard in the halls, bathroom and ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue after Alina spoke. It was moving as she detailed her family’s journey from the former Soviet Union to New Jersey, with the help of the American Jewish community every step of the way.

Shalom: The Latest News & Info

Action Alert: Give Private Schools the Same Access to Records

Posted on Thursday Feb 4, 2010 10:11 AM

Did you know private schools, including private religious schools, aren't able to access the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction's (OSPI) background check system? OSPI's background check system is available for public, but not private, schools. Fortunately, two bills — HB 2996 and SB 6619 — are making their way through the legislature that will change this and give private schools the ability to access OSPI's background information.

Action Alert: Ask Your Senator to Support an Assault Weapon Ban

Posted on Thursday Jan 28, 2010 10:34 AM

Earlier this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard legislation (SB 6396) that would ban the sale of assault weapons. If enacted, the Washington ban would be similar to the federal assault weapon ban passed by Congress in 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. The federal law imposed a ten-year moratorium on the manufacture, transfer and possession of 18 types of semi-automatic weapons. This moratorium lapsed in 2004 and several states have enacted assault weapons bans of their own.

IDF Shows True Colors in Haiti Mission

Posted on Thursday Jan 28, 2010 10:28 AM

The Israeli aid mission to Haiti landed at the Ben Gurion Airport Thursday and was received at a state reception ceremony by IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said, "You showed the world what the true IDF is all about."

Haq Receives Life Sentence

Posted on Thursday Jan 14, 2010 4:46 PM

Naveed Haq finally received the justice he deserved: a life sentence without parole for the shooting death of Pamela Waechter, the severe injuring of five others and the hate crime committed against the Jewish people.

The sentencing hearing was emotional as victims and the defense made statements to the court. During the moving and personal remembrances of Pam, her love of life came shining through. “Just do the right thing” was a phrase both Pam’s daughter Nicki Waechter and Cantor David Serkin Poole recounted as a message often repeated by Pam.