Archived Update: 17 April 2007

It's been a long time since the last newsletter in September. However, we have been active. A number of new people have come on board and have made significant contributions of time and organizing effort.

As the Hebrew saying goes, "all beginnings are difficult." This rings true with nascent national movements, especially movements aspiring to real change in Israel. I mentioned six months ago that we were acting to form an officially recognized amutah (non-profit organization) with tax-exempt status, a step that would enable us to operate with tax exempt cash flow and for donors to receive tax deductible credit. This has not been a trivial undertaking for us. To find out why, check out my blog entry, "How Difficult Can it Be?" at

http://directrepisrael.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-difficult-can-it-be.html

We are now being advised by legal and accounting professionals to navigate the application processes with the non-profit registrar and the Ministry of Finance. This is a difficult time, but we are moving forward. We will meet the challenges ahead of us and continue to organize whatever the immediate bureaucratic outcomes. Your ongoing support is extremely important.

Did you notice how I deftly sneaked in the mention of the blog? A "blog" is the slang expression for a "web log," a kind of informal online journal. Officially, the Direct Representation for Israel Blog began on March 15, 2005, so it's not quite new. I hope that you will find it both interesting and useful in connecting the news in Israel with the need for our initiative. The blog home page is at

http://directrepisrael.blogspot.com/

I have continued to attend the meetings of the Knesset Constitution, Justice, and Law Committee and some of my observations are described in the blog as well.

Now that Pesach is behind us, the relatively easy weather and mood of spring presents a great opportunity to spread the word about Direct Representation. We're open to ideas and ready to travel to parlor meetings in homes all over the country. Feel free to contact me by email or by phone at 04-6398160.

Finally, to those of you who have expressed in interest in the "Democratic T," we are still waiting to fill the minimum number of requests.

Thank you,
Michael Jaffe