I Have a Confession…

I have a confession to make (hence, the title of this blog). It’s a little-known fact that I have a strange preoccupation with a certain “thing.” I don’t know when it started, but I remember my family feeding this by buying me products related to it. I would pour over books and magazines written about it. Curious? Okay, don’t be disappointed. I am borderline OBSESSED with the Jewish people and their culture.

It has been a lifelong dream of mine to visit Israel, to study everything I can about its history (the only time history means anything to me), to be with them. I know it’s strange. So strange, in fact, that there is a woman on YouTube who does videos on hair, makeup and skincare, and the only reason I watch her is because she’s Jewish. I have no idea most of the time what she’s saying because I’m only half listening. Besides I’m way too old for the makeup advice she dishes out, but I watch her anyway because she’s Jewish. I like to look at her face.

Before you get creeped out that I’m some kind of crazy stalker chick, know that this started at a young age, and I can only attribute it to God. I’m fascinated by His love for them that He extends to me. I learn so much about Him through His interaction with them. When I was a kid I really wanted to be Jewish because I wanted to have the same blood flowing through me that flowed through Christ. How amazing to have the Son of God born out of your own bloodline! It hurts my brain to think about it.

So why am I telling you this? You don’t have to read too many blog posts from me to know that much of what goes on in this culture ruffles my feathers a bit. I freak out when I watch the news and the treasonous way in which the media portrays world events. I writhe in anger over the falsehoods so easily spouted by our leaders. And as I wrote two blog posts ago, the injustices aimed at innocent people is enough to make me crazy!

I get angry over a lot of things, most of which I won’t go to war over. As much as I love the Constitution and will be eternally indebted to those who wrote it and those who fought to keep it, I will not worship it. It is not my god. However, the things that have to do with the innocent and the lost, that’s where my passion turns to action. What I’m talking about is anti-Semitism. That insidious disease snaking through our world at rocket speed. I can’t take it. My heart races with anxiety. It’s on our college campuses, Jewish students afraid to wear their yarmulkes for fear of being ridiculed, a tragic reality. College cafeterias refusing to sell hummus because it’s made in Israel. And “at the UN, forces are aligned against Israel and erroneously regard the Jewish state as an oppressive, apartheid regime” (Israel My Glory magazine, p. 10, May/June 2013). In some places around the world, the Jews are compared to Nazi Germany, a concept that defies all logic.

In the world of business, despite Israel’s small size and limited resources, the people are savvy entrepreneurs. Of course, they meet obstacles on this front as well. The BDS, or Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement was started by a group of Palestinians urging the boycott of any products made in Israel. Well, two can play that game.

So what can we do about it? It’s really quite simple. I will do what I do best: shop. Don’t freak! I’m not going in to debt over this, nor am I buying unnecessary products. What I will do, however, is buy honey, olive oil, preserves and other products from http://www.gitfood.com. I use it anyway so why not support our Jewish friends in the process?

G.I.T. USA Inc. is an extension of Galilee International Trade Company which sells and distributes food products here in the US for small businesses in Israel. If you live around Wegman’s, Whole Foods Markets, Zabar’s, and Foodtown, you can find their products on the store shelf. If not, you will have to beg the local stores in your town to start selling their products and/or order online which means shipping costs and the BLESSED internet sales tax our illustrious leaders have inflicted upon us! But it’s for a good cause so I will get over this last frustration.

You’ve heard of SodaStream, right? That magical machine that turns water into carbonated water. My kids really wanted one of those to which I quickly retorted with “What on earth for?” until I learned that this company is an Israeli company. It actually employs more Arabs than Jews. Despite this fact, many of the stores selling it have been under pressure to cease and desist by the BDS. All of a sudden, I really want a SodaStream. Who wouldn’t?

Seriously, I may not be in a position to use my body as a human shield for one of my Jewish friends (God help us if it comes to that). I can’t really change policy at the U.N. What I can do is, first and foremost, pray for the Jewish people, those who’ve come to Jesus as their Messiah and those who have yet to. I can pray that God will frustrate the plans of the wicked. Honestly, do these people really know Who they’re up against? And finally, I can do the one thing that in the past has gotten me into so much trouble: shop. It’s just like God to take shopping (of all things!) and redeem it for a higher purpose. One of the many reasons I love Him so much!

So let’s do something to help our Jewish friends.  Get shopping people!

P.S. You should know I get no kickbacks from any of these companies or resources I mention. These people have no idea that I or my little blog even exist!