PROJECT CHESED

ZAKA INTERNATIONAL SEARCH & RESCUE

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Noahide Nations is proud to be a supporter of the ZAKA International. They are one of the elite search and rescue
organizations in the world. Maintaining the best equipment, best training and a desire to preserve life, this is what makes them one of the best first responders to all types of disasters. Because of their tremendous humanitarian efforts Noahide Nations recognized ZAKA by awarding them with our Tzedakah Award at our 2011 Noahide World Conference. We hope you will help us to help them by DONATING HERE.

True virtue (Chesed Shel Emet) – this is the highly visible and emotionally distressing work for which ZAKA is best known. The ultimate act of loving kindness and altruism (performing a deed for which the recipient cannot express gratitude), true virtue is the very hallmark and foundation of ZAKA.

The ZAKA volunteers are professionally trained in all aspects of their work related to identification of the deceased, preserving the honour of the dead and ensuring a full and proper Jewish burial. ZAKA is the only organisation authorized by the Israel Police to handle any and every incident of sudden death, be it traffic accidents, murder, suicide, terror attacks, mass casualty incidents or natural disasters.

ZAKA volunteers attend professional training courses given in conjunction with the Israel Police and their Forensics Department, studying everything related to identifying the deceased: fingerprints; DNA testing; dental testing; forensics and Jewish law.

ZAKA volunteers learn and practice body identification in accordance with the latest professional verification techniques and Jewish law. In the course of their work, the volunteers use the most advanced equipment in order to identify the bodies and body parts beyond any doubt, thereby avoiding any halachic uncertainty and unnecessary distress.

By virtue of their unique experience, ZAKA volunteers also operate in similar circumstances outside of Israel, helping Jews or Israelis wherever they may be caught up in natural disasters or mass casualty incidents.

Wherever the crisis, whenever the need, ZAKA is always there. From the tsunami to Mumbai, from Istanbul to Taba, the UN-recognized international humanitarian organization sends volunteers and paramedics to terror and mass casualty incidents around the world.

Missing Persons Unit

Thanks to the special structure and deployment of the units, hundreds of ZAKA volunteers for missing person searches can be called up and deployed in a short space of time and in high concentration of numbers – trained volunteers who carry all the necessary equipment for a missing person search.

Joint ZAKA-IDF Home Front Unit

In this unit, which was formed as a result of lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War, certified ZAKA rescuers who have undergone specialist training from the IDF's Home Front Command, work in conjunction with the Home Front Command in mass casualty disasters and home front incidents that require a large number of professional rescuers.

Climbing and Rappelling Unit

A team working within the Rescue Unit, responsible for rescue situations that involve climbing and rappelling. This elite group of extremely fit volunteers with medical knowledge has undergone specialist training in order to offer an immediate response in natural and urban disasters.

Divers Unit

A highly qualified team, the Divers Unit is equipped with various levels of diving equipment for immediate response in the search for people missing at sea or those in distress and deployed from Haifa in the North to Eilat in the south.

The idea for establishing the Divers Unit was borne out of a real need identified by the ZAKA Rescue Unit commanders. It was during the search for the late Moshe Caniel, who drowned off the coast of Tel Aviv in 2005, that hundreds of volunteers combed the coastline while helicopters hovered above – only to realise that they were unable to reach the depths of the sea due to lack of the appropriately qualified personnel. ZAKA, quick to learn from this incident, established a Divers Unit in the name of Caniel, 30 days after his body was recovered. In February 2007, the Divers Unit flew to France to assist in the search for a missing Israeli diplomat and succeeded in locating and retrieving his body. The ZAKA Divers Unit comprises 150 professional (and mostly secular) divers, including ex Navy commandos, doctors, lawyers and businessmen who regularly train together.

Canine Search and Rescue Unit

There are only ten search and rescue dogs in the unit, due to their special nature and their complex training as search dogs. These dogs are used around the country to assist in dozens of search operations, including searching for senior citizens, Alzheimer sufferers and people with suicidal tendencies who have gone missing. The unit, which carries out joint exercises with the IDF's elite Oketz canine unit, is ready to move anywhere in the country for the benefit of the community and to save lives at any time and in any place.

A search and rescue dog can identify the scent of a person in distress or a dead person (up to 48 hours after death) from a considerable distance. The dog handler leads the dog against the wind that carries scents undetected by man. The dog can distinguish between the scent emitted by someone stationary (the missing person) and that of someone moving (the search team), even at night and if the person is camouflaged or hidden. As soon as the dog identifies the scent, he will lead the dog handler to its source, sit down and bark.

The dogs are brought to the scene of the search in real time, and released in the area to search, with the dog handler in pursuit, noting the path taken by the dog. The dogs are capable of locating a dead body in just five minutes in a 500 square meter area, even if this is a stony and difficult terrain that is not reachable by the search team.

Help support our favorite search & rescue organization HERE

NOAHIDE NATIONS GENERAL FUND

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Noahide Nations will be celebrating 10 years as a 501(c)3 organization. Noahide Nations has been the most active Noahide organization, during our first ten years, dedicated to bringing the Noahide Laws back to Mankind. This is truly a difficult but Holy journey for all of us but with your support of this journey we will all reach levels never seen before in our time. Listed below you will find some past projects as well as some of our currently active projects.

Donating to the Noahide Nations General Fund not only helps to support some of the projects listed below but also helps us pay our basic monthly expenses. This would include office rent, office supplies, monthly server and web hosting costs, computer hardware and software needs, Noahide conferences both regional and world events, professionals who provide us with a myriad of skills necessary to continue the running of Noahide Nations and, quite frankly, more than I can list here.

Some Currently Active Projects

Yeshiva taught Noahide Laws Course – In February of 2015 Noahide Nations was approached by Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim with the idea of creating a Noahide Laws coursed based on the sources that are used by mainstream Orthodox Judaism that have determined both Noahide and Jewish Halacha (law) for the past 2000 years.

In April of 2015 we launched our first class with 22 students. The material presented in the course was researched by a team of poskim (Judges); those findings went to an oversight committee made up of poskim and then finalized by the oversight committee and Director of the Yeshiva Program who is also a posek. This is what was taught to this first class of students.

There were 65 classes, 4 exams, and about 100 hours of class time. On May 17^th, 2015 there will be a graduation ceremony for 17 graduates who succeeded in passing the course. There were also two Rabbis who passed the course.

In March of 2015 the second class of 32 students began the course and will graduate in 2016. There are also Rabbis in this class.

The Noahide Order (the Noahide Siddur) has been created and is currently at 237 pages. Upon completion Noahide Nations will be publishing the book for Noahide communities around the world. The Noahide Order was created out of the sources the poskim researched and some of the book will have blessing a prayers added by the alumni of the Noahide Laws Course.
Noahide Sources Book – Noahide Nations and Pirchei Shoshanim will author and publish a book with every source of Noahide material. These sources are only based on the Mesorah as has been done for the past 2000 plus years.
Noahide Nations’ “Soul Connection” singles site - A website for Noahides to communicate with other singles who are searching for their soulmate. In less than a year this site has produced three weddings, 2 engagements and one near engagement, at least that we are aware of. If you are a single Noahide we hope you will visit the Soul Connections site. You never know until you go!
Noahide Nations Nagid Clergy Project – The first graduation class from the Yeshiva taught Noahide Laws Course have qualified to apply for the Nagid Program. Under Noahide Nations they will be, legally, be able to marry Noahides, have prison ministries, visit the sick in hospitals, conduct Noahide funerals, begin a chaplaincy program for roles in civilian life and the military, and more. For more info on the Nagid Program.
Other ongoing projects are the Connections Newsletter, Noahide Nation Facebook discussion page, the Noahide Nations Business Facebook page, our Yahoo Group and much more.

Some Past Project Noahide Nations Academy of Shem:

Conducted over 1000 live Torah classes
Conducted live Erev Shabbat and Noahide Shabbat Services and teaching

Noahide Nations Radio Show on Israel National Radio

150 plus talk radio shows
Show was also carried by Radio Shalom 1650 in Montreal, Canada
Interviews with many Jews, Noahides and entertainers.

Lobbied IRS for a Noahide specific tax status in 2007

Worked with IRS’ database management organization, NCCS Urban Institute

In 2008 Noahide Nations received notification that, through our efforts, the term Noahide was now going to be listed in the IRS’ NTEE Tax Code system as a subcategory of Judaism.

We will lobby the IRS again when the Noahide movement has grown large enough for the IRS to consider us a large enough religion to warrant its own category.

Conducted two Noahide Nations World Conferences
1. 2008 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
2. 2011 – Dallas, TX.
3. Have given two Noahide Nations Tzedeka Awards. 2008-Jon Voight, 2011-ZAKA International
4. Gave one Noahide Lifetime Achievement Award (Noah Award) to Vendyl Jones, of blessed memory.
Released first of its kind Noahide music cd.
1. Joint effort by both Jews and Noahides with song submissions coming from both.
2. Produced by Sam Glaser, who also contributed the song Nations of the World.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Noahide project. Help support Noahide Nations' current and future projects HERE.

WHAT IS CHESED?

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Understanding the true meaning of Chesed is a big factor in our relationship with our Creator. Chesed a Hebrew word closely related to “kindness”, “love”, and “compassion”. Chesed is one of the pillars of Torah and is considered one of the highest virtues.

To do chesed means to do acts of kindness such as visiting the sick, helping the poor or the needy and so on. The Torah declares - "You shall go in His ways".1 The Rabbis interpret this as meaning: Just as the Holy One blessed be He is called "Compassionate," you should be compassionate; just as the Holy One blessed be He is called "Gracious," you should be gracious; just as the Holy One blessed be He is called "Righteous" you should be righteous...

Similarly, You should emulate the attributes God -- just as He clothes the naked... so should you; just as He visits the sick, so should you; just as He consoles the bereaved so should you.

Acts of kindness can be found throughout the Torah and is something Noahides should participate in on a regular basis. Below are a few things to remember.

Bikur Cholim: Visiting the Sick

Baba Metzia 30b: Whoever visits the sick removes one sixtieth of his illness, while one who ignores a sick person hastens his death.

Nedarim 39b-40a: Rabbi Helbo fell sick and no one visited him. Rabbi Kahana rebuked the sages: Did it not once happen, he reminded them, that one of Rabbi Akiva's disciples fell sick and the sages did not visit him? So Rabbi Akiva himself visited him and because [he arranged to have the floor] swept and washed, the sick man recovered. My master, [the sick man] said [to Rabbi Akiva], you have revived me. Rabbi Akiva went out and taught, He who does not visit the sick is like a shedder of blood.

Nedarim 40a: He who visits the sick will be spared the punishments of the next world.

Rambam Hilchot Avel 14:4: Whoever visits the sick, it is as if he removes part of his sickness and makes it easier on him, while one who ignores a sick person is like one who sheds blood.

Gemillut Chasadim: Acts of Kindness

Michah 6:8: You have been told what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Tehillim 33:5: He loves charity and justice; the earth is filled with the loving kindness of the Lord.

Pirkei Avot 1:2: The world stands on three things: on the Torah, on the service (of G-d), and on acts of loving-kindness.

Pirkei Avot 3:9: He whose good deeds exceed his wisdom, his wisdom will endure. But he whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds, his wisdom will not endure.

Pirkei Avot 6:9: When a person departs from this world, neither his silver, nor gold, nor precious stones nor pearls accompany him; only his Torah and good deeds.

Shabbat 127a: People who perform acts of loving kindness will be rewarded by G-d in this world [during this life], and rewarded a second time in the next world.

Betzah 32a: Jews are compassionate children of compassionate parents, and one who shows no pity for fellow creatures is assuredly not the seed of Abraham, our father.

Succa 49b: Our Rabbis taught: Gemilut Chesed is greater than charity in three ways. Charity is done with one's money, while loving-kindness may be done with one’s money or with one’s person. Charity is given only to the poor, while loving-kindness may be given both to the poor and to the rich. Charity is given only to the living, while loving-kindness may be shown to both the living and the dead.

Yevamot 79a: Three signs identify this people: They are merciful; they are bashful; and they perform deeds of loving-kindness.

Hachnasat Orchim: Hospitality

Iyov 31:32: The stranger did not sleep in the street. I opened my doors to the traveler

Pirkei Avot 1:4: Let your house be open wide; treat the poor members as your own family.

Brachot 58a: Ben Zoma used to say, “What does a good guest say?” “How much ttrouble my host goes through for me. How much meat he has offered. How much wine he has set before me. How many cakes he has brought before me. And all of this trouble he went through for me.’” "But an inconsiderate guest, what does he say?” “What trouble has my host gone through? I have eaten one piece of bread and a single piece of meat. I have had but one cup of wine. All the trouble the host has gone to has been only for his family.”

Betzah 25b: A guest should not drink his goblet in one gulp. This is unmannerly.

Baba Batra 93b: In Jerusalem there was a custom of displaying a flag in front of the door, thereby indicating that the meal was ready and that guests might come in and eat. The removal of the flag was a sign that the meal was finished and that guest should cease from entering.

Rambam Hilchot Brachot 7:6: Never embarrass your guests by staring at them.

Support Noahide Nations and our many projects HERE.

VENDYL JONES SCHOLARSHIP FUND

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Noahide Nations is thankful for the opportunity, with the permission of his wife Anita Jones, to honor Vendyl Jones who passed away in 2010 at the age of 80, with the Vendyl Jones Scholarship Fund. This scholarship fund uses donations to finance students who are not able to afford these ground-breaking courses on the Noahide Laws taught by Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim.

Help make Vendyl's dream become a reality for more Noahides by donating to this scholarship fund and enabling more students to learn from the proper sources, by qualified Rabbis. These teachings are essential for all of the non-Jewish world to know, and your help could make all of the difference! As it's said; "To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world".

Vendyl Jones is known most famously today as the father of the modern Noahide movement and for his archaeological search for the Ark of the Convenent. The Noahide movement and Noahides that exist today owe a debt of gratitude for the man who wasn't afraid to ask the necessary questions, awakened Rabbis to revisit the long-unstudied Noahide laws, and paved a path for future Noahides to follow.

Vendyl Jones was originally a Baptist Minister, but his life journey would take him down very different roads.

In the 1950s, while serving as pastor in a Baptist church, he began to seek out the Jewish sources and references of the Christian gospels, realizing that many apparently anti-Jewish statements therein were "omitted in more ancient manuscripts." He began to study with rabbis and so strong was his will to learn that he even sat with elementary students in a basic Hebrew class to learn the language of the Tanach.

He eventually became a Noahide, believing in the Judaic teaching that non-Jews must follow the seven specific Noahide laws [such as belief in one G-d and no murdering or stealing], while Jews must abide by the laws of the Torah. He established the Judaic-Christian Research Foundation, from which developed the Institute of Judaic-Christian Research (IJCR), which is now the Vendyl Jones Research Institute.

During his search for the Ark of the Covenant, Vendyl discovered the original anointing oil and 900 pounds of the Ketoret (the 11-ingredient incense used in the Holy Temple) that were hidden away before the destruction of the first Temple.

All along the way, Vendyl was involved with teaching about the Noahide way of life to anyone who would listen. He organized his own conferences where rabbis would come to talk to Noahides; he himself was a great teacher and had a weekly Torah study; and he was an honored speaker at both of the Noahide Nations World Conferences, receiving the first Noah Award at the 2008 Conference –an award given for a lifetime of achievement.

Vendyl always sought, for 30+ years, to have the rabbis search out and the study the Noahide Laws and to teach them properly to the world. Finally, today, his dream has been realized. Yeshiva Pirchei Shoshanim has undertaken the mitzvot, with multiple Poskim (judges) from Israel and the United States, to search through the main sources and rediscover the halachah pertaining to the non-Jewish world. If Vendyl were alive today, he himself would be taking these classes.

Sponsor a Noahide Torah student HERE.

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