Frisch & the NORPAC Mission

I was planning to send this a week before Purim, not a week before Pesach, but bear with me;

I don't know if there's a midrashic source for this or if it's modern homiletics but I once heard the following question and answer: It seems that Haman gave King Ahashverosh ten thousand silver talents as an inducement to allow him to go ahead with his plan to destroy the Jews of the Persian Empire. DON'T STOP READING: THIS IS NOT AN APPEAL FOR MONEY. Why didn't the Jewish community, which probably was already pretty good at fundraising 2,500 years ago, simply up the ante and offer the King twenty thousand to say "No?" The answer I've heard is that the community couldn't unite even to save themselves: The wealthy wanted each family to pay an equal share, while the masses wanted a graduated tax which expected more from the propertied classes. And their inability to unite almost led to catastrophe.

An area in which our school and community has always been united is in its support of The State of Israel and in the goal to make sure that each Frisch student emerges from high school both with the sense of responsibility and the tools to serve as an advocate for Israel. We, therefore, work with our seniors each year and run our own student lobbying mission to Capitol Hill, and we encourage the parents of our students to participate in the annual NORPAC Mission to Washington and, if possible, to take their children with the.

So once again, we would like to encourage you to take advantage of an opportunity to experience an unforgettable day with your child. On Wednesday, May 9, 2012 NORPAC will be going to Washington, D.C. for its annual Mission. NORPAC is a bi-partisan political action committee with membership residing primarily in the greater metropolitan area and is a single issue PAC with the stated goal of strengthening the U.S./Israel relationship. Although students over 18 years old may join the Mission without a parent accompanying them we stress that the experience of sharing this day with your child of any age is memorable.

The Mission begins early in the morning with a 5:30am bus departure to Washington and return at approximately 9:30pm. Upon arrival participants are addressed by many Senators and Congressmen to brief them on the most current issues concerning the U.S./ Israel relationship. This is great preparation for the meetings with members of congress or and their aides that follow. Participants are pre-grouped into groups of 5-7 people. These small groups remain together and attend meeting in congressional offices throughout the day reinforcing to the members of congress about the many important reasons for the United States to continue to strongly support Israel. All participants receive materials ahead of time to prepare for their advocacy efforts and are encouraged to attend a pre-Mission Sunday morning breakfast briefing on the issues.

Frisch lends its support to this effort by granting an excused absence to any student who attends the Mission. Participants return exhilarated after having experienced the dynamic of democracy and importance of the electorate in our country.

Registration can be done only through the NORPAC website, www.norpac.net. and paid for by any major credit card. If you have any questions, please contact the NORPAC office at 201-788-5133.

-Dr. Kalman Stein
Principal