Nathan’s December 2021 Newsletter
“A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness.” Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi
We recently finished celebrating Hanukkah and are approaching the holiday season for the majority of the world. It was great being with the family and having the kids appreciate lighting candles, spinning dreidels, and eating fried foods (the kids never eat fried foods, so it’s a big treat). We went to some Chanukah parties and even had one of our own. In addition, we spent time with some of our extended family who also lives here in Israel and just enjoyed the festival of lights.
Chanukah is all about light during the time of the year that has the least amount of sunlight. I love the quote above because the light is such a strong metaphor. The light represents doing good in the world, and the more good we have, the better. I also truly love the idea of the candle because when one candle lights another candle, nothing is lost from that first candle. I would even say that the first candle gains light as both shine greater when two candles are together than when they are separate. After you finish lighting a candle, you now have two full complete lights that have not diminished at all in size.
This is the importance of doing good deeds for others and helping those in need. While it may seem like you are giving something up, for example, money, the gift you get in return surpasses what was originally given. The goal is to light up the world through positive good deeds and be a lamplighter for others.
Speaking of lamp lighting, I also went to a high-tech meet & greet this month, celebrating AgroScout’s relocation to Northern Israel. AgroScout is just ahead of the curve as the move North will be a popular move in the near future. It takes a huge amount of faith and effort to relocate a company to the frontier of Israel. To me, this is an excellent example of lighting up more candles. This move will definitely spark many other similar moves with other companies looking to build the ecosystem in the north. It takes a few brave companies, brave people, and brave nonprofits (JNF-USA 😊) to see the big picture and vision of what will be in the next 5 – 10 years.
We are receiving more and more pre-applications on the GCI front and finalizing the full application process. We will invite lamplighters who have completed the pre-application and are a good match for our first cohort in early 2022. Demolition is going great, and we have some pictures to highlight all the progress made (see below).
The Launch of our Podcast
We are looking to launch our podcast early next year so stay tuned for when we make that announcement. We are also looking to create some video content and share content on other mediums.
We are addressing team needs, annual budgets, and business models and looking at the different contributors to help build our advisor network. We are building new relationships and addressing Visa needs with different colleges throughout Israel and the US.
There is a lot going on, but it is always good to take a deep breath and appreciate the journey in these busy times. I wish everyone an amazing rest of the month and a Happy 2022 year. We are sending blessings to the GCI family, friends, and beyond.
L’chaim (To life)
Nathan
