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Diverse Activities Conclude Hillel's Israel 101 Campaign
May 01, 2003Comments (0) | Add | E-mail this to a friend  University of Oklahoma Hillel is hosting an Israel bloc party that will be addressed by the governor. At San Francisco State University, Hillel is giving out strawberries to celebrate Israeli agriculture. University of Pennsylvania Hillel brought former Prime Minister Shimon Peres to campus. Stanford University Hillel is hosting Daniel Pipes. Arizona State Hillel is sponsoring an event called "Laughing toward Peace." Ohio State University Hillel is bringing King David Drummer's Circle to campus. Yale University Hillel is publishing The Yale Israel Journal. Central Florida Hillel is having an Israel Advocacy Teach-In.
A year after anti-Israel protests captured headlines across North America, Hillel is offering many different approaches to help students celebrate Israel in the weeks leading up to Independence Day (May 7). The celebration is part of a North American initiative called "Israel 101" designed to showcase Israel in innovative ways. "We understand from our intensive engagement with students on campus that different students respond to different types of activities. That's why we are offering such a wide range of programs – political, cultural, social, intellectual," explains Wayne Firestone, director of Hillel's Center for Israel Affairs.
The outpouring of pro-Israel activities this spring reflects a major investment in Israel education in the last 18 months. Hillel supporters have provided the organization with the resources to train student activists, to hire Israel interns, to bring Israel-based programs to campus, to create publications, and to give Jewish students free trips to Israel. Hillel's Israel program was crystallized in the fall of 2002 with the creation of its Center for Israel Affairs. Hillel also coordinates the Israel on Campus Coalition, a consortium of over 26 pro-Israel organizations working with college students. The Israel on Campus Coalition is co-sponsored by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
The Israel 101 Campaign is the capstone of the year's activities. Launched on Israel's election day in January in Washington, DC, the program includes 101 different programs on campuses across North America. A series of 101,000 creative postcards were distributed that highlighted Israel's role as an American ally committed to the pursuit of peace. Israel 101 will culminate on the West Coast with events in San Diego and San Francisco. On Israel Independence Day, the 101st day of the campaign, blow-ups of the postcards will be presented to the Israeli Ambassador at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC.
"Without question, these activities are touching the lives of individual students and contributing to a positive atmosphere for Israel on campus," Firestone says.
For more information, visit israel.hillel.org.
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