MSU Hillel students at the AIPAC Campus Activism Awards Banquet..
Several Hillel student leaders and a Hillel professional were among the honorees at AIPAC's annual Policy Conference held earlier this month in Washington, D.C. The conference, which brought together participants from all 50 states, included a large campus component with 1,200 students, faculty and campus professionals from 363 campuses. The students included 175 student government presidents and 26 national and state leaders of the College Democrats of America and College Republican National Committee. The following individuals were singled out for their outstanding efforts during the conference's Campus Activism Awards Banquet:
Duke Rudman Leadership Award
Michigan State University students Eric Dropkin, Mike Epstein, David Mindell, Marissa Tons and Bryan Stone were awarded the top honor, the 2008 Duke Rudman Leadership Award, for their work to mobilize their campus in support of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.
Ally of the Year
Muhlenberg College Hillel Director Patti Mittelman worked to identify pro-Israel students to get more heavily involved in political activism and helped bring student leaders into the pro-Israel movement.
Activist of the Year
University of Georgia students Amy Berelowitz ’08, Hadas Peles ’09, Daniel Nisenson ’09, Cory Takeuchi ’09, Allon Mordel ’10, and Jonathan Arogeti ’11 built relationships with campus political organizations which helped them secure the signatures of over 1,500 students on a petition reinforcing the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship. They also played a vital part in helping pass the Georgia state divestment legislation by logging over 300 calls to Georgia State House members.
University of Miami students Dana Dombey '09, Carrie Hanson '10, Danielle Kramer '09 and Michelle Rood '09 had a leadership statement on Israel signed by 60 campus organizations and presented the statement to Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Advocate of the Year
University of Albany student and Albany Hillel Board of Trustees member Reuben Ingber '10, single-handedly recruited nearly 20 student government presidents to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference and has worked to build a strong pro-Israel political community on his campus.
University of Oklahoma Student Body President and Sooners for Israel participant Kenah Nyanat, used his position as student government president to liaise with state government and have a state resolution passed recognizing the unique relationship between the United States and Israel.