Deepening Relationships and Connections at Israel Summit 2025
Earlier this month, I traveled from New Hampshire to Chicago for the Hillel International Israel Summit. The information and lessons I learned energized and inspired me, and so did the connections I made and the community I felt throughout the summit.
The first plenary, where all the students, Jewish Agency Israel Fellows, stakeholders, and young alumni gathered in a massive ballroom to hear various speakers, was one of the most powerful moments of the summit. After sharing a Dartmouth Hillel hello with fellow Dartmouth student Oren Poleshuck-Kinel and our Israel Fellow Maya, Oren and I sat in the audience and cheered for Maya as she introduced Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, the first Druze-Israeli woman to serve in the Knesset. Maya is the first Druze Jewish Agency Israel Fellow, and the connection between the two women made the moment extra powerful.
Mreeh’s talk was electrifying, and I learned so much about complex identities, representation, and the power of resilience. Mreeh’s life story also is so inspiring. In addition to breaking barriers as the first female Druze member of Israel’s legislature, she was the first Druze woman to anchor a Hebrew-language news program on Israeli television. I was incredibly proud to see Maya standing up there, representing our Dartmouth community.
The sense of shared celebration and support reminded me of the importance of community and gave me a renewed sense of vigor for tackling the challenges that I face on campus and in my own life. After congratulating Maya on her amazing moment, I attended a relational advocacy workshop. At Dartmouth, our Hillel and Aquinas House (the Catholic student center) have a great relationship, where we come together for everything from apple picking for Rosh Hashanah to canoeing in the Connecticut River. Hillel International Israel Action and Addressing Antisemitism Senior Manager Maddi Jackson talked to us about how to deepen those types of bonds, and her advice really resonated with me. She focused on approaching relationships not as a one-time effort, but as a long-term commitment rooted in trust and curiosity.
In so many relationships, I feel like people tend to focus on what they have to gain, or where the other side is falling short of expectations. Maddi’s approach of giving all you can give and not fixating on what you gain is selfless and refreshing, and it’s advice I’m going to try and implement in my day-to-day life, and in relationships I build on campus. The highlight of the summit for me was when I had the chance to moderate a session with Sarah Hurwitz, a White House speechwriter during the Obama administration and author of “Here All Along,” a book about finding meaning and spirituality in Judaism.
The minute I sat next to Hurwitz, she immediately put me at ease. Her talk included advice on showing rather than telling when having a difficult discussion, and grounding conversations in mutual trust. I especially loved her focus on always leading with empathy and understanding. If you’re not willing to listen to someone else, how can you expect them to listen to you?
Sarah’s impact wasn’t just from what she had to say, but her warmth, friendliness, and expertise that made her session come to life. It gave me a new perspective on navigating difficult conversations, both at college and in my life more generally. Moving forward, I’m resolving to enter challenging conversations thoughtfully and directly, while leading with empathy.
At the end of the summit, as I waited for my taxi to the airport, the weight of what I had gained over the last two days really settled in. The conversations, the connections, and the insights left me feeling more grounded and energized. I left Chicago not just with new knowledge, but with a clear sense of what I want to accomplish back on campus, from celebrating my community’s wins and building stronger relationships, to communicating with more intentionality. I’m counting down the days until the next Israel Summit!
Julia is a junior at Dartmouth College, majoring in Economics and English. Originally from Los Angeles, Julia traded sunny California for East Coast snow. In between classes, Julia loves to ski, hike, and swim in the Connecticut River.