By Alex Rokni, ICB Contributor
After serving over 2,000 falafel balls to students during Israel Week at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Lisa Schneider wondered if the event had reached enough of the student body.
The free food attracted a huge crowd, she said, “But I didn’t feel like I was making as much of an impact as I wanted.”
However, when she learned that a large, diverse group of students who got free falafel had signed up for Birthright, she realized the effort had been a success.
Across the country, similar scenes will play out on scores of campuses in the coming weeks. Incoming freshmen will begin their college careers with a combination of enthusiasm, trepidation and, in most cases, a lack of understanding about many of the engagement opportunities that await them. Of course, it’s important to go out looking for opportunities that interest you, but sometimes it can be as simple as letting upperclassmen engage you in conversation while you’re accepting the free food or flyers that they’re offering.
In her time at Illinois, Schneider was active in pro-Israel activities through IlliniPac, which at the time was the main pro-Israel group on campus, and also through her sorority, Alpha Epsilon Phi, and Hillel. Her personal experience gives her clear ideas about how incoming freshmen can find their place in the campus pro-Israel community.
“Call every Jewish community you can find and try them all out because there is always a different flavor and different kinds of people,” she advised.
Desiree Soleymani, who will be a senior at UCLA this year, echoes Schneider’s advice. As the outgoing Hillel president and an active member in UCLA’s pro-Israel group, Bruins for Israel, she knows how easy it is to get lost in the crowd. Pro-Israel organizations on campus are a great way to “define your place in a huge school,” she said.
One important difference between high school and college, she said, is that when you get to college you realize there’s no set time when everyone on campus is together. “It’s up to you to get out there and find [opportunities].”
Schneider suggested that incoming freshmen get their names added to as many relevant mailing lists as possible, so they learn about activities and opportunities.
Get Started
The first thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the campus landscape. For many students, that means visiting your campus Hillel, which often will be a good first point of entry to Jewish and Israel-related campus life.
Graham Hoffman, Associate Vice President of Strategy for Hillel, said the organization is involved in Israel engagement, education and commitment and it partners with the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) for Israel advocacy.
“Hillel works to connect students who are interested in advocacy with the often student-led organizations on campus as a mechanism for facilitating their advocacy and involvement,” he said. “We work to support the organizations and the student leaders and to facilitate their engagement of as many students as possible in their advocacy work.”
According to Hoffman, ways in which students can connect with Israel range from Birthright trips and on-campus activities, to getting to know the Israel Fellows hosted on 50 campuses around the country - Israelis whose job it is to promote Israel education, engagement and advocacy.
ICC serves as a national convener of multiple organizations that support pro-Israel students on campuses across the country. While much of its work focuses on the professionals who work directly with students, ICC Managing Director Allison Sheren noted that, “We also oversee the MZ-Grinspoon Internship program on 30 campuses, as well as offering Israel advocacy grants that students may use to implement projects that are uniquely suited to their campus.”
In addition to Hillel, ICC works with many other organizations that support pro-Israel students. These organizations include The David Project, which
trains advocacy leaders on campuses across the country, Christians United for Israel, which caters to Christian supporters and is
active on a growing number of campuses, as well as others that are featured in this story and elsewhere in
Israel Campus Beat.
Hasbara Fellowships
takes students to Israel to train them as advocacy leaders, offering programming and guidance to many campuses across the country. Abram Shanedling graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009 and is the Regional Campus Director of the Mid-Atlantic for Hasbara Fellowships. He said the goal of the program is to “motivate, engage and give the tools to students to be the most effective pro-Israel leaders on campus.”
Hoffman pointed out that there are many more ways to get involved on behalf of Israel. Several fraternities and sororities have become more involved in Israel-related affairs.
Schneider found this to be true on her campus. She said that one of the girls in her sorority was the president of the debate team and invited members of the sorority to attend a debate about Israel.
“If you’re a Jew and you’re interested in being around students who are also active in the Jewish and the pro-Israel community, that’s something to ask about when you’re pledging,” Schneider advised.
Adam Teitelbaum, Lorber Director of Jewish and Philanthropy Programming for the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, said AEPI offers Jewish males access and connection to the Jewish world. Teitelbaum referred to AEPI as a “perfect entry into Jewish and Israel programs on campus.”
“It’s crucial that Jewish students today make their voice heard and fraternities and sororities are a great gateway to make that happen,” Teitelbaum said.
Get Educated
Shanedling stressed the importance of Israel education for students interested in pro-Israel work.
“We get a lot of students who have the passion, who want to get out there and do an event, but they don’t have the basis in the talking points and the facts to support them,” Shanedling said. “They’re kind of like an empty vessel.”
Students who want to get involved in Israel advocacy work should first go to Israel and experience the “personal connection” that is key to successful advocacy, he said.
“You can be the biggest lover of Israel simply from what you read but there’s nothing like being there,” Shanedling said. “That’s why we do our programs in Israel. There is something you get from being there, seeing the sights and hearing from people on the ground.”
StandWithUs is yet another organization focused on the education piece of Israel advocacy. Brett Cohen, the Midwest campus director for StandWithUs, described it as an Israel education organization that helps students who want to educate their peers, calling it a “one-stop shop for Israel advocacy.”
“Students can order our materials for free so that they can have the facts they need to be able to take part in conversations about Israel,” he said, adding that students can turn to StandWithUs for advice in planning campus response strategies.
“For example, if an ‘apartheid wall’ goes up on campus… StandWithUs will help with the response,” he said.
Get Involved
Cohen recommends that students go to Hillel on their campus Hillel to find out if there is a pro-Israel organization. If there is one, he says, “Get involved.” If not – start one.
“By acting alone, you have the voice of one,” Cohen said. “But by acting together your voice is much more powerful.”
Shanedling agrees that the best way to enhance your advocacy skills is to get involved with an Israel group on campus. However, he stresses that even if there are pre-existing pro-Israel structures on your campus, that does not mean you can’t do things on your own.
“In the scheme of grassroots advocacy, every person matters,” Shanedling said.
Erez Cohen, Israel programs coordinator for Hillel at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is the Israel Fellow on campus. He said that on Quad Day at the beginning of the new school year, Hillel offers numerous presentations to get incoming freshmen acquainted with the various opportunities offered by Hillel.
Because Hillel is for Jewish students but many non-Jews may want to get involved in Israel advocacy, Israel Illini, the main group involved in pro-Israel programming on campus, gives a separate presentation to appeal to students regardless of their religious affiliation. During the second week of the year, there will be an Israel program each day, including Krav Maga sessions, Israeli movies and much more.
Don’t Forget Mom and Dad
Often, parents accompany incoming freshmen to orientation and on move-in day in the dorms. They can play an important role gathering information about opportunities for new students.
Erez Cohen acknowledged the importance of parents by noting that he will speak with them during orientation, and provide them with information about Israel opportunities for their children.
“We sit down and we have a conversation about what interests their son or daughter and we go from there,” he said. “There are opportunities for everyone.”
Of course, every school is different, but if you are the parent of a new student and nobody at Hillel approaches you with information about Israel activism opportunities, don’t hesitate to ask.
At the end of the day, however, it is the students themselves who must decide where to direct their energies and attention. Jacob Shapiro, who graduated from Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2010, advises that if you intend to make Israel advocacy a priority, then “get involved immediately.”
Shapiro became president of LionPAC, Columbia’s main pro-Israel group, in his sophomore year. He recommends that students not wait until they get to campus to get connected with past and present activists.
If you want to “lead and lead quickly,” Shapiro said it is crucial to show campus leaders that you are serious from the beginning.
“At the end of the day it’s who can get to the programs and establish their presence that will be promoted,” he said.
Not everybody agrees with Shapiro’s “dive right in” approach.
Schneider recounted that when she got to campus as a freshman, she told the Hillel director that she wanted to be involved and active right away.
“The director said, ‘You’re an incoming freshman, you don’t even know what your class load is going to be like. Take a deep breath. Come to me after first semester,’” Schneider recounted.
Nevertheless, it’s never too early to get involved. Find out when the Israel group is meeting, and introduce yourself to the members. Attend events, and let others know that you want to get active. If you get to campus with passion and knowledge, you can strive to become a leader quickly.
One of the perks of getting involved with pro-Israel groups, Shapiro added, is that you meet and become friends with upperclassmen who really want to help.
Shanedling advises incoming freshmen not to worry about their age or university status when it comes to Israel advocacy.
“You have an opinion, you have skills, you are simply a person who cares about Israel and it’s all a numbers game,” Shanedling said. “The more help we can get, the better.”
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