Students playing with children that benefited from Save A Child's Heart Foundation 

Group picture!  

Students with Goverment Spokesperson Rannan Gissim 

With Ishmael Khaldi, Israeli Bedouin , at his home
 

students having fun doing Krav Maga - don't worry, they're fake!!
 

Itamar Marcus, Director of Palestinian Media Watch
 

students with Barbara Sofer, spokeswoman for Hadasshah Hospital
 

Jerusalem City Hall where we met with Senior City Councilwoman Mina Fenton.
 

Jerusalem City Hall where we met with Senior City Councilwoman Mina Fenton.
 

Going South!!

Tuesday morning the group jumped back on the bus to head towards the Dead Sea!! The weather was cool but stayed dry to allow us to be outside. We arrived to Ein Bokek, right on the Dead Sea. We went for a beautiful hike first thing in the morning. After the hike we went to the Dead Sea where a few brave souls actually went in! It wasn’t warm, but how often do you get to go to the Dead Sea??!!



Next the group checked into the Ein Bokek Hotel for an afternoon of workshops. The Hasbara Fellowships staff first led a workshop on Effectively Organizing a Campus Israel Group. Participants shared experiences and ideas and learned a lot from the staff. Next the group focused on the activity of Tabling on campus as a strategic engagement tool to reach out to new students on campus.



The later afternoon workshop focused on Creating Pro-Active, Pro-Israel Campaigns for campus. The participants were divided up into small groups and given specific, practical scenarios for potential campaigns to run back on their campuses. The group spent time brainstorming and creating campaigns. They then came back together and presented what they came up with. Many creative and practical ideas came out of the session.



After dinner, the group again broke up into smaller groups and had role playing sessions. The Hasbara Staff presented the students with different practical scenarios and the students had to effectively communicate Israel’s position on various subjects that are often discussed on campus. The students got to practice debating and discussing different topics. They did a great job at a difficult task!!



Finally, the group relaxed at the Ein Bokek hotel, hopefully getting some rest for what will be an exciting remainder of the week.



Hasbara Fellowships Staff

Happy Chanukah!!

After being refreshed from the free weekend, the group returned to Jerusalem on Sunday. Our first session was with Rabbi Ken Spiro on the “History of the Land of Israel”. Rabbi Spiro discussed both the Jewish and Muslim connections to the Land from a historical perspective. Next, Elliot Mathias, the Director of Hasbara Fellowships, gave a session titled ”Communicating for Israel”. Elliot discussed the need to control the debate on campus and not to constantly be on the defensive when talking about Israel.



In the afternoon, the group went to the Begin Heritage Center to meet with Ra’anan Gissin, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Gissin discussed a wide range of topics including disengagement, the security fence and the upcoming elections in Israel.



After returning to the Old City for dinner, the group lit Chanukah candles for the first night of Chanukah! It was a great experience to light candles together and to sing songs for Chanukah in the Old City of Jerusalem!!!



Finally, after dinner the group met with Khaled abu Toameh, an Arab journalist. Toameh writes for the Jerusalem Post and many other international news agencies. Toameh discussed internal Palestinian politics and his role as a journalist in the Palestinian territories.



It was an amazing day! Many participants commented that they were excited to be back in Jerusalem and ready to start the “meat” of the program. Sunday definitely fulfilled that objective.

North Trip!

What a week it’s been for the Hasbara Fellowships program!! Last week on Wednesday and Thursday the group took an amazing strategic tour of northern Israel. First, the group visited Kastel to discuss the 1948 war. Next the group drove north to Alfei Menashe to discuss the security fence. After this, the group went to an Israeli Bedouin village to meet with Ishmael Khaldi, a pro-Israel Bedouin. Finally, the group went to Naharyim on the Jordanian border to discuss Israel’s peace with Jordan. The group spent the night at Kibbutz Ha’on on the Kineret.



On Thursday the group first went to a scenic overlook of the Kineret from the Golan Heights. Next we went to Mount Ben-Tal to discuss the 1967 war. Next we went to the Valley of Tears to discuss the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Finally we went to Metulla, the northern most city in Israel on the border of Lebanon. The group then drove to Tel Aviv to spend the night.



On Friday the group spent the morning in Tel Aviv. First we went to Wolfson Hospital to meet with Israeli doctors involved with the humanitarian project of “Save a Child’s Heart” which helps children around the world with heart problems. Next the group met with Yael Dayan, the Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv. After a full morning, the group was given the rest of the day and Shabbat off to see family and friends.

First day of Hasbara Fellowships!

What a start to our trip!! Our group flight from NYC to Israel went smoothly. The group was enthusiastic to arrive and begin the program.

Upon arriving Monday night, we checked into the hotels and then had dinner in the Old City of Jerusalem. After a quick Orientation (where the students were told to call home!!!), we had a brief walk around the Jewish Quarter ending at the Western Wall.

After a good night’s sleep, Tuesday was a packed day. We began the day meeting with Aryeh Green, advisor to Natan Sharansky. Mr. Green discussed Human Rights in the Middle East and their connection to the spread of democracy. It was a well-received talk and a great beginning to the program.

Next the group walked to the Jerusalem City Hall. We met with Mina Fenton, a Senior City Councilwoman. Mrs. Fenton holds the city portfolios of Foreign Relations and is the Chairperson of the Council for the Advancement of Women’s Status. She discussed the importance of Jerusalem in Jewish history and in modern politics. The students then received a panoramic tour of Jerusalem on the balconies of city hall.

After lunch and a quick ice-breaker to allow everyone to get to know each other, the group went to the Menachem Begin Heritage Center for the afternoon sessions. The first session was with Dr. David Zangen. Dr. Zangen, the chief pediatrician at Hadassah hospital, was the chief medical officer in Jenin when Israel entered the city to hunt down terrorists in Operation Defensive Shield in 2003. Dr. Zangen spoke about the military and humanitarian efforts that happened there, as well as the hasbara efforts following the military activity.

Following Dr. Zangen, the group met with Barbara Sofer, the spokeswoman for Hadassah Hospital. Ms. Sofer discussed the diversity of the staff and patients at the hospital, informing the students that 50% of patients at the hospital are Arabs. Accompanying Ms. Sofer was Yishai, a survivor of a terrorist attack at a Jerusalem coffee shop from 2003. Yishai told his story of horror and survival.

Next, the group heard from Itamar Marcus, the founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch. Mr. Marcus has testified before the US Congress and European Union over the past year. He showed the group numerous clips from Palestinian television calling for the destruction of Israel and death to Jews. These primary sources of Palestinian incitement were difficult to watch but important to see and share with others. Finally, after this long day, the group had a discussion about the issues it had learned about throughout the day, led by the Hasbara Fellowships Staff.

After dinner, the group had some fun!! Moshe Katz, a professional Krav Maga instructor joined the group. Krav Maga, a form of self-defense unique to Israel, allowed the group to have some fun while learning some useful skills!!

Tomorrow morning the group will be leaving bright and early for a 3-day trip to the North and Tel Aviv!!

Enjoy the pictures!

Hasbara Fellowships Staff

Israelpalooza at Colorado!

Just last week University of Colorado held their most successful event of the year by far!! Their “Israelpalooza” bash was an enormous success and attracted nearly 100 students to celebrate and learn about Israeli history, politics, and culture. Students were whisked away into the University of Colorado Hillel that was transformed into different cities and sites in Israel. Incoming Hasbara Fellows, Jessica Wolf and Lindsey Melnick, developed a committee of newly engaged and inspired students to creatively develop and take the initiative on this program. Students were able to relax and eat in the Bedouin tent where they learned about minority rights, listen to a Jewish acapella performance, walk through the gates of Jerusalem while learning about the city’s ancient history, and write notes to sneak into the cracks of their mock Western Wall. Students invited various campus organizations that eagerly waited in line for a bite of falaffal and a piece of pita.

Congratulations to Jessica Wolf and Lindsey Melnick for a fantastic job well done! Israelpalooza serves as an outstanding example of how to combine the fun of Israeli culture and society with Hasbara. Please check out some of the pictures from the event.