We're very excited for Khaled Abu Toameh's US and Canadian tour which starts this Sunday, February 5th at Columbia University! (It's not too late to register - check our calendar for registration information.) Khaled's tour comes at an important time - as Hamas has recently won the Palestinian vote, he will be discussing what that means for the future of the region and the Roadmap. A great article by Hillel Halkin appeared in the NY Sun.Be sure to be in touch with your Campus Coordinators about the upcoming Mock Israeli Elections campaign!
 

Victory for Palestinians?

It looks like Hamas will be running the show for the Palestinians. In a somewhat shocking twist - as Fatah has been the official face of the Palestinian populace in the recent past - Hamas, a known terrorist organization, now leads the Palestinian people. While many were shocked by the outcome, the voice of the Palestinian majority has seemingly spoken. Acting PM Ehud Olmert and US President Bush voiced their shared unwillingness to deal with Hamas. As the Israeli elections steadily approach as well, it seems that there is a lot in store for the region. Check out the calendar, as Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh is beginning his US tour on Sunday, February 5th in NYC, and will be talking about issues related to both Palestinian and Israeli elections and prospects for the future - you don't want to miss this!

Elana Lichtenstein
Northeast Campus Coordinator

Gearing up for NOW

Montreal this weekend will be host to 300 Canadian students at the biggest Jewish student organized conference in North America. Hasbara Senior fellow Sara Berger and the entire Canadian Federation of Jewish Students have been working all through the first semester to make this conference a success.
I'm heading out today and looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting many new students from all over the country. It's going to be a great weekend!

Gordon Brandt
Canadian Campus Coordinator

Hasbara Fellowships Back on campus!

Hey all! Welcome back to campus! We've spent the past few weeks in Israel on our winter Hasbara Fellowships program, and now we're back and ready for action. Lots of exciting stuff coming up in the next few weeks - Khaled Abu Toameh will be touring in the states, speaking at campuses including Northwestern, University of Chicago, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, NYU, and Columbia. Check out his entire tour schedule on our calendar!

With Prime Minister Sharon in serious condition and Ehud Olmert as acting PM, the Israeli government is changing, and with elections set for March 28th, we can expect to see lots more change in the near future. This is an exciting time! Hasbara Fellowships, in conjunction with Upstart Activist, is launching a nationwide Mock Elections campaign to educate students about Israel's vibrant democracy. We can't wait to tell you more about it - get ready!

We want to wish you all lots of luck this semester!
B'shalom,
Elana Lichtenstein

students with Joe Hyams of HonestReporting.com
 

participants walking along The Path of our Fathers.
 

HF group listening to Elliot Mathias above an ancient mikvah
 

OUR TRIP TO GUSH ETZION:

Today we started off the day with Ken Spiro who gave the group a overview on the history of Israel and the Jewish connection to the land. That was followed by a session with Joe Hyams, the director of HonestReporting. He talked about the bias in today's media against Israel, and how his organization is working towards reversing that trend.

We then got on a bus and drove to the community of Gush Etzion, where we had lunch before the sound and light show of Gush Etzion. The group then met with Bob Lang who spoke to us about his experiences in Israeli politics, as well as the recent pull out of Gaza and how it divided the country to some degree.

From there we took a walk along a portion of the road from Hebron to
Jerusalem, which we believe is the same path used by our forefathers in the times of Torah. We were also able to see a mikvah along that path that has been around since the time of the Second Temple.

We then had dinner at Efrat Pizza, and drove back to Jerusalem where we finished off the night with more Krav Maga with 4th degreee black belt Moshe Katz!

Playing politics 

with Ambassador Dore Gold 

Students in session with Areyeh Green, advisor to Natan Sharansky 

At City Hall 

Hasbara Fellowships group at the Southern Wall Excavations in Jerusalem

Kissing David Ben-Gurion at Independence Hall in Tel Aviv

Bonding time in the back of the bus! 

students listening to Shachar Zehavi of IsraAID
 

HF students with children at Save a Child's Heart house
 

Road Trip! 

group listening to Khaled abu Toameh of the Jerusalem Post.
 

On the bus!  

OUR TRIP UP NORTH:

We gathered back in Jerusalem early Sunday to start our three day trip up North and Tel Aviv. We first stopped right outside of Jerusalem at the site of the battle of Kastel, a important battle in the War of Independence in 1948. Then we continued to Alfei Menashe where we ate lunch and then discussed more of the history of the beginning of the state of Israel. This also gave the group a great view of Israel and we were also able to look into the West Bank from there.

We then continued on to the house of Ishmael Khaldie,Israeli Bedouin, who spoke to us about his connection to the State of Israel and how he finds Israel to be unique in its overall equality towards the Arabs, and other non-Jews that live as citizens in the state of Israel.

From there we checked into our hotel on Kibbutz Ha-On, located on the
Kinneret. We had dinner, and watched the movie Obsession, a look at Radical Islam's War Against the West. We all slept well that night, it had been a very long day.

We woke up early on Monday morning, had breakfast and then were off for another day of learning about Israel's history, and seeing more sites up north. Our first stop was an amazing lookout over the Kinneret, where Mike Cohen, our tour guide, explained the improtance of Israel having control over the Golan Heights. From there we continued to the border with Syria, and the place where in the 1967 war 44 Israeli tanks held off the entire Syrian army for three days.

We then continued on to the city of Metula on the Lebanese border, where the group got to meet with the Mayor of Metula and talk about Israel's current situation and relations with Lebanon. From there we drove down to Tel Aviv where group had a nice relaxing free night in Tel Aviv.

After breakfast on Tuesday the group had a couple of brainstorming and advocacy training classes in the hotel before we continued on with our day in Tel Aviv. The group met with Shachar Zahavi, a representitive from IsraAID, an Israeli organization that sends people to help with natural disasters in other countries. They talked about their recent actions, including sending help to New Orleans after Hurrican Katrina.

We also met with people from the organization Save a Child Heart, an Israeli organization that flys in children from all over the globe with congenital heart defects to give them life saving surgery. We visited the house where the children stay while they are here in Israel, and got the wonderful experience of getting to meet a group of children that are here currently from Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, and Iraq.

We then continued to the Hall of Independence before returning to Jerusalem for dinner and our last speaker 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.

First Week of Group 2!

What a great start to the trip. Our flight from New York went smoothly and the group started getting to know one another.

Upon arriving on wednesday evening, 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 nights sleep, the group began the program with a tour of the Southern Wall Excavations. This allowed the students to start to connect more to the Old City of Jerusalem. Afterwards, the group got to know each other more with a session where we all discussed the atmosphere on each of their campuses.

After lunch, the group met with Gil Hoffman of the Jerusalem Post. He spoke about the upcoming election, and how the Israeli political system works. Afterwards the students took part in a mock election, where they were able to vote for some of the parties represented in Israel, and then see how the government would be formed based on their votes.

After the elections were over the group discussed effective strategies for making the debate on campus follow the issues that we want to discuss and not to react to the arguments made by the other side. Then, we were off to dinner and the Channukah Extravaganza which brought together all the Aish trips in Israel together for a fun night of sufganeot and latkes.

On Friday, the group met with Neil Lazarus who spoke to them about the Five Rules of Effective Israel Advocacy, and the best ways to engage all of the audiences on campus. Then, we met with Caroline Glick, the deputy managing editor of the Jerusalem Post. She spoke with the students about some of the realities of the current war on terror that Israel is fighting, and her views on some of the current events that are happening in Israel today. After a full morning, the group was given the rest of the day and Shabbat off to see family and friends.

Catching up!

This past week has been filled with exciting speakers, planning pro-active
Israel campaigns, and enjoying Jerusalem. On Wednesday, the group gathered in
the Ein Bokek hotel for an interesting session with Eliott Mathias, Director
of Hasbara Fellowships, on how to identify the type of issues concerning Israel that come up on campus, and thus be prepared to answer the most difficult questions.
Then, the group broke up smaller parts and continued with the practical
activism sessions while enjoying the sunny weather. Each small group planned
out a fantastic fashion show including publicity, fundraising, and
co-sponsorship. Maybe some of these great ideas will show up soon on campus.
Afterwards, the group headed down into the Negev and got to see firsthand
what it is to be a "New Zionist" today in Israel. These are pioneers who are
moving into communities in the Negev and developing the desert to really make
the desert bloom.
After a long drive back to Jerusalem, the students watched
the movie "Confrontation at Concordia" which shows the urgency of having
pro-active positive Israel events on campus.
On Thursday, the group had an important session on the positive things that
Jews have contributed to humanity from historian Ken Spiro.
Afterwards, Dr.
Dore Gold, former ambassador to the United Nations gave students a great
insight into the workings of the United Nations and Israel on the
international scene. Students had the opportunity to ask questions, and find
out internship opportunities at this exciting think tank.
Then, the group met
with Shannon Shabita who discusssed how to reach out to Non-Jews on campus, a
session that many students found very helpful for future engagement
opportunities on campus.
Rouding out the day, the grop and staff engaged in
an interactive practical activism session on how to work with the campus
media, and the student government as well as other important campus groups.
The students discussed many situations on their campuses and came up with
great ideas for the future. After the long but rewarding day, the group came
together with other Aish HaTorah groups for some food, drinks, and music at
the Chanukkah extravaganza.
On Friday morning, Elias Zananniri, one of the main Palestinian people
involved with the Geneva Initiative spoke to the group about the process of
negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians and the situation on the
ground today in the Palestinian territories.
Afterwards, Neil Lazarus gave
the group an intertaining session on how to do effective Israel advocacy.
The group welcomed in Shabbat with beautiful music from Yom Tov Glaser and
enjoyed the Western Wall, dinner at host families in Jerusalem, and a
wonderful Saturday in Jerusalem.
The group had a fantastic time celebrating the New Years in Israel and
is ready and excited for the new year.