August 21, 2008
This month’s third annual Israel Amplified conference to promote Israel engagement among Greeks -- led by Alpha Epsilon Pi and Alpha Epsilon Phi -- was an enormous success. Through the support of various foundations including the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the conference featured more than 120 students from 24 Greek organizations across 41 American and Canadian campuses. Prominent Israeli and American political leaders in attendance included U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel, Israeli Consul General to the Midwest Orli Gil and Israeli Knesset Coalition Chairman Yoel Hasson. Every student returned to campus with at least three pre-planned Israel engagement programs. Israel Amplified was Alpha Epsilon Pi’s seventh Israel engagement conference since 1999.
Alpha Epsilon Pi International’s Jewish programming division is committed to four main areas in 2008-2009:
1. Jewish Enrichment
2. Israel Engagement
3. Philanthropy
4. Social Action
1.Jewish Enrichment
In 2008-2009, Alpha Epsilon Pi International will offer funding, guidance and information to its chapters in relation to Shabbat and these holiday events:
- Apples N’ Honey Celebrations: Grants for Rosh Hashanah celebrations available to chapters that raised money for AEPi official philanthropy causes in 2007-2008.
- Sukkot/Israel Initiative with MASA Israel Journey.
- Grants for Sukkah building and Israel engagement during Sukkot.
- Brothers publicize long term Israel programs.
- Eight Crazy Nights!: Social, philanthropic, brotherhood and/or religious Chanukah events.
- Purim/Passover- see philanthropy section below
2. Israel Engagement
Israel Programs
In Spring 2008, 63 AEPi chapters held Israel at 60 celebrations. This year, Israel engagement will continue in the form of the fall joint initiative (see above) with MASA that will fuse Sukkot and Israel engagement as well as another joint initiative in the spring. Additionally, AEPi will continue to follow up with Israel Amplified 2008 participants and help them bring their 120+ planned programs to campus.
Post-Birthright Trips to Israel
AEPi has joined forces with the Israel on Campus Coalition and the Jewish National Fund on the Greek Service Trip to Israel this winter and continues its partnership with Aish Hatorah to send AEPi brothers to Israel on the AEPi Jerusalem Road Trip.
3. Philanthropy
In August 2006 at the 93rd International Convention, AEPi brothers voted to commit $225,000 to three official philanthropy causes: Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Chai Lifeline and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Chapters have already pledged over a combined $100,000 for 2008-2009 and are on track to reach their five year goal in only three years, in large part because of incentives for fundraising:
AEPi Team Lifeline: If a chapter raises $3,600 for Chai Lifeline, one brother will be flown to Miami and accommodated in a five star hotel as he runs a half marathon- AEPi brothers raised over $25,000 last January via this AEPi Team Lifeline initiative.
Purim/Passover Events: In Spring 2009, if a chapter raises $3,600 for Shaare Zedek or the U.S. Holocaust Museum, the AEPi Foundation will provide up to $1,000 towards a Purim Party and a Passover Seder.
4. Social Action
Black-Jewish Initiative: The 2007-2008 Black-Jewish partnership with Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and B’nai B’rith International featured 5 on-campus, fraternity led Israel and Darfur events. The initiative will continue in 2008-2009 on 10-15 campuses.
We Walk to Remember: On Yom HaShoah (May 1st, 2008), 31 Alpha Epsilon Pi chapters dressed in black, walked their campus in silence, held “Never Forget” signs and passed out information about the Holocaust. On April 21st, 2009, over 60 chapters will remember the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah via the We Walk to Remember initiative.
Looking Forward
As AEPi is officially partnered with the ICC, any ICC member organization is invited to collaborate on any of the aforementioned initiatives. In fact, we are thankful to those organizations that participated in the opportunities fairs at both AEPi International Convention and Israel Amplified and hope their experiences were worthwhile.
As we commit our resources to our 7,000+ Jewish leaders across over 140 campuses across North America, we are ever grateful that we have over 30 members and affiliates in the ICC that we can count on to do the same. Thank you for your support of campus-wide Israel engagement, and thank you for investing in our youth of today and Jewish leaders of tomorrow.