May 16, 2008
This month the Israel on Campus Coalition published the inaugural issue of what will be a regular (every four to six weeks) ICC newsletter, containing news from our collaborative work on campuses across the country. In each issue we’ll focus on Israel engagement efforts on campus, and the outstanding work of leading students. We’ll also shine a light on the great work of each of the 33 organizational members of the ICC through an “organization spotlight” column appearing in each issue. We hope you find each issue informative and useful; please share your thoughts with us by using the “contact us” link at the left. If you would like to subscribe, please email Tamara Sharon.
The month of May can be a difficult period for pro-Israel students at a number of schools -- schools that will unfortunately attract anti-Israel speakers and events in response to the celebration of Israel’s Independence Day. To be sure, the increase in such programming is something we see each spring. And other significant obstacles loom for Israel’s advocates on campus, such as the objections being raised by some of these speakers that question Israel’s very right to exist, and the dearth of opportunities for students to study about Israel during their college years.
But even as we address the deficit in Israel education through the combined commitment of each ICC member organization to the goals of the “Israel in Academia” initiative, the simple fact is that we have much to celebrate as Israel turns 60. This month has already marked nothing less than a modern renaissance in campus Israel engagement, as student-initiated “Israel at 60” celebrations and programming take place on hundreds and hundreds of campuses across the United States. These events have engaged broad swaths of their respective campus communities through high-visibility, public-space activities that often educate as much as they celebrate.
Students have used sophisticated public relations campaigns on campus supporting Israel and teaching key facts about Israel’s history, through the use of posters, advertisements and op-eds. Film festivals and concerts have celebrated the diversity of Israel’s culture, and students have used this “teachable moment” as a springboard from which to advocate for Israel in a wide variety of ways. The ICC has directly supported some of these critical activities through ICC Israel Advocacy Grants (more information on that appears below) and through the work of Grinspoon Israel Advocacy Interns on 40 campuses, and the outstanding efforts of the member organizations of the ICC have resulted in so much more.
To be certain, there are many challenges that Israel’s advocates still confront on campus. And as a community, we need to review the trends we’ve observed on campus and the lessons we’ve learned this year, and we have a great deal of work and planning to do this summer to reach our goals for the 2008-2009 academic year. But at this moment, as we pause to celebrate Israel’s 60th, we can also celebrate the groundbreaking Israel engagement and education work led by outstanding student leaders across the country.
David A. Harris