I had that feeling reading the latest blog post by the esteemed executive director of a good organizational partner to the ICC over the years, David Harris of the American Jewish Committee. His blog is always important, well written, and insightful. Harris blogs in The Jerusalem Post about issues concerning Israel and world Jewry, and in this latest installment, he calls upon Jews who have been “on the sidelines” regarding Israel to get involved now, given the urgency of Israel’s current situation. 

Indeed, Harris’ call couldn’t be more timely, with the uncertainty and trepidation growing regarding Israel’s relations with Turkey and Egypt; the instability and continued brutality in Syria (more than 2,000 unarmed civilian protestors killed in six months, and counting); the continued open hostility of Hamas and Hezbollah on Israel’s northern and southern borders; Iran’s unabated march toward nuclear military capability; and the Palestinian Authority’s stubborn refusal to return to direct negotiations and instead insist upon a misguided gambit at the UN. For any supporter of Israel, now is no time to be passive.

But how do we begin to translate that into action in the campus environment? At times, given the scope of the issues at stake and the challenges of beginning a course of action in a place as complex and textured as a college campus, one might be forgiven if one did not quite know where to begin.

We here at ICC have for several years now been promoting a strategic relationship-building approach to effective campus Israel advocacy—to build meaningful relationships with key campus decision makers, one person at a time, and to educate them on the importance of a positive atmosphere regarding Israel to the campus community. Sometimes, perhaps especially at a time like this, with such uncertainty and concern in the minds of campus Israel supporters, that task may seem overwhelming.

Allow me to suggest a way to make Harris’ call to action tangible and real—not just for Jewish campus residents, but for any campus Israel supporters: start with the power of two—you and one other person.

That other person has to be someone who hasn’t previously been involved with campus Israel advocacy. Better still, select someone in a position to influence the campus atmosphere regarding Israel: the editor of the campus newspaper, a leader of a campus student group, the dean of students, a faculty department head or member, anyone who could potentially have an influence on the way that Israel is portrayed or perceived on campus. 

In the very best instance, campus Israel supporters work together at the beginning of the year to identify all such people on campus, and determine who among the campus Israel network will reach out to and build a relationship with these key influentials. Next, each campus Israel supporter takes it upon him or herself to spend time getting to know at least one such decision-maker and making certain that person knows them well in return. Imagine the depth and strength of relationships on campus, and the powerful connections the campus Israel network would make, by taking such an approach!

Even in the absence of such a smart, strategic approach, envision what would happen if each campus Israel supporter reached out to one person—just one other person like themselves, one who hadn’t previously been engaged—and encouraged them to get involved in cultivating a positive campus Israel environment. By each person cultivating just one more activist—one more strong connection in the campus Israel network—we double our forces and double our effectiveness. Just imagine!

Of course it is possible, and many campus Israel supporters succeed in attracting many others to the cause and in building many more important relationships than just one. But it all begins somewhere, and we all have a role to play. 

Now is not the time to be passive; now is the time to build and strengthen the network of campus Israel supporters and to nurture our strategic relationships on campus. It begins not with one, but two.