Caravan for Democracy High School Edition Proposed Speakers and Program Modules
The below modules reflect topics available for the CFD HSE seminar. Each partnering school and organization will develop a program relevant to their students’ needs. They are listed in no particular order.
How to Use this Guide: Module topics are listed on Page 1 On Pages 2 – 10 are detailed lists of our educational modules including a listing of the speakers who present on the topic, along with their specific seminar titles. This will reference you to a page with the speaker’s biography, photo, and lecture topics. To search by presenter, use the Speaker Index on Page 56.
*Please note that our list of speakers is constantly growing, contact CFD coordinators for additional speakers who may not appear in the guide. Contact us at: [email protected] or 212-879-9305 ext. 245.
MODULE LIST: PAGE
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills 2
Module 2: Shared Value of Democracy between Israel and the United States 3
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? 3-4
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society 4-6
Module 5: Israeli History 6-7
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel 7-8
Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems 9
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media 9-10
Module 9: Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – Is it OK? 10
Module 10: Anti-Semitic Vs Anti-Israel: What’s the Difference? 10
Module 11: Perspectives on the IDF 10
*Index of Speakers 58 1
MODULE 1: EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY SKILLS
Anti-Defamation League Page 12
a. Case Studies b. Tailored Programs
Judy Balint Page 13
a. Presenting Israel's Case: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Utterly Incomprehensible
Dr. Mitchell Bard Page 14-15
a. Winning The War on College Campuses b. Israel Advocacy 101 & 201
David Project Page 25-27
a. Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict (UAIC) c. DP’s Advocacy Training Workshop – ARM: “Address, Reframe and Message”
Alex Grobman Page 33-34
a. What are the Resources we have to Counter Arab Propaganda?
IKAR Page 40
a. Israel in the Media and Public Debate
David Olesker Page 45-46
a. 5 Steps to Effective Israel Advocacy: Basic Advocacy Skills Session b. What's it like on Campus? Some examples of supporters and opponents of Israel in the academy. c. Campus Scenario Simulations. Group activity based on a simulated campus situation. d. Skill sets.
Dr. Yossi Olmert Page 47
b. How to Handle Anti-Israel Jews. c. Advocacy for Israel----Why is History so Important? d. What should be the Pro--Israel Discourse?
Carl Schrag Page 53
a. Stand Up For Israel b. Israel on Campus: Fear, Loathing and Empowerment c. American Jews and Israel: Who Cares and Why?
The Israel Project Page 57
a. Winning Hearts and Minds for Israel
2
MODULE 2: SHARED VALUE OF DEMOCRACY BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES
Jonathan Adelman Page 11
a. Israel Among the Nations
David Project Page 25-27
a. The Iranian Threat
Aryeh Green Page 31-32
a. Human Rights in Jewish Sources: Roots of Western Human Rights Theory
Dr. Yossi Olmert Page 47
a. The Israel-US Alliance--The Primacy of Values
MODULE 3: MOTIVATING FOR ISRAEL ADVOCACY – WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Jonathan Adelman Page 11
a. Rise of Israel: Dangers, Obstacles, and the Role of the Diaspora
Judy Balint Page 13
a. Terrorism, Middle East Politics and You. b. Making A New Life: Reflections of an American Immigrant
Dr. Mitchell Bard Page 14-15
a. Winning The War on College Campuses
David Bryfman Page 19-21
a. Israel as a Cornerstone of Jewish Identity
David Project Page 25-27
a. Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict (UAIC) b. The Situation on College Campuses: Film and Discussion c. Columbia Unbecoming: Film and Discussion
Capt. Avner Evan Zohar Page 29-30
a. Please Forgive Us For Winning! - 40TH Anniversary of the Six Day War b. So, Why Does Democracy Work in Israel? (But nowhere else in the Mid-East?) c. The Arab Israeli Conflict- For Dummies
Aryeh Green Page 31-32
a. The New Anti-Semitism: A “3D” Approach to Anti-Israel Attitudes b. The View From Here - An American Immigrant’s Perspective
3
Alex Grobman Page 33-34
a. Does Israel have a Right to Exist? b. What are the Jewish, Historical, Religious and Spiritual Connection to the Land of Israel?
Gil Hoffman Page 39
a. Reasons for Optimism
IKAR Page 40
a. Why Israel Matters
David Olesker Page 45-46
a. Motivating for Israel Advocacy
Dr. Yossi Olmert Page 47
a. Why Should People be Proud of Israel---Not Just Supporting Her b. Advocacy for Israel----Why is History so Important?
Carl Schrag Page 53
a. Stand Up For Israel b. Israel on Campus: Fear, Loathing and Empowerment c. American Jews and Israel: Who Cares and Why?
Sarri Singer Page 54
a. An Empowering and Moving Session with a Victim of a Terrorist Act
Various Members of Knesset
Dependant upon their visits to the US
MODULE 4: ISRAELI CULTURE AND SOCIETY
Judy Balint Page 13
a. High Anxiety: Israelis Cope with Life in Tense Times. Can American Jews Overcome High Israel Anxiety? b. Making A New Life: Reflections of an American Immigrant c. Terror and its Impact on Israeli Society
Dr. Mark Allen Bernstein Page 17
a. Facing Environmental Issues: Air Pollution b. Climate change: What is it, how it impacts our life, possible impacts on Israel, causes, and what we can do about it c. Energy: How we use it; what is likely to happen in the future; and how we can make a difference d. Renewable Energy e. Energy Efficiency
4
Ron Bernstein Page 18
Development, The Envirnoment and Sustainability in Israel: a. JNF Project at Kibbutz Lotan b. JNF’s Blueprint Negev Vision
David Bryfman Page 19-21
a. Israel – A State for the Jews or a Jewish State? b. Israel – A Normal Country or a Light unto the Nations? c. Mifgashim – Facilitating Encounters between Israelis and Americans d. Israeli Society through Film e. Contemporary Israeli Society through Music f. Israeli Society through Eurovision Song Festival g. Days of Celebration
Rabbi Michael Cohen Page 24
a. Judaism and the Environment b. How the Environment Saved Jewish Identity c. An Environmental Understanding of Genesis d. Israel’s and The Global Environment: Work of the Arava Institute
Noam Dolgin Page 28
a. The Unnatural Jew, Exploring our Personal Connection to Land b. The Zionist Dream, An Environmental Nightmare? c. Sustainable Peace, exploring the interplay between peaceful cooperation and environmental sustainability in the Middle East d. Eco-Zionist Dilemmas, Balancing Environmental Sustainability with Security and Economic Considerations
Capt. Avner Even-Zohar Page 29-30
a. Israeli Society Through Political Cartoons b. American & Israeli humor-Just kidding! - What is funny in Israel? What's not? Why? c. Gay?-Oy Vey! - Queer? Oy Veys Mir! d. So why Does Democracy work in Israel?
David Katz Page 41
a. Environmental policy in Israel b. Water management in Israel and the Middle East c. Transboundary environmental issues between Israel and its neighbors d. Arab-Israeli cooperation: progress and obstacles
Avi Melamed Page 43-44
a. Israeli Society in the Era of Lunatic Reality
Donna Rosenthal Page 48-49
a. Overview: The Colliding Worlds of Israelis b. Growing Up Israeli
5 c. One Nation, Many Tribes d. Different Types of Israeli Jews e. Non-Jews in a Jewish State
Gabe Salgado Page 50-51
a. Israel from Bumper to Bumper b. Political Ideology in Israeli Music c. Microphones Instead of Bombs: Dueling Ideologies in Israeli Rap d. The Israeli Clash: The Jewish State of Contradiction
Beth Shuman Page 55
a. The Jewish Relationship to the Land of Israel
Gary Suskauer Page 56
a. Global Environmental Impact b. You can GoNeutral – Help Israel and the Environment
MODULE 5: ISRAELI HISTORY /HISTORY
David Bryfman Page 19-21
a. Zionism – Past, Present and Future b. Israel Knesset Simulation c. Middle East Peace Process Simulation d. First Zionist Congress Simulation e. Days of Celebration f. Israeli History through Maps g. Israeli Heroes – including Michael Levin
David Project Page 25-27
a. Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict (UAIC)
Capt. Avner EvenEven----ZoharZohar Page 292929-29 ---30303030
a. Please Forgive Us For Winning! - 40TH Anniversary of the Six Day War b. The Arab Israeli Conflict- For Dummies c. The History of Peace (and a piece of history) in the Mid East d. So why does Democracy Work in Israel? (But nowhere else in the Mid-East?)
Uri Harash Page 37-38
aaa.a... A Virtual Tour of Israel bbb.b... Israel --- Past and Prolog ccc.c... The Kibbutz --- Past-Present-Future d. The Land of Israel as Mirrored in the Bible
IKAR Page 404040 a. Modern Israel Introductory Lecture b. Understanding Theodor Herzl through a Primary Source c. The British Mandate, 1920-48 d. Israel’s Declaration of Independence and Lack of Constitution e. Israeli Domestic Life f. Debate between Religious and Secular Jews 6 g. Israel and the Palestinians h. Israel at the United Nations i. Understanding Contemporary Arab-Israel Politics: Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian Track j. The Question of Borders k. The Issue of Refugees
Beth Shuman Page 55
a. The Jewish Relationship to the Land of Israel
Alex Grobman Page 33-34
a. Is Zionism Racism? Is Israel an Apartheid State? b. Holocaust Denial c. Does Israel have a Right to Exist? d. What is the Jewish Historical, Religious and Spiritual Connection to the Land of Israel? e. What are The Protocols of the Elders of Zion?
MODULE 6: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CURRENT EVENTS IN ISRAEL
Anti-Defamation League Page 12 a. Hot Topics b. Tailored Programs
Judy Balint Page 13
a. Waging Peace or Aiding the Enemy? What Are those International Solidarity Movements Really Up to In Israel? b. A View from the Holy Land: The Search for Peace c. Jerusalem at Risk: Challenges Facing Israel's Capital d. Terrorism, Middle East Politics and You
David Bryfman Page 19-21
a. Zionism – Past, Present and Future b. What are the Hot Topics in Israel Right Now? c. Israel’s War with Hezbollah in 2006: What’s happened Since; What’s Next d. Israel – A State for the Jews or a Jewish State?
Capt. Avner Even-Zohar Page 29-30
a. Don't Ask, Don't Tell” - Lessons from the Israeli Experience with Openly Gay Soldiers b. Israeli Society through Political Cartoons c. American & Israeli humor-Just kidding! d. Gay?-Oy Vey! - Queer? Oy Veys Mir! e. The Arab Israeli Conflict- For Dummies f. The History of Peace (and a piece of history) in the Mid East g. So why does Democracy Work in Israel?
Micah Halpern Page 35-36
a. Terrorism 101: Making Sense Out of Today’s New Reality b. Inside the Terrorist Mind c. Don’t Fool Yourself - You Are A Target d. Understanding the Ever Evolving Threat e. The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend: Iran & Syria f. The New Mid-East Nuclear Arms Race 7 g. Iran: There is a Solution h. Jewish State or State of Jews? i. The Peace Process: Hopes & Failures j. Making Sense of the Muddy Middle East
Yoav Ben-Horin Page 16
a. American Foreign Policy b. Israel in Broader Middle East Setting: Security policy, Social structure c. Political, Social and Security Issues
Alex Grobman Page 33-34
a. Is Zionism Racism? Is Israel an Apartheid State? b. Holocaust Denial
Gil Hoffman Page 39
a. Israel Update b. What the Future Holds
IKAR Page 40 a. The Issue of Refugees b. The Question of Borders
Yaakov Katz Page 42
a. The Future - Israel's Security after the Lebanon War
Avi Melamed Page 43-44
a. Israeli Society in the Era of Lunatic Reality b. Democracy and Terror c. The Jerusalem Conflict: Perspectives from Behind the Scenes d. "Islam is the Solution:” From the Streets of Gaza to the Caves of Afghanistan e. Geo strategic analysis of the Middle East (including Iran and Central Asia) f. Updates and Perspectives on The Israeli - Palestinian conflict g. Fundamental Islam (Hammas, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad) h. The Educator's Role in Forming the Future of Israel and the Future Leadership in Israel i. Israel's Inner Challenges
Gabe Salgado Page 50-51
a. Israel from Bumper to Bumper b. Political Ideology in Israeli Music c. Microphones Instead of Bombs: Dueling Ideologies in Israeli Rap d. The Israeli Clash: The Jewish State of Contradiction
Jonathan Schanzer Page 52
a. Radical Islam and the War on Terror b. Israeli Security Update c. Terrorism Funding in the Middle East d. Palestinian Politics: Hamas and Fatah's Civil War
8
MODULE 7: UNDERSTANDING ISRAELI GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEMS
David Bryfman Page 19-21
a. Israel Knesset Simulation b. Middle East Peace Process Simulation c. First Zionist Congress Simulation d. Who are the political parties
Micah Halpern Page 35-36
a. Middle East Humor Political Commentary
IKAR Page 40
a. Prime Ministers and Politics of Israel b. Democracy in Israel and the Middle East
MODULE 8: CRITICALLY ANALYZING ISRAEL IN THE MEDIA
Anti-Defamation League Page 12
a. Case Studies b. Tailored Programs
Judy Balint Page 13 a. You Didn't Hear It On CNN Because.....
CAMERA Page 22-23
a. Journalism and Its Responsibilities b. U.N.Resolution 242: A Case Study in Media Coverage c. What You Can Do d. A Brief History of Israel
Micah Halpern Page 35-36
a. Israel and the World Media: An Insider’s Critique b. The Media: Are the Palestinians Winning c. Palestinian Propaganda vs. Israeli PR
Gil Hoffman Page 39
a. Peeved at Israeli PR?
IKAR Page 40
b. Israel in the Media and Public Debate
Yaakov Katz Page 42
a. Fighting Israel's PR war - How is Israel viewed by the foreign media?
David Olesker Page 45-46
a. Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media
9 Carl Schrag Page 53
a. Behind the Scenes: An Insider’s View b. Media Bias: What’s the True Story?
The Israel Project Page 57
a. Reading the Media Reports through a Critical Lens
MODULE 9: BEING PRO-ISRAEL AND BEING CRITICAL OF ISRAEL – IS IT OK?
Anti-Defamation League Page 12
a. Tailored Programs
Judy Balint Page 13
a. Presenting Israel's Case: The good, the bad, the ugly and the utterly incomprehensible
David Bryfman Page 19-21
a. Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – is it OK?
David Olesker Page 45-46
a. In depth and sophisticated discussion set around a Question & Answer format.
MODULE 10: ANTI-SEMITIC VS ANTI-ISRAEL
Anti-Defamation League Page 12
a. Case Studies b. Tailored Programs
David Olesker Page 45-46
b. In depth and sophisticated discussion set around a Question & Answer format.
MODULE 11: PERSPECTIVES ON THE IDF
Capt. Avner Even-Zohar Page 29-30
a. “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” - Lessons from the Israeli Experience with Openly Gay Soldiers
Yaakov Katz Page 42
a. Service in the IDF - Unlike any other Military
10
Jonathan Adelman
Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy
Dissertation manager of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Dr. Jonathan Adelman is currently a professor in the Graduate School of International Studies in Denver, CO. He keeps in touch with the National Security Advisor and has been in the White House with her a few times. On prior speaking engagements Dr. Adelman has spoken about Israel for JNF, AIPAC, UJC, ADL, AJC, and Hasbara Fellowships.
Dr. Adelman has given talks at the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about the JNF cause. Dr. Adelman is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy in Washington, DC. He has written and edited books. The State Department has sent him on 14 international speaking tours to over a dozen countries, including Russia, China, India, Germany, Japan, and Spain.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 2: Shared Value of Democracy between Israel and the United States & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel
• Israel Among the Nations • The Future of the American Jewish Community
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care?
• Rise of Israel: Dangers, Obstacles, and the Role of the Diaspora
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel
• The Iranian Nuclear Threat: My Experience Briefing the Secretary of State • Middle East and the New World Order: The Rise of Middle Eastern Nations and What It Means For Israel • Israel Update • Can the Palestinian Authority Reform?
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel & Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems
• Anti-Semitism in Global Perspective Module: 6, 7
11
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
"The immediate object of the League is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. Its ultimate purpose is to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike and to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens." ADL Charter October 1913
Ariella Saperstein joined the New York Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League in September, 2004. She works as Assistant Director on issues of global anti-Semitism, international affairs, and public policy. She is also actively engaged in campus issues in the New York region, designing and conducting programming for both high school and college students on anti-Semitism (ADL’s Confronting Anti-Semitism program) and Israel advocacy.
Having graduated from Haverford in 2004 with a B.A. in Philosophy, Ariella completed her degree in three years. At Haverford, Ariella was active in founding HIPAC (Haverford Israel Public Affairs Committee), the college’s first pro-Israel group dedicated to sponsoring advocacy training, panels, and talks on the Arab Israeli conflict as well as Israel itself.
SESSION TOPICS:
The ADL tailors programs for specific groups in the following areas:
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills • Effective Advocacy Skills
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? • Motivating for Israel Advocacy
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media
Module 9: Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – Is it OK? • Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel, Is it OK?
Module 10: Anti-Semitic Vs Anti-Israel: What’s the Difference? • Anti-Semitism Vs Anti-Israel
12
Judy Lash Balint
Published author and journalist on Modern Israeli Society
Judy Lash Balint is a Jerusalem based journalist and writer and author of Jerusalem Diaries: In Tense Times (Gefen). She is a contributor to the Peace Fire Anthology edited by Ethan Casey and Paul Hilder (Free Association Books).
In 2003 Ms. Balint received the Mosaic Award for Excellence in Feature Writing about Israeli Peoplehood, Culture, and Society and took second place in the Jerusalem Foundation Excellence in Jerusalem Reporting contest.
Ms. Balint’s work has appeared in the NY Post, Christian Science Monitor, Bookmarks Magazine, Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz Magazine, The Forward, Seattle Times, Seattle P-I, Suburban, Moment Magazine, Jerusalem Report, Whistleblower Magazine, Bnai Brith International Jewish Monthly, London Jewish Chronicle, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jewish Action, Emmunah Magazine, Amit Magazine, and numerous US Jewish weeklies.
She has been a featured guest on CNN USA and CNN International. Ms. Balint comments from Jerusalem on the Dave Ross Show on Seattle’s CBS affiliate, KIRO Radio, 710AM, KOMONEWSRADIO, Seattle’s ABC affiliate, the Lee Rogers Show on KSFO/ABC Radio in San Francisco and ClareFM in Shannon, Ireland.
“Judy Lash Balint was an excellent speaker. Her topic was “You didn’t hear that on CNN because…”, she told a lot of positive stories about Israel instead of just a political update. She related well with the audience, and was insightful and energetic.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 1: Effective Israel Advocacy & Module 9: Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – Is it OK? • Presenting Israel's Case: The good, the bad, the ugly and the utterly incomprehensible
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society • Making A New Life : Reflections of an American Immigrant – Module: 3, 4
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Terrorism, Middle East Politics and You
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society • High Anxiety : Israelis Cope with Life in Tense Times. Can American Jews Overcome High Israel Anxiety? • Terror and its Impact on Israeli Society
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events • Waging Peace or Aiding the Enemy? What Are those International Solidarity Movements Really Up to In Israel? • A View from the Holy Land: The Search for Peace • Jerusalem at Risk : Challenges Facing Israel's Capital
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • You Didn't Hear It On CNN Because .....Or, Why Do the Media Keep on Getting It So Wrong?
13
Dr. Mitchell G. Bard
A Leading Authority on US & Middle East Policy Mitchell Bard is the Executive Director of the nonprofit AMERICAN -ISRAELI COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE (AICE) and one of the leading authorities on U.S.- Middle East policy. Dr. Bard is also the director of the Jewish Virtual Library (www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org), the world’s most comprehensive online encyclopedia of Jewish history and culture.
For three years he was the editor of the Near East Report , the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) weekly newsletter on U.S. Middle East policy.
Prior to working at AIPAC, Dr. Bard served as an analyst in the polling division of the 1988 Bush campaign.
Dr. Bard has appeared on the BBC, Fox News, al-Jazeera, MSNBC, NBC, CBC, the Jenny Jones Show and other local and national television and radio outlets. His work has been published in academic journals, magazines and major newspapers. He has written and edited 18 books:
Myths And Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict 1001 Facts Everyone Should Know About Israel Forgotten Victims: The Abandonment of Americans in Hitler's Camps The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II From Tragedy to Triumph: The Politics Behind the Rescue of Ethiopian Jews The Complete History of the Holocaust The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding the Brain The Water’s Edge And Beyond: Defining the Limits to Domestic Influence on U.S. Middle East Policy Partners for Change: How U.S.-Israel Cooperation Can Benefit America U.S.-Israel Relations: Looking to the Year 2000 Building Bridges: Lessons For America From Novel Israeli Approaches To Promote Coexistence The Holocaust (Turning Points in World History) The Nuremberg Trials (At Issue in History) The Nuremberg Trials (Eyewitness to History) On One Foot: A Middle East Guide for the Perplexed or How to Respond on Your Way to Class When Your Best Friend Joins an Anti-Israel Protest The Founding of Israel
Dr. Bard is also the author/editor of six studies published by AICE including Rewriting History in Textbooks and TENURED OR TENUOUS: Defining the Role of Faculty in Supporting Israel on Campus
His most recent book, Will Israel Survive? is due out in Summer 2007.
Bard holds a Ph.D. in political science from UCLA and a master’s degree in public policy from Berkeley. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
14
DR. MITCHELL BARD – SESSION TOPICS
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills • Israel Advocacy 101 and 201 - Introductory and advance discussions of how to make the case for Israel
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills & Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? • Winning The War on College Campuses - The Arab-Israeli conflict is often fought verbally on the campus. This talk is designed to help prepare students to wage a proactive positive campaign to educate students about Israel
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Is Mideast Peace Possible? - A discussion of the challenges and opportunities that Israel faces in negotiations with the Palestinians and the Arab states. ••• Islam, Terrorism and the Peace Process - This talk highlights the role religion plays in the conflict, particularly radical Islam, and the implications for a comprehensive peace. • Myths & Facts about the Arab-Israeli Conflict - A discussion of the major misconceptions about Israel and the conflict and the truth about some of the most controversial issues.
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • What the New York Times Doesn't Tell You About the Middle East - A discussion of the way the media covers the region and the bias and inaccuracy prevalent in reporting. • Media Bias: Does It Matter? What Can We Do About it? - It is often taken for granted that the media has a bias against Israel? This lecture looks at whether this is true, the impact that it has on U.S. policy and what can be done to combat it.
15
Yoav Ben-Horin Director of Global Jewish Education for the New Community Jewish High School
Yoav Ben-Horin is Director of Global Jewish Education at the New Community Jewish High School in West Hills, where he is developing a wide range of international programs with Jewish communities in Israel, Latin America and Europe.
Yoav moved back to California in 2005, after spending three years as Director of the Israel & Overseas Pillar of the United Jewish Communities of North America. In that capacity, he monitored developments in Israel and throughout the Jewish world on behalf of the central organization of the Jewish federation system of North America, and maintained communications and a flow of information about these matters within between the UJC and the continental network of 160 federations; he dealt there with the ongoing crisis in Argentina and Uruguay, global Anti-Semitism, Jewish poverty and community building in the former Soviet Union, the integration of Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society, the strains on the social safety net in Israel and the challenges these poses to philanthropic action by Diaspora Jewry.
In "past lives," Yoav was the Associate Director of the Wilstein Institute of Jewish Policy Studies, a think-tank concerned with the public policy agenda of American Jewry. In that capacity he was responsible for initiating and supervising research, publications and conferences throughout North America. From 1982 to 1993, Yoav was analyst of strategic affairs with the RAND Corporation, where he wrote on issues ranging from the Arab-Israeli military balance to arms control in Europe, U.S. Air Force strategies in the Pacific, and war-fighting concepts of the U.S. Army.
Yoav was born in New York City, where his father was an Israeli diplomat at the United Nations. With his family, he traveled and lived in numerous countries around the globe. After completing his military service as a lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces, Yoav studied at Oxford and Harvard Universities. At Harvard, he also taught courses on the political development of the modern Middle East and on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Over the years, Yoav has taught, lectured and spoken frequently on campuses, radio and television, on a wide range of Middle Eastern and Israeli political, social and strategic issues, as well as on American foreign policy and American-Jewish life and Diaspora-Israel relations. He is fluent in English, Hebrew and Spanish.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel
••• American Foreign Policy ••• Israel in Broader Middle East Setting: Security policy, Social structure ••• Political, Social and Security Issues
16
Dr. Mark Allen Bernstein, Ph.D. Former Senior Energy Policy Analyst for the White House
Dr. Bernstein is a Visiting Faculty of Political Science and member of the Future Fuels and Energy Initiative at the University of Southern California. Prior to USC Mark spent 8 years as a Senior Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation. Mark’s research areas span across a broad range of issues in energy, environment, and water including economic impacts of technologies and policies, efficiency and renewable energy, climate change policy, technology diffusion among others. During the 2001 energy problems in California, Mark advised the Speaker of the California State Assembly. Mark’s recent publications include Smog Alert: The Challenges of Battling Ozone Pollution published in Environment, October 2005. At the end of 2005, Mark assisted the Housing Committee of the Mississippi Governors Commission to develop recommendations for ensuring an adequate supply of quality affordable housing in the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Until June of 1998 Mark spent two years as the Senior Energy Policy Analyst for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. Mark worked on the Administration’s climate change technology strategy and helped to create a public-private partnership with the housing industry, the Partnership for Advancing Technologies in Housing.
Prior to working at OSTP Mark spent over three years in the Washington DC office of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as Principal Energy Policy Analyst. Previously, Mark spent 7 years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and as Director of the Center for Energy and the Environment. He also spent 2 years working for United Engineers and Constructors in the Advanced Engineering Department.
Mark has published articles on implications of emissions trading, impacts of energy efficiency, and comparison of costs of coal and nuclear and alternative energy systems, as well as assessing the impacts of energy options in economic development. Mark has worked in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. Mark holds a Ph.D. in Energy Management and Environmental Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters and Bachelors in Mathematics.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Israeli Culture and Society
••• Facing Environmental Issues: Air Pollution ••• Climate change: What is it, how it impacts our life, possible impacts on Israel, causes, and what we can do about it ••• Energy: How we use it; what is likely to happen in the future; and how we can make a difference ••• Renewable Energy ••• Energy Efficiency
17
Ron Bernstein
Expert of Agriculture
Born and raised on Long Island, Ron has a He settled at Kibbutz Yahel located in the southern Arava desert, founded in 1977. Mr. Bernstein’s main profession is in agriculture, having worked at the Agricultural Experimental Station at Yotvata, manager of Yahel’s vegetable operation for 3 years and as Yahel’s citrus manager for the last 20 years. In addition, Mr. Bernstein is a Negev tour guide especially for those groups visiting Yahel. He has represented Kibbutz Yahel and Lotan since 1992 in North America for fundraising, public relation and educational purposes.
From 1999 to 2001 Mr. Bernstein served as shaliach for Union for Reform Judaism’s Youth Division. Since returning from the US Mr. Bernstein has continued managing the citrus operation as well served as a tour guide and fundraiser in North America.
Mr. Bernstein is married to Gila and they have three children, one of which serves in the IDF and one who was adopted from China years ago.
Mr. Bernstein has spoken for Kibbutz Yahel and Lotan, for the Union of Reform Judaism, multiple synagogues throughout the country, and for JNF worldwide.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Israeli Culture and Society
••• JNF Project at Kibbutz Lotan ••• JNF’s Blueprint Negev Vision
18
David Bryfman
David (also known as Bryfy) is an Australian born-and-bred Jewish educator who has worked in formal and informal Jewish educational institutions in Australia, Israel, and America. He completed his undergraduate and Masters degrees in education in Melbourne, where he was active in Habonim Dror , the Zionist Labor youth movement. He also lived and studied in Israel, participating in the Institute for Youth Leaders from Abroad, the Melton Senior Educators Program at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and at Pardes . In Australia he was the Director of Informal Jewish Education at a large Jewish day school, a Hillel Director, and the Director of Birthright Israel in Australia.
Bryfy made his American debut in St. Louis, Missouri, where he served for two years as the Director of the Central Agency's Community Supplementary High School and Teen Initiative Programs. He now lives in New York City with his wife, where he is a Doctoral candidate in Jewish Education at NYU focusing on informal Jewish Education. Bryfy is a current fellow in the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program and is also a graduate of Brandeis University's Informal Jewish Education Leadership Seminar .
David is currently the Director of Israel Education for JEXNET (formerly the North American Alliance for Jewish Youth), a position which sees him envisioning and implementing new methods of engaging North American youth with Israel. This position is funded and supported by MAKOM and the UJA Federation of New York.
Known in Jewish education circles for his accessible and informal teaching style, Bryfy is a master of his subject (informality). His trademarks are his ability to impart complex and esoteric material in a down-to-earth and engaging way. In addition to his love of teaching, Bryfy is passionate about "sport" and is a life-long devotee of Australian Rules Football (Go the Mighty Magpies !).
SESSION TOPICS
Israel Identity Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 5: Israeli History Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current events in Israel & Module 9: Being Pro-Israel and being Critical of Israel – Is it OK? • Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – is it OK? - Module: 9
• Israel as a Cornerstone of Jewish Identity* - Module: 3 We all know it’s important but still it is often difficult to articulate. This session will explore the ‘why’ of Israel in Jewish education as well as introduce us all to some innovative ways to bring Israel to life in the classroom. Through the lens of contemporary Israeli culture we will look at ways in which Israel can and should be considered an integral component of anyone’s Jewish education.
• Zionism – Past, Present and Future – Module: 5, 6 Zionism has its roots many years ago – some would even claim thousands of years ago. What has happened to this movement over the centuries? Where is it heading? And perhaps most importantly – what is your role in the future of Zionism? By looking at some sources from various Zionist thinkers throughout time this session will explore the term which is often found missing in contemporary discussions about Jewish identity.
19
DAVID BRYFMAN
Israeli Society Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel
• Israel – A State for the Jews or a Jewish State?* Israel is a country which often struggles with the tensions between being a democracy and a Jewish country – some would claim that these two terms are inextricably linked while others might suggest that they are mutually exclusive. This session will look at primary documents including Israel’s Declaration of Independence, the Law of Return and Ben Gurion’s status quo letter to examine some real life dilemmas in Israeli society when religion and democracy have come into conflict.
• Israel – A Normal Country or a Light unto the Nations? What would Herzl and Ben-Gurion say if they walked the streets of Israel today? Would they be proud or would they be angered? The struggle of whether Israel should be considered as a country just like any other or one which holds a special place among the nations of the world has many implications for Jews around the world and the way in which they relate to Israel. This session can take a more cultural look at Israeli society or look at the very real political implications of this dilemma.
• Mifgashim – Facilitating encounters between Israelis and Americans* They’re all arrogant, pushy and rude. They’re all rich and self-absorbed. While stereotypes between Israelis and American Jews abound very rarely do these two groups have the chance to get together and discuss some core issues of Jewish identity. Through a series of inter-active activities this session will bring together two cultures – not by just focusing on the similarities, but by delving into some of the complex issues that define Jewish identity in Israel and North America today.
Israeli Culture Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society
Music and Film have the capacity to touch people across cultures and across generations. I have assembled some Israeli songs that deal with various themes in Israeli society, many of which are used in programs to look both at Israeli society and also which address Jewish identity issues of program participants. Many songs also include simultaneous translation in English while others incorporate the technology or YouTube to bring Israeli culture to life.
• Israeli society through film.* A list of films that I have worked with can be found at: http://bryfy.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=68 • Contemporary Israeli Society through Music* • Israeli Society through Eurovision song festival*
Simulation Activities Module 5: Israeli History & Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems
• Israel Knesset Simulation There is no better way to understand the Israel political system then by immersing oneself within the complexity of the Knesset. Depending on available time this activity can involve research and various scenarios as well as the development of full political campaigns. (Can be a 2 hour – 4 hour module)
• Middle East Peace Process Simulation Making peace is more difficult than it seems. Using the Oslo model, participants will be divided into various countries and faced with the dilemma of trying to reach a peace agreement. Using real life news feeds, participants will be faced with the difficulty of trying to make real-life decisions, often for countries (or entities) that they might not necessarily agree with. (minimum 3 hours)
• First Zionist Congress Simulation* Herzl had a dream and a vision – a great deal of which is still very relevant today. This 2 hour simulation can take a look back in time and let the participants judge for themselves whether this dream has been realized, while always keeping in mind – “Im tirzu ein zo agadah – if you will it, it is no dream.” 20
DAVID BRYFMAN
Days of Celebration Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society & Module 5: Israeli History
• Yom Ha’atzmaut – Celebration of Israeli Society through Music* • Yom Yerushalayim – Celebration of Jerusalem through Music*
Other Possible Topics: Module 5: Israeli History ••• Israeli History through Maps ••• Israeli Heroes – including Michael Levin
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel ••• What are the Hot Topics in Israel Right Now? ••• Israel’s War with Hezbollah in 2006: What’s happened since; What’s Next?
Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems • Who are the political parties, the players and what do they represent
21
CAMERA
For twenty-five years, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) has been at the forefront of examining, and alerting others to, the role of the media in covering the Arab- Israeli conflict (see www.camera.org). Recognizing the media’s role in shaping the public’s perception of events, CAMERA is distributing “Eyes” to help today’s youth as they struggle with reconciling those perceptions with fact.
One of the chief goals of “Eyes on Israel” is to allow students to explore media “texts” (articles, radio and television broadcasts, Web sites) and historical facts in such a way as to encourage insight about the nature of the Middle East conflict and the way in which it is rendered by the media. It is our belief that such an approach will appeal to the students’ developing need to question and probe while providing them with the data necessary for understanding the challenges Israel encounters.
Hillel Zaremba received a BA in Oriental (Near Eastern) Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Religious Studies from Yale. He developed and taught a dual curriculum of World and Jewish History at the Ramaz School (from whence he had graduated) and has worked in the private and public sectors developing instructional materials for various clients in the retail, financial, health and government and defense industries. He is currently a senior research analyst and developer of special projects for CAMERA (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) and author of “Eyes on Israel” a modular curriculum for grades 7-12 that helps students practice analytical thinking and develop a critical eye regarding what they read, see and hear about Israel in the media.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • Journalism and Its Responsibilities o Codes of Ethics: Students examine codes of journalistic behavior, the standards prescribed by those codes and how those standards are actually implemented. o Skewed Balance? Students examine provided media materials to ascertain if journalists take a balanced approach in their reporting. o Accuracy and Misrepresentation Students examine provided media materials and establish whether they present an accurate picture of a controversial issue or not.
• U.N.Resolution 242: A Case Study in Media Coverage o The Six Day War and the Media Students identify key events that led to the Six Day War and the territorial changes that resulted. This history is compared with accounts of the war by major media outlets. o Resolution 242 and the Media Students identify key provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 242 and the intent of its framers. This information is compared with descriptions of the Resolution in the media.
• What You Can Do o Monitoring the Media Students conduct a thorough examination of Middle East coverage by a media outlet of their choice. o Communicating with the Media Students practice communicating about Middle East coverage through letters to a media outlet of their choice.
22
CAMERA, Con’t
o Writing for the Media Students practice composing op-eds and informative articles for submission to a media outlet of their choice.
• A Brief History of Israel o Rebirth of a Nation-State Students analyze the changing political boundaries of pre-1948 Palestine and post-1948 Israel and surrounding events. o Timelines and Chronologies Students study key events in the modern history of Israel.
23
Rabbi Michael M. Cohen is a graduate of the University of Vermont where he received the History Award, and graduated in 1980 with honors for his work on Lenin’s Theory of Self-Determination and the Muslims of the Soviet Union. Rabbi Cohen received ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1990. He was the Rabbi of the Israel Congregation in Manchester Center, Vermont from 1990-2000. He has also served at the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. Rabbi Cohen was a founding faculty member of The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies ( www.arava.org ) located on Kibbutz Ketura in 1996 while on sabbatical from the Israel Congregation. He returned to the Arava Institute in 2000. From 2001- 2006 he served as the Executive Director of The Arava Institute North America. In 2002 he co-founded the Green Zionist Alliance, the first Environmental Zionist party to run in the World Zionist Congress elections. He returned to the Arava Institute for 2004-06. At the Institute he worked on Palestinian Student recruitment, development, and other projects. He also teaches two classes: Genesis As a Key to Environmental Thought and Moses: A Study of Leadership and Environmental Wisdom. Rabbi Cohen is presently the Director of Special Projects for the Friends of the Arava Institute working on development and student recruitment issues for the Arava Institute in North America. He is the author if numerous articles and he is completing writing a novella, "Einstein's Rabbi."
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Israeli Culture and Society
• Judaism and the Environment: An exploration of Jewish values towards the Environment; An examination of the most important texts. • How the Environment Saved Jewish Identity: Our connection to the Land of Israel during 2,000 years of exile was one of the key factors in maintaining Jewish Identity. We will explore this dynamic. • An Environmental Understanding of Genesis: The first Book of Torah is full of environmental messages and lessons. We will Study them. • Israel’s and The Global Environment: Work of the Arava Institute
24 Uri H
The David Project Center for Jewish Leadership The David Project Center for Jewish leadership is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote a fair and honest understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We work to develop educated, skilled, and courageous leaders to respond to the ideological assault on Israel that is taking place on college campuses, in high schools, churches, the media and in the general community. Our approach is rooted in educational initiatives that begin in the middle school, advance during the high school and college years, and culminate in effective adult Jewish leadership and advocacy programs. We offer interrelated and dynamic Israel advocacy programs, campaigns, films, and services which promote learning, action, and reflection. Our workshops promote the values of tolerance, pluralism and civil society, which are the prerequisites for achieving lasting peace and justice for all peoples of the Middle East.
The David Project Program Offerings: Our educational workshops offer a concise, systematic approach to understanding the Arab-Israeli conflict. Rather than train people to simply refute lies and distortions, this approach focuses on reframing the conflict along its physical, historical, and moral dimensions. Our seminars emphasize the values and logic and offer easy-to-use tools and techniques to make Israel’s case. The David Project helps students and adults become more effective advocates for Israel.
SESSION TOPICS: Module 1: Effective Israel Advocacy & Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy & Module 5: Israeli History • Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict (UAIC): The David Project UAIC workshop provides a unique, multifaceted analysis for understanding and communicating to others the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Our training highlights key values and logic that shape moral judgments about the conflict and teaches easy-to-use techniques that enable people to effectively and confidently advocate for Israel. Students review the importance of studying the conflict and are given the contextual tools for making Israel’s case. We focus our analysis on why anti- Israel bias is on the rise and address what can be done to regain support for Israel. Students learn key concepts fundamental to a fair and honest understanding of the conflict: “framing” and “zooming out.” Our analysis stresses the importance of looking at the conflict along three interrelated dimensions: physical, historical, and moral. Program time : 45-75 minutes + discussion
Module 1: Effective Israel Advocacy • Our Advocacy Training Workshop (ARM): “Address, Reframe & Message” A dynamic, interactive program which introduces students to our time-tested advocacy techniques. It enables them to use the lessons learned in Understanding the Arab-Israel Conflict (UAIC) to effectively and confidently make Israel’s case. Key questions regarding advocacy are considered: Why are most Jews silent about Israel? Why is advocating for Israel important? Our approach combines a conceptual strategy of reframing to a broader context with advocacy skill building. We offer a proactive method that allows our Israel advocates to control the agenda and focus attention on the key issues. Our approach demonstrates how to engage in constructive discussions in diverse settings. We provide participants with a unique historical, political, and moral framework for understanding and communicating to others the nature of the conflict. Program time : 30 minutes – 90 minutes (longer program provides opportunity for more interaction/role playing) 25
DAVID PROJECT
Module 2: Shared Value of Democracy between Israel and the United States & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • The Iranian Threat The Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged as the top threat to the security and very existence of the State of Israel. While enhancing a ballistic missile arsenal and developing a nuclear program, the Iranian president has repeatedly called for the destruction of the Jewish State. Many leaders in Israel and the United States believe that a second Holocaust, from a country that denies the first one, is now a distinct possibility. Despite the growing danger from this terrorist-supporting regime, the international community has thus far failed to adequately address this growing danger. This presentation highlights the hostile ideology of the Iranian regime, illustrates the numerous human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic, and explores the critical nature of this threat to Israel, the United States and the West. Program time : 45-60 minutes
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills & Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 5: Israeli History Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict (UAIC) The David Project UAIC workshop provides a unique, multifaceted analysis for understanding and communicating to others the nature of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Our training highlights key values and logic that shape moral judgments about the conflict and teaches easy-to-use techniques that enable people to effectively and confidently advocate for Israel. Students review the importance of studying the conflict and are given the contextual tools for making Israel’s case. We focus our analysis on why anti- Israel bias is on the rise and address what can be done to regain support for Israel. Students learn key concepts fundamental to a fair and honest understanding of the conflict: “framing” and “zooming out.” Our analysis stresses the importance of looking at the conflict along three interrelated dimensions: physical, historical, and moral. Program time : 45-75 minutes + discussion
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? • The Situation on College Campuses: Film and Discussion College and university campuses have become the main battleground for the ideological assault against Israel. Student groups and organizations routinely stage programs aimed at demonizing Israel, intimidating Jewish students and stifling academic debate. Being Jewish on many campuses is comfortable and “easy”, but once a student labels him/herself a Zionist he/she will often incur hostility. The David Project will present an analysis of the issues and events which have fostered this environment. This presentation provides a multifaceted insight into anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism occurring on college campuses around the country. Through individual case studies, “Confrontation on Campus” highlights the major organizations, which are leading the ideological assault against Israel, their approach, and the events they sponsor. The David Project program provides valuable context to students by showing what they might expect in the future, while providing them effective tools for meeting these challenges. Program time : 60 minutes
• Columbia Unbecoming: Film and Discussion This documentary film features testimonial interviews with Columbia University students who all shared stories of MEALAC department faculty members intimidating students who expressed their pro-Israel Zionist views. Students note how these professors created an atmosphere hostile to academic freedom inside and outside the classroom. The emotional testimony of students at Columbia University shines a light on the growing anti-Israel atmosphere on American campuses. Program time : 60 minutes
26
DAVID PROJECT
Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Hezbollah Exposed Hezbollah Exposed examines the recent war in Lebanon as a lens through which we can understand the broader Arab-Israeli conflict. It also serves to dispel commonly held views that this was a local dispute that started one day in July 2006. By zooming out along the three dimensions and examining the wider context, a more complete and accurate picture of this longstanding conflict becomes clear. This larger picture is essential for understanding the threat Israel continues to faces the destructive, anti-Semitic nature of Hezbollah, and its place in the greater Arab-Israeli conflict. Program time : 45 minutes + discussion
• Hamas Exposed Hamas Exposed provides an overview of the radical Islamist group that was elected to lead the Palestinian Authority in 2005. The program examines the group’s ideology, its charter, strategy, and history of violence and terrorism against Jewish and Israeli targets. It also explores the prospects for peace with this group now wielding influence over the Palestinian government. Program time : 30 minutes + discussion
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Evolution of a Terrorist For years, many academics and political leaders have pushed the idea that terrorism results from poverty and a sense of disenfranchisement. This presentation challenges that commonly held viewpoint and explains how hate education, incitement and the glorification of violence are the driving factors behind the deadly acts. Clips from Palestinian television programs and textbooks help illustrate why the violence continues in the Middle East and why combating terrorism goes beyond simply improving economic conditions. Program time : 30-45 minutes
Module 5: Israeli History • Forgotten Refugees: Film and discussion The David Project launched the Forgotten Refugees campaign to raise awareness of the exodus of one- million Jews from Arab countries and Iran in the 20th century. The centerpiece of the campaign is The Forgotten Refugees documentary which combines extensive testimony of former refugees with archival footage and historic images. The film details the storied history of Jewish communities indigenous to the Middle East and how this civilization was destroyed in a matter of decades. Program time : 60 minutes
27
Noam Dolgin is a leader in Jewish environmental and Israel environmental programming. He serves as Executive Director of the Green Zionist Alliance, working from North America to promote environmental sustainability in Israel. His recent work includes developing the Elijah's Covenant climate change curriculum for the Shalom Center, which has been met rave reviews by a wide variety of Jewish leaders. From 2000 - 2007 Noam worked as the Associate Director of the Teva Learning Center, North America's foremost Jewish environmental education organization. More information on Noam’s work is available at www.noamdolgin.com.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Israeli Culture and Society
• The Unnatural Jew, Exploring our Personal Connection to Land : How well do you know the geography of your home state or country? Can you name the lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys? Most Israelis can. In this session we will explore our personal connection to our homelands in the Diaspora and Israel, discuss historic and current reasons for these relationships, and view Zionism as a movement to re-indigenize the Jewish people.
• The Zionist Dream, An Environmental Nightmare?: Oleh U’vneh (Arise and Build) is one of many early Zionist slogans calling for growth, settlement, and development of the land of Israel. But has it gone too far? Has Israeli’s need for western style development and standard of living, come at the expanse of the land we love to dear? This workshop will explore the pros and cons of modern Israeli development and discuss sustainable solutions to Israel’s growth.
• Sustainable Peace, exploring the interplay between peaceful cooperation and environmental sustainability in the Middle East : We’ve all heard the speculation that the next war in the Middle East will be fought over water. This precious natural resource is one of many shared by Israel’s citizens and neighbors. In this workshop we will explore the shared environmental concerns around land, water and air, and discuss how collaboration is vital in addressing social and environmental sustainability and creating lasting Peace.
• Eco-Zionist Dilemmas, Balancing Environmental Sustainability with Security and Economic Considerations: Israel has long been a country with only two political issues, security and economic development, issues that still today remain central to Israel’s future. Unfortunately this view has left other issues vital to Israel’s future off the table including many environmental concerns. This workshop will explore how we balance environmental considerations with economic and security concerns in Israel, and help develop a vision for a safe, prosperous and ecologically sustainable future.
28
Captain Avner Even-Zohar is a Sabra (native Israeli born) and served for 6 years in the Israeli army as an education officer. Captain Even-Zohar was among the very few officers who were awarded twice during their service for highest excellence as an Army NCO (Non commissioned Officer) and as an officers school cadet as he graduated with the highest honors twice. As a captain he served on the chief of staff inspection team for the Army, Navy and Air Force and as a commander of an education base in the Upper Galilee. He served in the West Bank and in Lebanon.
Captain Even-Zohar was awarded twice the Danziger scholarship for excellence in Hebrew studies and got both his BA and MA from the University of Texas in Austin in Government, Middle Eastern and Hebrew studies. He graduated with honors. His Master thesis titled "Attitudes Towards the Holocaust and Sexuality as Defining Trait: The Sabras Character in Israeli Culture". He was recognized for initiating the first (and so far the last) Israeli-Syrian distinguish speakers program on campus.
Captain Even-Zohar Turned around a running deficit program to $25,000 surplus program within one summer, functioning as the Director of youth programs in Austin, TX, 1999.
Based on high fund raising, recruitment and outreach achievements was promoted to direct two divisions (campus and young adults) at the Jewish community Federation in San-Francisco, CA in 2003.
Professor Even-Zohar works to build bridges between the Jewish community and the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) community. He taught a Queer Jewish class at the Harvey Milk Institute in San-Francisco named "Gay? Oy Vey!" and “Queer? Oy Veys Mir!”
Captain Even-Zohar was promoted to a Professor and the youngest ever Chair of the Department of Turkish & Hebrew Studies after three weeks of employment with the US Department of the Defense, Language Institute in Monterey CA in 2005.
Professor Even-Zohar is an Internationally published author in What Israel Means To Me (US & Canada: Wiley, 2006), edited by Harvard University professor Alan Dershowitz, his is one of several essays published by prominent figures like: CNN’s anchor Larry King, US Secretary of Education William Bennett, US Senator Norm Coleman (R, MN), Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, NYC Mayor Ed Koch, US Congressman Barney Frank (D, MA), Actress Natalie Portman and others.
Professor Even-Zohar published an essay on the acclaimed series “This I believe” on National Public Radio.
CAPTAIN AVNER EVAN ZOHAR – SESSION TOPICS
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 5: Israeli History • Please Forgive Us For Winning! - 40TH Anniversary of the Six Day War: A remarkable multimedia presentation to mark the 40th anniversary of the war which transformed the history of the Middle East. Based on recently published research and Israeli cartoons, this teaching deals with the events which led to combat and its consequences. The lecture is dynamic, lively and animated. No previous knowledge is required.
29 CAPT. AVNER EVAN ZOHAR
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel & Module 11: Perspectives on the IDF • “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” - Lessons from the Israeli Experience with Openly Gay Soldiers : Do gay, lesbian, and bisexual soldiers truly threaten military morale? Come hear Avner Even-Zohar speak about his service as an officer in Israel, the strong argument against the ban of openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people from military service, and what the US might learn from Israel's progressive LBGT laws.
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Israeli Society Through Political Cartoons: This vivid presentation explores Israeli society with all its complexities, challenges and achievements through political cartons. Humor, flamboyant images and academic data help American audience discover the diversity and multiculturalism of the people who reside in the only democracy in the Middle East. All segments of Israeli society are well represented: secular, ultra orthodox and everything in between; Israeli Arabs; Bedouins, Druze; Russians, Ethiopians; Feminist movement; deprived and affluent, LGBT community, Sephardic; Ashkenazi and many more. • American & Israeli humor-Just kidding! - What is funny in Israel? What's not? Why?: If humor is a mirror to society; then what can we learn about Israeli society form its cheerfulness? What is considered Taboo in Israel compared to the US and why? How is Israeli humor connected to Jewish humor and why Jews are soooo funny? Have you heard some good Goyish jokes lately? Get it? No seriously! With the help of some hilarious Israeli video clips we will explore Israeli society. Even if you would learn little from this presentation at least you will get a good laugh- just kidding! • Gay?-Oy Vey! - Queer? Oy Veys Mir!: This presentation explores the Queer liberation movement in Israel in comparison to the US. The legal status of the LGBTQ community in Israel in more advanced then the US in 3 major areas of the law. Which ones? Why? And how come? How did Israel become a light to the nations regarding Queer rights which are human rights? What can ALL the Arab countries learn from Israel regarding human rights of LGBTQ community? What can the US learn from Israel and vise versa?
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • The Arab Israeli Conflict- for dummies: This presentation explores the roots of one of the most prominent conflicts of our time. Who started it? When did it start? And above all-when and how will it ever be over? Everything you ever wanted to know about the Arab Israeli conflict in one lecture. Being dummy is NOT a prerequisite for this lecture, meaning you don’t have to be dumb to understand it- GET IT?! Or should I explain again?
Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • The History of Peace (and a piece of history) in the mid east: This presentation explores the ever going attempts to find peaceful solutions to the Arab Israeli conflicts 1882 till present. We will discuss the roots of the conflicts and many of the peace proposals through the years. Who usually comes up with peaceful proposals and who foils them? Will there ever be peace in the Middle East? When and how will it look like?
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society & Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • So why does democracy work in Israel? (But nowhere else in the mid east): This presentation elaborates on the status of Human rights and minority rights in the Middle East and tries to tackle the quotation- how could Israel survive as a democracy in the Middle East for 60 years while all of its neighbors are dictatorships and some are committed for its destruction. We will look into women rights in Saudi Arabia, gay life in Egypt and the remarkable career of Israel’s first women Chief Supreme Court Justice the honorable Dorit Beinish.
30
Aryeh Green
Aryeh was born in Washington, DC. He grew up in San Francisco and made Aliya in 1984 with wife Katie (Wagerman) from London. He has been policy advisor to Natan Sharansky since mid-1990s, been on the executive staff of Sharansky’s Yisrael B’Aliya party 2001-2003, was a senior member of minister Sharansky’s staff in the prime minister’s office 2003-2005, is responsible for contacts with Palestinian and other Arab democracy activists as well as for relations with ‘next generation’ Jewish leaders, coordinates support for Jewish students and faculty at universities around the world, combating anti- Semitism, and public diplomacy activities. Aryeh also has over 13 years in business, mostly high-tech, including various executive management positions and consulting work for public and private Israeli companies, including ECI Telecom, Aladdin, Lannet, Bank HaPoalim, Pfizer, AudioCodes, and others. He is also former managing director of the G3 Associates business consulting firm in Jerusalem. He has had 7 years public sector work in education, including 3 years as founder/director of Students For Israel, a Jerusalem seminar center training visiting students in advocacy skills for their return to campuses abroad in the early 90s. He is a reserve officer in IDF Spokespersons Unit. Aryeh holds a BA in psychology from UC Berkeley, MA in international relations from Hebrew University, MSc in business management from Boston/Ben Gurion Universities. Publications include articles in Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Israel21C, Washington Jewish Week, SF Northern California Jewish Bulletin, Israel Insider, and on
SESSION TOPICS :
Module 2: Shared Value of Democracy between Israel and the United States & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Human Rights in Jewish Sources: Roots of western human rights theory
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society • The View From Here - An American Immigrant’s Perspective
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 10: Anti-Semitic Vs Anti-Israel: What’s the Difference? • The New Anti-Semitism: A “3D” approach to anti-Israel attitudes
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society • An Israeli Nokia? Israel as a global high-tech center: what’s missing, what’s needed.
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Religious Zionism in Israel vs. Modern Orthodoxy in the Western world: A unified theory of Judaism • Crossing the Chasm in Israel - What divides us, what unites us as Israelis
Module 5: Israeli History • Welcome to Israel: 3500 years of Jewish history in 35 minutes! (For visiting groups)
Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • GeoPolitics of the Middle East: Understanding the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 31
ARYEH GREEN
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Democracy and Human Rights in the Middle East: Natan Sharansky and a “process” for real “peace” for the region • A Jewish State? An answer and a prescription for Yoram Hazony’s analysis of the anti-Jewish nature of the Israeli “branja” (established leadership). • “Middle Israel” - Is there a moderate center in Israel? (or, The Saga of a Fanatic Moderate) - A presentation of the consensus in Israel
32
Alex Grobman is an historian with an MA and Ph.D. in contemporary Jewish history from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is president of the Institute for Contemporary Jewish Life, a think tank dealing with historical and contemporary issues affecting the Jewish community. He is a contributing editor for Together , a publication of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants. He is a member of the academic board of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and a contributor to the Encyclopedia Judaica and the Partisan website.
Dr. Grobman established the first Holocaust center in the U.S. under the auspices of a Jewish Federation in St. Louis, Missouri and served as its first director. He also served as director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angles where he was the founding editor-in chief of the Simon Wiesenthal Annual, the first serial publication in the United States focusing on the scholarly study of the Holocaust. Dr. Grobman edited Genocide: Critical Issues of the Holocaust , a companion to the Center's Academy Award winning film Genocide. The book can be found on the Simon Wiesenthal Center website.
Dr. Grobman is the author of Rekindling the Flame: American Jewish Chaplains and the Survivors of European Jewry, 1944-1948 , and editor of In Defense of the Survivors: The Letters and Documents of Oscar A. Mintzer AJDC Legal Advisor, Germany, 1945-46. His book with Michael Shermer, Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened, and Why Do They Say It? was published by University of California Press in Berkeley in 2000. In 2002, it was published in Italian and in paperback. In 2008, it will be published in Greek.
He has also edited three guides for educators: Anne Frank in Historical Perspective, Those Who Dared: Rescuers and Rescued , and a guide to Schindler's List. "Holocaust Denial: A Global Survey - 2003, 2004,2005, 2006" were written with Dr. Raphael Medoff. In April 2004, he and Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Professor of Interreligious Studies at the Vatican's Angelicum University in Rome, wrote an analysis of Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ.
Battling For Souls: The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee in Post-War Europe was published by KTAV in 2004.
Nations United: How The UN Is Undermining Israel and The U.S. was published in November 2006 by Balfour Books.
He trains students how to respond to Arab propaganda on American campuses. One student who worked with him for three years became president of Harvard Students For Israel. Another became active at Yale University and is in Harvard graduate school this year. Other students are at Yeshiva University and Columbia.
33
ALEX GROBMAN
SESSION TOPICS
Israel is engaged in a war for its survival. There is nothing in the Arab media or in statements by Arab political or religious figures that indicate they have ever accepted Israel's right to exist. The Palestinians and their supporters have manufactured specious arguments that have fooled the West into thinking that Israel does not want peace and that the Arabs are the victims of Israeli aggression. Today, they say the obstacles to peace are the settlements. Tomorrow there will be other excuses to justify murderous attacks against the Jewish State.
Students need to know the basics of modern Middle Eastern history and the Israeli/Arab conflict. Approaching the Middle East from the historians' point of view engages students intellectually and emotionally. With perspective, they can be confident when confronting those who distort history.
Below are a number of topics that will help students begin to respond to the distortions they will encounter.
Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Is Zionism Racism? Is Israel an Apartheid State? We will examine who was responsible for branding Israel a racist and apartheid state. Why they did so, and why they continue to propagate this canard. We will then discuss ways to respond to this fabrication.
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Holocaust Denial. What is Holocaust denial? How do we know the Holocaust occurred? Who are the people who espouse it? Why do they do they say it never happened? Why have the Arabs and Iranians become such avid Holocaust deniers?
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills • What are the Resources we have to counter Arab Propaganda? An in-depth examination of the books, periodicals and Internet sources available to keep abreast of the latest developments in the Middle East so that we can respond to the attacks against the Jewish state.
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 5: Israeli History • Does Israel have a Right to Exist? An examination of why the international community recognized the historic right of the Jewish people to rebuild their ancient homeland. What are the legal and moral justifications the international fora used? We will examine the declarations and mandates they passed. Attacks that Israel stole Arab land, that they are occupiers, and that the British promised Palestine to the Arabs will also be refuted.
• What is the Jewish Historical, Religious and Spiritual Connection to the Land of Israel? Arabs claim we have none. We will examine the claim, and show why the Jewish connection is real as reflected in our religious and secular texts and literature.
We will show that from the destruction of the Second Commonwealth by the Romans in 70 until the establishment of the state of Israel, Palestine was never a home for any other people, had never been considered a geopolitical entity and had never been an independent state.
Module 5: Israeli History • What are The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? Who wrote the book? When and why was it written? Why has it become the most pernicious book used against the Jews? Do the Arabs actually believe the Jews control the world? Significantly, many Jews never heard of the work, yet it is viewed by many in the Arab world as an authentic outline that Jews follow.
34
Micah D. Halpern
Expert on Terrorism, the Middle East and Muslim Fundamentalism
His voice is recognized by listeners to talk radio across America and to his weekly feature, A Safer World, on USA Radio Network and to CBS Network where he is a featured contributing terrorism analyst. His face is familiar to viewers on CBS, FOX, MSNBC and to those who watch documentaries on PBS, The Learning Channel, The History Channel, Discovery and the Food Network. Following 9-11 he was the CBS-2 commentator on terror. On 9-11, 2003 he was the guest expert on ABC's The View. He is the author of What You Need To Know About: Terror (Toby Press, 2003), an accessible book that clearly and succinctly answers the questions we are afraid to ask. Micah's latest book is THUGS (Thomas Nelson), published in August, 2007.
Halpern, a syndicated columnist, is also a well-known social and political commentator, educator, and historian. In 1997, Micah Halpern was appointed Israel columnist for America Online and continues, until today, to write a weekly, now syndicated, column on foreign affairs, the Middle East and terror.
Micah's weekly column is read by hundreds of thousands if not millions on the Internet and in papers and websites around the world from the American Enterprise Institute to Israelinsider.com. His weekly radio spot is featured on 28 radio stations nationally on the USA Radio Network.
An expert on terrorism, Halpern has been invited for consultations in the White House with terror analysts and has addressed conferences sponsored by the Justice Department. He has also contributed religious commentary for CNN and ABC television.
Micah was a lecturer at Yale University and also taught at Brandeis University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Halpern continues to lecture to student groups.
For fun, Micah Halpern writes a column on kosher wines. He is the only exclusively kosher wine reviewer in the world. His essay on the Kosher Wine Revolution is published in Food Arts magazine. A native of Annapolis, Maryland, Micah Halpern resides in New York City.
Session Topics
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Terror a. Terrorism 101: Making Sense Out of Today’s New Reality b. Inside the Terrorist Mind c. Don’t Fool Yourself - You Are A Target
35
MICAH HALPERN Con’t
• Iran a. Understanding the Ever Evolving Threat b. The Enemy of My Enemy is My Friend: Iran & Syria c. The New Mid-East Nuclear Arms Race d. Iran: There is a Solution
• Israel a. Jewish State or State of Jews? b. The Peace Process: Hopes & Failures c. Making Sense of the Muddy Middle East
Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems • General a. Middle East Humor Political Commentary
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • The Media & Israel a. Israel and the World Media: An Insider’s Critique b. The Media: Are the Palestinians Winning c. Palestinian Propaganda vs. Israeli PR
36
URI HARASH , tour guide, linguist, journalist and photographer, specialized as a tour guide in Israel and Italy. He began his career working as a tour guide for the Jewish Agency and continued leading groups from all over the world working for the Special Groups Department of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. Later, he trained other tour guides in teaching methodology. He worked as a journalist for Eretz Vateva, a leading Israeli geographical magazine, depicting his personal experience of exploring unknown sites around Israel. Uri then expanded his travels outside of the Holy Land and began working as a tour guide for the Vatican Museum in Rome, Italy. He created a successful lecture series, The Secrets of the Holy Land, in Europe and the United States. Currently, he gives presentations on Israel and the Bible for all age groups in Hebrew, Italian, Spanish and English. He’s also working as a Jewish educator, Bible storyteller and Hebrew instructor for high school students and adults in San Francisco, California.
‘‘Uri specialized in leading the adult tour groups of the Special Groups Department of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. The tours Uri led were always very much enjoyed by the participants and our company received much praise for the tours that he guided, as he excelled in combining his unique ability to provide memorable experiences with his knowledge of many subjects. Uri’s ability to lead a tour is exemplary. His high standard of guiding, his pleasant personality and his professional expertise definitely helped increase the number of groups that tour with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.’’ Dvora Wolinitz Noga Watter Development Manageress Operations Manageress
‘‘Thanks again for an impressive well planned presentation!! I enjoyed it very much; Uri’s knowledge of Israel’s geography and history is remarkable.’’ Nirit Kedem Director of Israeli Programs, ALSJCC and The Israel Center
‘‘Uri’s obvious knowledge of the Scriptures and of the history and the geography of Israel, enriched by his collection of slides; his obvious passion for his subject matter and for teaching, added a richness and dimension to our study that are beyond description. Ones of us who were lucky enough to be present for his two lectures still talk about him - about him as a person, as well as a teacher: his clarity of expression, his attention to the questions of the students and his willingness to answer clearly and completely, and for his friendliness and obvious enjoyment of being with us. We look forward to the possibility of having him join us again, perhaps for a more extended visit. I am convinced that my own faith journey is made richer and more exciting by a fuller knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures.’’ Jimmie Poxon St. Mark Church, Sacramento, CA
‘‘The Secrets of the Holy Land was delivered in our congregation as an Adult Education class. The four-lecture series was a great success and we got a warm response from the many members who attended the class. The program brings together the old and new aspects of the Holy Land in the form of an unbreakable chain of first hand stories that bring the ancient places to life.’’ Orit Morgenshtern Director of Education Mosaic Law Congregation,Sacramento, CA
‘‘Uri created a 5-hour one-day program for the University of Sacramento, which he delivered to a group of 40 people in November of 2005. The day was a tour de’force including not only pictures and videos of the Holy Land, but Uri’s heartwarming stories as well. Participants were also able to feast on a wonderful Israeli lunch. The University is planning a follow-up in May of 2006 that will focus just on Jerusalem’’ Barry Sugarman, Ph.D Executive Vice President University of Sacramento Sacramento, CA
‘‘Uri’s program The Secrets of the Holy Land was a great success and was very popular among our teenage students. The program helped our youths to feel more connected to Israel and to better understand the life and culture of the Israeli people. Uri’s character and knowledge builds a bridge between American teens and the land of Israel and thereby helps the students to strengthen their Jewish identity. I recommend the program as a great asset to every Jewish School that wishes to nourish in its students a love and knowledge of Israel.’’ Marcia Greene Director of YAHAD High School program, The Jewish Federation of Sacramento, CA 37
URI HARASH
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 5: Israeli History
• A virtual tour of Israel’s beautiful landscape --- Getting to know the land, getting to know ourselves. • Israel --- Past and Prolog --- The land of the bible --- the land of Today. • The Kibbutz --- Past-Present-Future --- A first hand story about Zionism and the Kibbutz movement. • The land of Israel as mirrored in the Bible --- Biblical insights into the Israel’s nature and fauna.
38
Gil Hoffman
Political Correspondent and Columnist for the Jerusalem Post Gil Hoffman is the chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post. Well-connected to Israeli and Palestinian political leaders, Hoffman has interviewed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former prime ministers Sharon, Peres, Barak and Netanyahu and every major figure across the Israeli political spectrum. He has been interviewed by top media outlets on 6 continents and is a regular analyst on CNN, Al-Jazeera and other foreign news outlets.
Called "The most optimistic man in Israel" by Israel Television, Hoffman's television appearances and popular column provide a behind the scenes look at the intrigue and humor in the Israeli political arena. Hoffman also frequently covers diplomatic issues, traveling with the prime minister and reporting on efforts to achieve Mideast peace and other key international developments.
Hoffman, who was raised in Chicago, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University's School of Journalism and wrote for the Miami Herald and the Arizona Republic before moving to Israel. A corporal in the IDF's Spokesman's Unit, he has given lectures in 18 American states, Canada, England and Australia on five successful international speaking tours. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and baby daughter.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Israel Update: The challenges facing Israel and how they can be overcome - This is my standard and all-encompassing Israel update. • What the Future Holds: An insider's look at Israeli politics - This is a more advanced talk for people interested in Israeli politics or seminars for people who want to understand this aspect of Israel better.
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I care? • Reasons for Optimism: Why American Jews should be confident about Israel (in spite of it all)
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • Peeved at Israeli PR? What you can do to help Israel in America - A whole talk on Israel & the media.
39
IKAR - Israel: Knowledge, Advocacy, and Responsibility —an Israel education and advocacy program created by the American Jewish Committee and the Solomon Schechter High School of New York, and piloted at Solomon Schechter from 2002-2004. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is tuned in on the highest levels, through research, ongoing diplomacy with international and domestic leaders, and public discussion, to the virulent international debate surrounding Israel. Its professionals regularly provide analysis of the situation in Israel and the Middle East in the media. The agency is in constant touch with Jewish communities abroad and works closely with professors, administrators, and students on campuses across America to combat anti-Semitism and one-sided criticism of Israel. AJC understands that the way Israel is dealt with is not only of political concern, but also of personal impact to Jews around the world, and it has made Israel education a top priority.
SESSION TOPICS IKAR: ISRAEL EDUCATION
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills & Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • Israel in the Media and Public Debate: Jenin in the Media; Critiquing Media Coverage; Israel on the College Campus; Setting the Agenda in Public Discussion with Tips for Effective Public Speaking and Quick Responses to Common Questions about the Middle East
Module 2: Shared Value of Democracy between Israel and the United States • Introductory Workshop: Why Israel Matters: Lecture: Advocating for Israel, Break-out Groups: Connecting to Israel, In-class handout: Survey of Israel Knowledge and Attitudes
Module 5: Israeli History & Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • The Question of Borders • The Issue of Refugees: Understanding the Palestinian Refugees
Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems • Democracy in Israel and the Middle: An Introduction to the Israeli Electoral Process; Short Description of Israeli Parties for Model Knesset
Module 5: Israeli History • Understanding Contemporary Arab-Israel Politics: Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian Track
Lesson 1: Modern Israel Introductory Lecture, Pre-British Mandate Lesson 2: Understanding Theodor Herzl through a Primary Source Lesson 3: The British Mandate, 1920-48 Lesson 4: Israel’s Declaration of Independence and Lack of Constitution Lesson 5: Prime Ministers and Politics of Israel Lesson 6: Israeli Domestic Life Lesson 7: Debate between Religious and Secular Jews Lesson 8: Israel and the Palestinians Lesson 9: Israel at the United Nations
40
David Katz Expert on the Environment and Israel
David Katz currently serves as a lecturer at Tel Aviv University's Porter School for Environmental Studies and at the Ruppin Technological College, where he teaches courses on economics of the environment and natural resources. He also has a post- doc research position at the Hebrew University's Environmental Policy and Planning Program addressing transboundary water management and environmental security issues.
Dr. Katz also worked for years at Friends of the Earth Middle East, a regional environmental NGO, focused on joint Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian cooperation in addressing transboundary resource problems and for the Thailand Environment Institute in Bangkok. He has also undertaken research projects for several national and international organizations including the United Nations, USAID, and ASEAN. He is the author of numerous articles and reports published both in professional journals and popular international and Middle Eastern media outlets. In addition, he also periodically serves as a guide and educator on JNF sponsored tours in Israel.
Dr. Katz earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Policy from the University of Michigan and holds masters degrees in Economics from the University of Michigan and International Studies and Middle East Studies from the University of Washington.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society
• Environmental policy in Israel • Water management in Israel and the Middle East • Transboundary environmental issues between Israel and its neighbors • Arab-Israeli cooperation: progress and obstacles
41
Yaakov Katz
Military Correspondent and Defense Analyst for The Jerusalem Post
Yaakov Katz is the military correspondent and defense analyst for The Jerusalem Post, the Middle East's leading English daily. Mr. Katz has covered the police beat and settler affairs for the Post and was the chief correspondent during the Gaza Strip disengagement in the summer of 2005.
Mr. Katz spent the months of July and August with the IDF along Israel's border with Lebanon while leading the paper's coverage of Israel's war against Hizbullah.
He is also the Israel correspondent for USA Today.
His popular weekly column, called Security and Defense, and frequent appearances on local and foreign news shows, provides readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the decision-making process in the Israeli defense establishment.
In addition to accompanying and covering the daily IDF operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Mr. Katz also covers the army's relationship with various sectors in Israeli society and particularly the national-religious camp in a post-disengagement reality.
Mr. Katz writes extensively on the Palestinian conflict as well as the military's stance on Iran's nuclear program and Israel's options in face of what is being described as the greatest existential threat in Israel's history.
Originally from Chicago, Mr. Katz moved to Israel 13 years ago and served in the IDF in the Armored Corps. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Chaya and their daughter Atara and is completing a law degree at Bar Ilan University.
YAAKOV KATZ – SESSION TOPICS
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • The future - Israel's security after the Lebanon War - A year after the Lebanon War, Israel is still under threat by Hezbollah, Syria, Iran and the Palestinians. Will there be another war and what is Israel doing to prevent it?
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • Fighting Israel's PR war - How is Israel viewed by the foreign media? Why does it seem that Israel always loses the PR war? What can be done to improve Israeli public relations?
Module 11: Perspectives on the IDF • Service in the IDF - Unlike any other military - What makes the IDF special, war stories, training, different units, ethics and morals.
42
AVI MELAMED
Avi Melamed is the Founder and executive director of "IDAN" a non-profit grassroots initiative comprised of educators and students confronting the leadership crisis Israeli society experiencing.
Avi was born in Jerusalem in 1960 and is a son to an old Sepharadi Jerusalemite family. Avi has a B.A. in History and Middle Eastern Studies from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and is a graduate of the International Program for Conflict Resolution at The Leonard Davies Institute and George Mason University. In addition he is a graduate of the Program for Outstanding Leadership of the Carmel Institute for Military Research and a graduate of the Israeli Forum a lay leadership program sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Mr. Melamed began in the intelligence and counterterrorism arena which led to him being appointed, by the age of 30, as the youngest-ever Senior Advisor on Jerusalemite Arab Affairs to Mayor Teddy Kollek and to his successor, Mayor Ehud Olmert.
After leaving the government, Avi entered the private sector where he founded Mikdam, a strategic consulting company on Arab affairs. Believing he was an educator at heart, Avi then left the private sector to go teach High School, where he taught Arabic, Middle Eastern Studies and History, among other subjects for seven years.
During his tenure as a teacher, Avi began to believe that educators, once the moral compass for the State of Israel, were the ones to lead the country through the difficult times it was facing and counter the ever- growing leadership crisis which was threatening the fabric of Israeli society. This passion and commitment led him to found IDAN a group of educators and students committed, through local, national, and international activities to leading the country out of the cloud of corruption and lethargy towards a future of accountability and integrity.
Avi's is a sought-after lecturer in Israel and abroad and his broad and varied experience from intelligence to counterterrorism to Arab and Palestinian affairs to entrepreneurship, education, leadership development and social action, coupled with his charisma and intelligence make every encounter fascinating and his geo-strategic analysis captivating.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society and Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Israeli Society in the Era of Lunatic Reality An in-depth analysis of Israeli society today. What are the “below the surface” factors that are shaping Israeli society politically and socially today? What are the challenges facing Israeli society and what are the possible outcomes? What does the Disengagement and the 2nd Lebanon War really mean to Israelis and how is it reshaping Israeli society and the political system? 43
AVI MELAMED Con’t
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Democracy and Terror A multi-dimensional analysis of the effects of terror in recent years - how do intimidations and terror impact Israeli society and culture? The Anti-Terror Fence - background, statistics and impact. An up- dated strategic analysis of the region. The educational dilemmas and implications of the Fence. The challenges of Democracies in a polarizing world and in the shadow of increasing terror intimidations.
• The Jerusalem Conflict: Perspectives from Behind the Scenes What is "East Jerusalem"? What is the geo-political structure of the city today? What is the impact pf the Anti-Terror Fence on everyday life in the city? What is the deep meaning of the Temple Mount in the context of the conflict? The concept of co-existence in Jerusalem - a retrospective analysis. The conflict and its relationship with Israeli cultural and political identity. Is there a solution for the conflict?
• "Islam is the Solution:” From the Streets of Gaza to the Caves of Afghanistan The ideological and spiritual sources of contemporary radical Islam and its possible impact on the regional and global political system. (Hammas, Islamic Jihad, Al-Kaeda, Hezbollah)
• Geo strategic analysis of the Middle East (including Iran and Central Asia) • Updates and Perspectives on The Israeli - Palestinian conflict • Fundamental Islam (Hammas, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad) • The Educator's Role in Forming the Future of Israel and the Future Leadership in Israel • Israel's Inner Challenges
44
JCCAT’s clients in the United States and Canada have JCCAT'S DIRECTOR included: DAVID OLESKER was born in Britain in 1957. He • AIPAC (American studied at Sunderland Polytechnic College and, after his Israel Public Affairs aliya in 1982, at Yeshivah Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem. Committee) After moving to Israel, he worked with the World Zionist • ADL (Anti- Organization's Educational Resource center at Kiriat Defamation League of Moriah for six years where he helped pioneer the B'nai Brith) application of informal education techniques to training • Caravan for advocates for Israel. Democracy (JNF’s In 1989, he founded an independent organization to bring student advocacy wing these techniques to a wider audience. JCCAT , the • The David Project Jerusalem Center for Communications and Advocacy (Boston based Training continues to bring the latest skills to around the advocacy group with world. an international reach) David Olesker travels frequently to the United States and other countries to teach Israel advocacy skills to student • Hamagshimim and community activists and the staff of Jewish (Campus wing of organizations Hadassa) He works with Israel’s diplomats, emissaries of the World • Hasbara Fellowships Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency, and the staff of (independent such organizations as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) organization offering and The American Israel Public Affairs Committee advocacy support to (AIPAC). students across North He is married with nine children. America • JCRCs (Jewish Community Relations Councils) • Jewish Federations • Stand with Us (Los Angeles based advocacy group with a world wide reach) • State of Israel Bonds • Students on more than 100 campuses
45
DAVID OLESKER
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills
• What's it like on campus? Some examples of supporters and opponents of Israel in the academy.
• Simulations. Group activity based on a simulated campus situation. This informs what campus is like, and allows them to experiment with various pro-Israel activities like speechmaking, being interviewed, planning events etc. (this requires a half day program with additional support) • Skill sets. Working on debate skills, poster design, campaigning, and coalition building. Give me enough time, and I could do public speaking as well.
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why should I care?
• A one hour session on Motivating for Israel with a lot of Question & Answer time.
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media
• In depth and sophisticated session that reaches much farther than the “there's an anti-Semite behind every camera" paradigm.
Module 9: Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – is it OK? & Module 10: Anti-Semitic Vs Anti-Israel
• In depth and sophisticated discussion set around a Question & Answer format.
46
Dr. Yossi Olmert
A Journalist and Top Middle East Scholar
Dr. Yossi Olmert is a well-known expert on the modern Middle East, Islamic militants, terrorism, the Palestinian issue and US-Israel relations. He received his Ph.D. from the prestigious London School of Economics and graduated from The Hebrew University Magna Cum Laude. Dr.Olmert taught in many well-known universities both in Israel and abroad, including Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University, Cornell University, City College New York and York University in Toronto. He also lectures extensively on Middle-Eastern issues in hundreds of American colleges. Dr. Olmert held several senior positions in the Israelis government including, Director of Communication for Prime Minister Shamir and Policy Advisor to Defense Minister Arens. Dr. Olmert was sent on numerous diplomatic missions, participated in the Madrid peace conference and was a member of the Israeli delegation for peace talks in Syria. Dr. Olmert published extensively on Middle-Eastern and Israeli political subjects, authored three books and numerous articles. He was also a frequent participant on Israeli and international TV programs. Dr. Olmert is currently based in New York City where he works as an advisor to various organizations.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills • What Should be the Pro--Israel Discourse? Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills & Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? & Module 5: Israeli History • Advocacy for Israel----Why is History so Important?
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills & Module 9: Being Pro-Israel and Being Critical of Israel – Is it OK? • How to Handle Anti-Israel Jews?
Module 2: Shared Value of Democracy between Israel and the United States • The Israel-US Alliance--The Primacy of Values
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care? • Why Should People be Proud of Israel---Not Just Supporting Her
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society • Israel as a World Center of Cultural and Scientific Achievements
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel • Islam, the West and Israel---Is it the Third World War?
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel & Module 7: Understanding Israeli Governmental Systems • Israeli Politics at a Time of Transition
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media • The American Media and Israel 47
DONNA ROSENTHAL Donna Rosenthal is the author of the award-winning THE ISRAELIS: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land (Free Press/Simon and Schuster).
Read in a growing number of high school and university classes, THE ISRAELIS has more than 100 favorable reviews across the religious and political spectrums: from the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post to The Weekly Standard and major Israeli newspapers: The Jerusalem Post, Yediot Ahranot; Haaretz; Maariv; Makor HaRishon.
Ms. Rosenthal has written for The New York Times , The Washington Post , the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and The Atlantic and many other publications. She was a news producer at Israel Television, reporter for Israel Radio and The Jerusalem Post , and a lecturer at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
She has spoken about Israeli diversity to many high school and university students and educators. In a Publishers Weekly's national survey, Ms. Rosenthal placed in the top ten most popular Jewish speakers - - and only female nonfiction author.
Ms. Rosenthal frequently is interviewed about Israel on TV and radio -- from CNN to ABC to Fox and National Public Radio.
She has reported from Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan and was the first journalist to travel to remote mountain villages of Ethiopia and introduce Israeli radio audiences to Jews praying -- in mud hut synagogues -- to go to the Promised Land. Her “adopted” brother, the first Israel Air Force officer born in Ethiopia, was a leader of Operation Solomon, which brought over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 36 hours.
A winner of three Lowell Thomas journalism awards: Best Investigative Reporting, Best Foreign Travel (The New York Times) and Best Adventure Travel Writing, she's visited more than sixty countries.
Ms. Rosenthal has taught journalism at three universities. She holds a BA from University of California Berkeley (Political Science); a secondary teaching credential from University of California Berkeley; and a Masters of Science (International Relations/Middle East) from The London School of Economics.
THE ISRAELIS is dedicated to the cornea donor who died on a day when Passover, Easter, and Id al- Fatir coincided and gave Rosenthal the gift of sight. A portion of the proceeds of the book are donated to Adi, the Israel Organ Donor Society. Through it, Jewish, Muslim and Christian Israelis and Palestinians save each other's lives.
48
DONNA ROSENTHAL
SMASHING STEREOTYPES: THE DIVERSITY OF MODERN YOUNG ISRAELIS A discussion and Q&A session with Donna Rosenthal, educator, journalist and author of THE ISRAELIS
OVERVIEW: Donna Rosenthal was inspired to write THE ISRAELIS: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land (Free Press/Simon & Schuster) when a CNN producer (her former journalism student) asked her: "Our viewers are confused. We have footage of Jews who look like Arabs, Arabs who look like Jews. We have black Jews, bearded 16th century Jews and sexy girls in tight jeans. Who are these people any way?"
Suggested Topics (based on THE ISRAELIS) can be combined and/or designed to fit each student audience. Each topic relates directly to a chapter in the book.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 4: Israeli Culture and Society
I Overview: The Colliding Worlds of Israelis
II. Growing Up Israeli 1. Living in One of the World's Most Volatile Neighborhoods 2. Dating and Mating Israeli-style 3. The IDF: A People's Army 4. From IM to Cell Phones: How Israelis Created the World’s Second Silicon Valley
III. One Nation, Many Tribes 5. The Ashkenazim: Israel's "WASPS" 6. The Mizrahim: The Other Israelis 7. The Russians: The New Exodus 8. Out of Africa: Ethiopian Israelis in the Promised Land
IV. Different Types of Israeli Jews 9. The Haredim: Jewish-Jewish-Jewish 10. The Orthodox: This Land Is Your Land? This Land Is My Land! 11. The Non-Orthodox: War of the Cheeseburgers
V. Non-Jews in a Jewish State 12. The Muslims: Abraham's Other Children 13. The Bedouin: Tribes, Tents, and Satellite Dishes 14. The Druze: Between Modernity and Tradition 15. The Christians: Uneasy in the Land of Jesus
49
GABE SALGADO
Gabe Salgado specializes in Jewish education through Israeli culture and art, especially modern Hebrew music from Israel. For the past four years, he has worked as the Youth Director at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, California, where he managed three youth groups, a summer day camp, and Temple Isaiah's religious school B'nai Mitzvah program and "Seventh Grade Fund" Youth Foundation. He also taught at Temple Isaiah Teen School, specializing in Israel studies and critical thinking. Salgado lived in Israel for 6 years, living and working on a Kibbutz, serving in the Israeli military, and later living in to Tel Aviv. In the IDF, he served as a squad commander in the "Nachal" infantry brigade. Following his army service, Salgado lived in Tel Aviv and worked for the Jewish Agency's Education Department as an Israel teen trip counselor for American youth. He studied at San Francisco State University and is a graduate of the San Francisco Bay Area "Tikea Fellowship" program for Jewish teen educators.
SESSION TOPICS:
Note: Custom presentations and workshops using specific themes, topics and songs, can be created upon request. These presentations are only the beginning. Artists whose music is featured in these presentations include: Hadag Nahash, Tipex, Subliminal and the Shadow, MC Mansour, Mook E, Eyfo Hayeled, Ehud Manor, Aviv Gefen, and many more.
Modules 4, 6: Israeli Culture and Society & Contemporary Issues and Current Events
• Israel from Bumper to Bumper A riveting multimedia journey through the intense world of Israeli political expression. Images of bumper stickers, graffiti, and other methods of political sloganeering are creatively employed to paint a rich picture of a highly self-reflective, democratic Israeli society where the political discourse is passionate and the invective often goes too far. Hadag Nahash's Shirat HaSticker ("The Sticker Song") serves as the centerpiece, with two other powerful Hadag Nahash songs as bookends. • Political Ideology in Israeli Music Israeli mainstream music is uniquely infused with passionately felt and well-articulated ideological themes. This presentation cleverly and effectively examines the implicit and overt political statements in Israeli music, beginning with the Nachal Band's Shir Lashalom in the 1970's, and concluding with politically charged 21st century Israeli rap songs. • Microphones Instead of Bombs: Dueling Ideologies in Israeli Rap This examination of highly provocative themes and radically alternative points of view will challenge everything you thought you knew about the Arab-Israeli conflict! This presentation takes a sobering look at six recent Hebrew rap songs that are steeped in the intense politics of the Israeli-Arab conflict. These songs are sometimes frustrating in their biting language and simultaneously hopeful in that young artists are putting their energies into music instead of violence. Some songs will strike a chord, others will make you angry, and all are guaranteed to make you think. • The Israeli Clash: The Jewish State of Contradiction Israel is a multifaceted country of contrasts: a modern state in an ancient land, a secular society within a Jewish state, a safe place for children to grow up- and a dangerous place to live from day to day. This presentation deals with the dilemmas of life in Israel through a series of modern Hebrew rap, rock and traditional songs that contain powerful images and articulate soul- searching on the Israeli condition. 50 A Brief History of “Shkufiot” – GABE SALGADO
Shkufiot were intended to provide simultaneous English translations of Hebrew language songs for educational purposes. Between May 2004 and now, they’ve been screened hundreds of times in the Bay Area and across the US, reaching approximately 1,000 youth and 200 educators. In June 2006, they were used for the first time by someone other than Gabe Salgado, with great success. The screen shots below are from two of the most requested songs: “Medabrim al Shalom” by Mook E. (left) and “Tikvah” by Subliminal and The Shadow.
PowerPoint Shkufiot (March 2004-January 2005) Shkufiot in PowerPoint were intended only to provide a simultaneous translation. They served their purpose, but were usable only by educators who a) spoke fluent Hebrew, b) knew the song’s rhythm and lyrics by heart, and c) were proficient in PowerPoint. They demanded the development of a “next generation” of Shkufiot, for use by educators who did not possess these skills and knowledge. PowerPoint Shkufiot generated no criticism, because they clearly were not meant to look good, and served no experiential purpose beyond translation.
Hybrid Shkufiot (January-March 2006) “Hit play and go” Hybrid Shkufiot in QuickTime format were intended for use by educators who did not possess the aforementioned skills. The onscreen movement and animation generated excitement and interest among audiences, and clapping and cheering became a part of workshops. Discussions tended to be deeper, as the audiences took more interest in the lyrics’ content. Hybrid Shkufiot were criticized for their choppy movement, unprofessional appearance, and lack of synchronicity with the lyrics.
Motion Graphics Shkufiot (April 2006- ) “Hit play and go” Motion graphics Shkufiot (in QuickTime and DVD format) featured transitions and special effects that followed a defined visual theme, distinct for each song. They brought an element of professionalism and an epic feel to the Shkufiot which matched the power and meaning of the lyrics. They have been received with tremendous applause and enthusiasm. Following screenings of motion graphics Shkufiot, discussions moved quickly to in-depth analyses of the lyrical content, and engaged participants in ways that PowerPoint and Hybrid Shkufiot never could.
51
Jonathan Schanzer
Director of Policy, The Jewish Policy Center
Jonathan Schanzer is an analyst of Middle East affairs and terrorism, with a decade of experience in the field. Before joining the Jewish Policy Center, he was a counterterrorism analyst for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to joining the Treasury, he served as a Research Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he authored the book Al-Qaeda's Armies: Middle East Affiliate Groups and the Next Generation of Terror. He also participated in a Washington Institute fact-finding mission in Iraq in 2004. Mr. Schanzer got his start in the policy world as a research fellow at the Middle East Forum, a Philadelphia-based think tank headed by scholar Daniel Pipes.
Mr. Schanzer holds a bachelors degree from Emory University and a masters degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Middle Eastern studies. He also studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo in 2001. He is currently a PhD candidate at Kings College, documenting the history of the United States Congress and its efforts to combat terrorism.
Mr. Schanzer has published numerous scholarly journal articles, national newspaper editorials, and magazine features. He has appeared with frequency on American television channels, such as Fox News and CNN, as well as Arab television channels, such as al-Jazeera. Mr. Schanzer has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories. He speaks Arabic and Hebrew.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 6: Contemporary Issues and Current Events in Israel
• Radical Islam and the War on Terror • Israeli Security Update • Terrorism Funding in the Middle East • Palestinian Politics: Hamas and Fatah's Civil War
52
CARL SCHRAG Former Editor of the Jerusalem Post
Carl Schrag is the former Editor of the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s leading English-language newspaper. After moving to Israel from Los Angeles in 1986, he spent a decade and a half chronicling the country’s political and social developments. During that period, one million new immigrants came to the country from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and Israel embarked on bold efforts to make peace with its Palestinian neighbors.
Over the years, Mr. Schrag observed the Israeli perspective on relationships between Israel and American Jews, and he chaired the Israeli group in a think-tank project on Israel-diaspora relations, sponsored by the Los Angeles Jewish Federation. Some of the group’s recommendations foreshadowed the advent of the ambitious Birthright Israel program, which seeks to give young American Jews personal connections to Israel.
Mr. Schrag came to the United States in 2000 to broaden his perspective on the U.S.-Israel relationship, and has worked closely with Jewish and Christian supporters of Israel. He studies American Jewry’s perceptions of Israel and the changing relationship between American Jews and Israel, with a particular emphasis on how the current violence has impacted these ties. His writing appears in a wide variety of Jewish and general publications, including State.com, Moment Magazine, and others.
With funding from the American Jewish Committee and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, Mr. Schrag recently authored a series of articles exploring the changing views of Israel held by American Jews. The articles, which were distributed by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, cast a spotlight on grass-roots pro-Israel efforts, as well as some of the many ways American Jews have found to express their connections to the Jewish state. His latest research focuses on how Jewish educators teach young American Jews about Israel.
Mr. Scharg, who lectures and teaches about Israel and Israel-Diaspora ties, is an Associate of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He currently lives with his wife and three sons in the suburbs of Chicago.
SESSION TOPICS:
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills & Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why Should I Care?
••• Stand Up For Israel ••• Israel on Campus: Fear, Loathing and Empowerment ••• American Jews and Israel: Who Cares and Why?
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media
••• Behind the Scenes: An Insider’s View ••• Media Bias: What’s the True Story?
53
SARRI SINGER
Born in Lakewood, New Jersey, is the daughter of New Jersey State Senator, Robert Singer. On June 11, 2003, Sarri was on Bus 14 in Jerusalem when a terrorist dressed as a religious Jew boarded and blew himself up. 16 people were killed, including all those seated around her, and over 100 people were injured. Sarri was hospitalized for two weeks and then returned to New Jersey to be with family. Her story became high profile. She appeared on television and radio interviews and spoke before Congressmen and Senators in Washington, D.C. and politicians in New York and New Jersey. In September 2003 she returned to work in Israel. In June 2004, she accepted a position in New Jersey as Director of One Family Fund’s East Coast office. In January 2006, she left her position to pursue other interests. Recently she Co-founded a new non profit organization One Heart ( www.oneheartglobal.org ) working with victims of terrorism and their families world-wide with long term psychological trauma, plastic surgery for victims with physical deformities and educating those of the unmet needs of victims of terrorism. Sarri has addressed audiences throughout the United States, Canada and Israel and continues to share her unique insight into the ongoing struggle for victims of terror in Israel and around the world.
Module 3: Motivating for Israel Advocacy – Why should I care?
• An empowering and moving session with a victim of a terrorist act.
54
BETH SHUMAN
The Jewish relationship to land has changed a lot over the last several thousand years, from the Book of Job (a naturalist commentary), to our own agricultural laws and the Shmita year, to the controversial second paragraph of the Ve'ahavta (easily read as a call to arms about our responsibility towards each other and the land). The threefold relationship between the Jewish people, God and The Land has been apparent in much of Jewish learning and lore; and this relationship is more important today than it has been ever before.
There is a looming environmental crisis that is emerging all over the world, and it is our responsibility as Global citizens and especially as Jews to understand our culture's responsibility and relationship to the land of Israel and the land on which we live. The message that I want to share with the students is that in order to protect our land, we must learn how to take care of it, and this is not only a Jewish belief, but fundamental to being stewards and to protecting our world today.
SESSION TOPIC
Module 4: Land and People: Israeli Culture and Society & Module 5: Israeli History
• The Jewish Relationship to the Land of Israel: Our Role and Responsibility to be Careful Stewards.
55
Gary Suskauer, Director of Brownfields Initiative
Bringing over ten years of experience in environmental research and policy analysis to BDC, Gary Suskauer has joined the Industrial Development Team as the Director of the Brownfields Initiative. Gary holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University and a Bachelor's degree in Geography from Colgate University. Prior to joining BDC, he worked for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C. as an environmental policy analyst and was an environmental specialist for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, a regional water pollution control agency in Cincinnati, Ohio.
SESSION TOPICS
Module 4: Israeli Culture and Society
••• Global Environmental Impact ••• You can GoNeutral – Help Israel and the Environment
56
THE ISRAEL PROJECT
The Israel Project (TIP) - an international non-profit organization devoted to educating the press and the public about Israel while promoting security, freedom and peace. The Israel Project provides journalists, leaders and opinion-makers accurate information about Israel. www.theisraelproject.org
Meagan Shaina Buren Communications and Outreach Manager
The Israel Project
(pictured left with Natan Sharansky) is responsible for planning and executing high profile events for the community and media. These include rallies for over 1000 people at both the Republican and Democratic Conventions, yacht parties for journalists, and the annual Ultimate Training Seminar for Pro-Israel Advocates. Events that Buren has organized have been attended by media outlets such as CNN, FOX, CBS, New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, AP, BBC, NPR, ABC, The Economist and many more. While at The Israel Project she arranges media tours for visiting Israeli spokespeople and families including radio interviews heard by millions of Americans. She also conducts dynamic and interactive training sessions for Israel advocates, professionals and lay leaders across the country.
Prior to joining The Israel Project, Buren was responsible for intensive research and writing at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs on controversial topics later to be published in an academic journal. She also coordinated hundreds of students and guests in a pro-Israel campaign surrounding President George W. Bush speaking at The Ohio State University's commencement ceremony. Additionally, Buren worked in the for-profit world of public relations and was involved in campaigns and nation-wide launch events for major retail companies.
She earned her master's degree from Georgetown University in Communications, Culture and Technology after completing her thesis -- Spinning, Spending and Sponsoring: Efforts to Generate Anti- Israel and Pro-Palestinian Media Coverage and Public Opinion . She graduated from the Ohio State University Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Arts and Sciences for International Studies specifying in the Middle East and a B.A. in Humanities for Hebrew.
SESSION TOPICS:
The Israel Project presents tailored made programs on the following topics:
Module 1: Effective Advocacy Skills
• Winning the Hearts and Minds for Israel
Module 8: Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media
• Critically Analyzing Israel in the Media
57
Index of Speakers
A. Page Adelman, Jonathan ……………………………………………………………….……….. 11 Anti-Defamation League …………………………………………………………...... 12 B. Balint, Judy …………………………………………………………………….…...... 13 Bard, Dr. Mitchell ……………………………………………………………….…...... 14-15 Ben-Horin, Yoav ……………………………………………………………….…………. 16 Bernstein, Dr. Mark Allen ……………………………………………………….…...... 17 Bernstein, Ron ………………………………………………………………….…………. 18 Bryfman, David ………………………………………………………………….………... 19-21 C. CAMERA …………………………………………………………………………… 22-23 Cohen, Rabbi Michael ……………………………………………………………….……. 24 D. David Project …………………………………...…………………………………….…… 25-27 Dolgin, Noam ……………………………………………………………………………... 28 E. Even-Zohar, Captain Avner ……………………………………………………………..... 29-30 G. Green, Aryeh …………………………………………………………………………….... 31-32 Grobman, Alex ………………………………………………………………………….… 33-34 H. Halpern, Micah …………………………………………………………………………… 35-36 Harash, Uri ………………………………………………………………………………... 37-38 Hoffman, Gil ……………………………………………………………………………… 39 I. IKAR ……………………………………………………………………………………… 40 K. Katz, David ……………………………………………………………………………….. 41 Katz, Yaakov ……………………………………………………………………………… 42 M. Melamed, Avi ……………………………………………………………………………... 43-44 O. Olesker, David …………………………………………………………………………….. 45-46 Olmert, Dr. Yossi …………………………………………………………………………. 47 R. Rosenthal, Donna ………………………………………………………………………….. 48-49 S. Salgado, Gabe …………………………………………………………………………..… 50-51 Schanzer, Jonathan ………………………………………………………………………… 52 Schrag, Carl ……………………………………………………………………………….. 53 Singer, Sari ………………………………………………………………………………… 54 Shuman, Beth ……………………………………………………………………………… 55 Suskauer, Gary …………………………………………………………………………….. 56 T. The Israel Project ………………………………………………………………………….. 57
58