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We're Leading the Fight for Israel. on Campus and Beyond

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We're Leading the Fight for Israel. on Campus and Beyond WE’RE LEADING THE FIGHT FOR ISRAEL. ON CAMPUS AND BEYOND OUR CHALLENGE P. 4 - 5 HASBARA FELLOWSHIPS APPROACH P. 6 - 7 ISRAEL ADVOCACY TRAINING TRAINING IN ISRAEL P. 8 - 9 THE TRAINING CURRICULUM P. 10 - 11 WHAT OUR STUDENTS AND ALUMNI SAY P. 12 - 13 SUPPORT BACK ON CAMPUS FORMING COALITIONS P. 14 - 15 SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING P. 16 - 17 CAMPAIGNS P. 18 - 19 STARTUP NATION TECHNOLOGY FAIRS P. 20 - 21 FIGHTING BDS P. 22 - 25 HASBARA FELLOWS HASBARA ALUMNI P. 26 - 27 OUR 175 CAMPUS LEADERS P. 28 - 31 OUR BUDGET P. 32 - 33 2 HASBARA HASBARA 3 COLLEGE CAMPUSES AMONG COLLEGE AGED ARE A BATTLEGROUND AMERICAN JEWS: AGAINST ISRAEL Source: Brand Israel Group, June 2017 Throughout the United States and Canada, anti- Today, Israel is increasingly delegitimized and Israel student groups, with tens of millions of demonized on campuses via boycotts, divestment dollars in assistance from Arab countries, have movements, anti-Israel speakers, anti-Israel articles in mobilized. The hate groups are making campuses campus newspapers, guerrilla theater such as mock very uncomfortable for Jewish students who are not checkpoints and “apartheid walls,” and professors who equipped with the knowledge or skills to defend Israel. use the classroom as an avenue to denounce Israel. DECREASE IN SUPPORT 27%FOR ISRAEL INCREASE IN SUPPORT FOR 18%PALESTINIANS 4 HASBARA HASBARA 5 HASBARA OUR STRATEGIC APPROACH MANY PRO-ISRAEL ADVOCATES HAVE PASSION, BUT IT IS CRUCIAL FELLOWSHIPS IS THAT THIS PASSION IS FOCUSED ON BEING EFFECTIVE. HASBARA LEADING THE FELLOWSHIPS CORE STRATEGIC PRINCIPLES INCLUDE: Speaking to our Target Audience, not Ourselves. We train our Fellows to reach FIGHT FOR ISRAEL out to the “undecided” students and give them guidance in how to speak with ON CAMPUS 1 them in ways that will resonate. Going to Where our Audience is, not Expecting AND BEYOND. them to come to us. We teach our students to bring Israel to forefront of the campus in a number of ways and to dvelop personal relationships with other 2 student organizations and leaders. OVER 250 HASBARA FELLOWS Focusing on Impact, not Activity. If we don’t ON 100 CAMPUSES know what impact we want, we’re not going to achieve our goals. Hasbara Fellowships trains our Fellows to determine target audiences, messages, 175 HASBARA FELLOWS IN LEADERSHIP tangible goals and strategies before deciding on 3 programming and activity. POSITIONS ON CAMPUS OVER 150 HASBARA ALUMNI NOW Being Pro-Active, not Reactive. We don’t train our Fellows to explain PROFESSIONALS IN PRO-ISRAEL what Israel isn’t – rather to inspire their peers about what Israel is – a nation of ORGANIZATIONS values, decency, and striving to make 4 the world a better place. 6 HASBARA HASBARA 7 TRAINING LEADERS THE HASBARA FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM INTRODUCED ME TO NEW LAYERS OF FOR ISRAEL. “THE ISRAELI-ARAB CONFLICT. THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS I ACQUIRED WILL ALLOW ME AND MY PEERS TO PERMANENTLY IN ISRAEL. TRANSFORM ISRAEL FROM A TABOO TERM TO A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION ISRAEL ADVOCACY TRAINING THROUGHOUT OUR UNIVERSITY. ARI SPITZER, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Hasbara Fellowships is educating and training the leaders for Israel on campus today, as well as the future OF FELLOWS FELT leaders for the Jewish People beyond campus. Hasbara Fellowships is the largest and most comprehensive MORE CONFIDENT Israel advocacy training program to Israel for North 94%TO ADVOCATE FOR ISRAEL American university students. This investment in intensive leadership training has proven to produce leaders who are standing up for Israel on campuses. HOURS OF ADVOCACY While various organizations organize pro-Israel weekend TRAINING ON PROGRAM conferences and seminars in the United States throughout 70 the year, Hasbara Fellowships is unique in that: It takes place in Israel. While we can teach students OVER 3,500 STUDENTS information and talking points anywhere, we can TRAINED SINCE CREATED, only create Ambassadors for Israel with the necessary motivation, confidence and personal IN CONJUNCTION WITH connection in Israel. ISRAEL’S MINISTRY OF It is 16 days long, making it by far the most in-depth FOREIGN AFFAIRS IN 2001. Israel Advocacy Training available. 8 HASBARA HASBARA 9 UNDERSTANDING OF ISRAEL’S PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGIC THREATS INCLUDING TRAINING FROM EXPERTS A PERFECT 1 VISITING IMPORTANT SITES LIKE: 4 SUCH AS: Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon Headline Media, a media consulting firm that COMBINATION OF (to also discuss Iran and Hezbollah) trains Israeli diplomats Israel’s border with Gaza, including visiting A public speaking workshop the Israeli city Sderot Role playing sessions A strategic tour of Jerusalem STRATEGIC AND Gush Etzion and Hebron PRACTICAL ADVOCACY PRACTICAL. TRAINING INCLUDING 5 WORKSHOPS ON: EXPOSURE TO ISRAELI PROJECTS THAT ENHANCE QUALITY OF LIFE Effective social media use for Israel advocacy ISRAEL ADVOCACY TRAINING 2 AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING: Building relationships and coalitions with non- Jewish organizations/leaders Outreach to campus media Humanitarian projects like Save a Child’s Heart Strategic planning, goal setting and effective Environmental projects like MASHAV’s implementation agricultural center Hasbara Fellowships participants are selected Hi-tech start-up companies based on demonstrated desire and ability to become Israel activists on their campuses. A student who has shown involvement in pro- THE HASBARA TRAINING TO DEFEAT BDS & Israel activities and is interested in taking on ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA ON a leadership role, but feels lacking in their FELLOWSHIPS ISRAEL CAMPUS INCLUDING: knowledge and experience, is the 6 ideal candidate. UNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT ISSUES ADVOCACY TRAINING SUCH AS THE PEACE PROCESS, Understanding the Anti-Semitic BDS movement INCITEMENT IN PALESTINIAN SOCIETY, and activities PROGRAM IN ISRAEL DIVERSITY AND MINORITY RIGHTS Case studies of campuses that successfully STUDENTS FROM CAMPUSES IN ISRAEL, AND THE US-ISRAEL defeated BDS INCLUDES THE 3 RELATIONSHIP THROUGH: Getting involved with student government THAT ARE CURRENTLY OR Creating anti-BDS social media campaigns WILL POTENTIALLY FOLLOWING Political briefings at the Ministry of Foreign Understanding what messaging is most effective ENCOUNTER BDS AND/OR Affairs and Knesset in battling BDS ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA CURRICULUM: Meetings with journalists, think tanks and Reaching out to vulnerable minority groups on campus other experts including Dore Gold, Khaled Visiting Israeli companies that employ Palestinians ARE GIVEN PREFERENCE abu Toameh and Itamar Marcus Visiting organizations that highlight Arab rights and opportunities 10 HASBARA HASBARA 11 Hasbara Fellowships gave me the tools A trip like Hasbara Fellowships is to be an effective Israel activist on incredibly important because there is campus, as well as a warm and loving nothing like it out there. I was exposed family of campus activists and advisors. to so many perspectives and stories Through Hasbara I was able to foster throughout the trip that I will able to leadership skills that have helped me bring back to my campus. I now feel a “flourish as SSI President at Minnesota. “responsibility to protect my country on campus and Hasbara has given me to Sami Rahamim, President of Students tools to successfully do just that. Supporting Israel at University of Minnesota Dana Benavi, UC-Davis WHAT OUR STUDENTS & ALUMNI SAY… I went on Hasbara Fellowships after a Before going on Hasbara Fellowships year full of problems for the pro-Israel I did not have the adequate skills community on my campus, including the and knowledge to properly represent inability to engage new students. Upon Israel. Hasbara Fellowships provided returning home, myself and another me with the unique opportunity to not Hasbara participant decided to create only gain all the necessary knowledge, “a new pro-Israel group on our campus “but also a network of incredible - SSI. Each step of the way forming friends and support from campuses this new group, I have thought back all over North America. I now feel to my lessons learned from Hasbara more confident in representing Israel Fellowships, including how to engage on campus and feel that I have the new students. proper tools and skills to back up my passion for Israel. Josh Jacoby, Founder and President of Students Supporting Israel at UC Irvine Noa Mecica, Ryerson University 12 HASBARA HASBARA 13 FORMING COALITIONS 80 NON-JEWISH STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS PARTNERED WITH HASBARA FELLOWS ON WITH NON-JEWISH PRO-ISRAEL INITIATIVES. LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES: COLLEGE DEMOCRATS STUDENT GOVERNMENT IS CRITICAL. COLLEGE REPUBLICANS CHRISTIAN STUDENT GROUPS ENVIRONMENTAL STUDENT GROUPS FILIPINO STUDENT CLUB BLACK STUDENT UNIONS LATINO STUDENT ASSOCIATION SUPPORT BACK ON CAMPUS INDIAN STUDENT GROUPS A key aspect of successful campus Israel advocacy is building relationships and coalitions with campus leaders and prominent organizations having nothing to do with Israel or Jewish life. The majority of university students One of the most successful initiatives of Hasbara have little knowledge or opinion about Israel and Fellowships in recent years has been the Milstein so engaging them poses a challenge. Traditional Coalition Building Initiative Grant. The grant programming usually does not attract them. gives needed funding to student initiatives that focus on Relationship Building and Coalitions. Coalition building involves identifying groups with specific interests and engaging them based Students apply for the grant through a proposal on those interests. Coalition building is therefore that details their programming/ activity idea an effective way to engage large numbers of and goals. The grant has become an important apathetic or uninformed students at once. factor in encouraging students to think beyond their circle of like-minded peers. Additionally, by Hasbara Fellowships offering this grant, students turn to Hasbara staff for guidance and advice on how to best implement these types of coalition building activities. 14 HASBARA HASBARA 15 SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING EACH INTERN WAS IN CHARGE OF SOCIAL College students spend a disproportionate ARMS CAMPUSES FOR amount of time on social media platforms.
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