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March 5, 2004/Adar 12 5764, Vol. 56, No. 24
Advocacy on campus
Arizona State University sees upswing in activism
FARRAH KAYE
Special to Jewish News
Arizona State University students David Finkelstein, left, Farrah Kaye and Avi Beliak visit Mitzpe Ramon while on a two-day course in leadership and teamwork in the Negev.
Photo courtesy of Farrah Kaye
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Arizona State University has entered a new era in Israel advocacy on campus.
Arizona State University for Israel (ASUI) helped AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) with their voting campaign. Also, Arizona Students for Israel (ASFI) sent three members to Israel over winter break to learn about advocacy on campus and leadership skills and more than 20 students went on Birthright Israel or similar programs. In addition, there is a new Chabad house at ASU, as well as Hillel Jewish Student Center, which started at ASU in 1970.
The Jewish community on the ASU campus is growing and becoming more active, with almost 3,000 Jewish students.
Recent ASU graduate Ilan Cooke of Scottsdale says in the four years he spent at ASU, he noticed a definite increase in advocacy on campus.
"I am as apathetic as the next person, except when it comes to certain things, like Israel. I was involved in the pro-Israel rallies that took place a couple of years ago," Cooke says. "We were mobbed by pro-Palestinian ralliers on University Bridge (who were) screaming 'Jihad' and 'Allah Akbar'. The police showed up and so did TV news crews."
Since then, things have calmed down on campus. Cooke, who went on Birthright this past winter break, feels that going to Israel is important to keeping advocacy alive on campus.
"Rallies are pointless if there is no reason for one," he says. "I think sending people to Israel for an education is way more effective than just holding information sessions on campus, like for study abroad."
One group doing this is Arizona Students for Israel. Although only on campus since August, ASFI has already made a difference. It held a communitywide Israel night at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, brought a viewing of "Relentless" with a panel discussion to the ASU campus, and holds meetings to talk about current events in Israel.
Avi Beliak, a 22-year-old accounting major from Scottsdale, helped establish the club. According to Beliak, ASFI "tries for education, and student involvement."
Beliak's love for Israel began when he went on the Alexander Muss High School in Israel trip during his senior year of high school. He says that this was when his love of Israel took shape, and he became a Zionist. He also spent a semester at Ben-Gurion University and this past winter, participated in the Israel Diplomatic Leadership Delegation (IDLD) through the Israel Consulate in Los Angeles and Beitar.
"Israel is very important to me because it is both a wonderful country and a safe haven for Jews," Beliak says.
Beliak agrees with Cooke that advocacy has increased since he was a freshman. However, Beliak adds that ASU is not a campus as "politically charged" as others around the country, which, according to him, is both good and bad.
"Luckily, Jews on campus have not been faced with the same types of anti-Israel demonstrations that have plagued many other campuses," he says. "The one bad thing about this is I believe it has made the pro-Israel contingency to become passive and restrained in an effort to not make waves on the campus."
The seminar that Beliak participated in this winter, IDLD, was specifically created for teaching students about how to advocate for Israel on their campuses and how to be leaders. Seminars on the trip included meeting with psychologists to deal with leadership problems, teamwork and trust skill games in the Negev, a visit to the Security Fence, training from Upstart Activism, and general networking with members and founders of pro-Israel groups from college campuses across the country. Joining Beliak on this trip was fellow ASU student and ASFI member David Finkelstein.
Finkelstein, an economics and political science major at ASU, says he feels that IDLD prepared him to be a better leader.
"Through the process, I learned various leadership styles to employ in different situations," Finkelstein says. "In some instances, I have to be more in command and control mode and truly take control of the operation and delegate tasks. In others, I have to step back and assist others to help them accomplish their individual objectives as part of a cohesive unit."
One student who knows firsthand about advocating for Israel is Shaun Binyamin, a 21-year-old paramedic major who is currently attending Phoenix College, but is originally from Netanya, Israel. He joined ASFI to help in fund raising for organizations in Israel.
"I am committed to helping my brothers and sisters in Israel," Binyamin says. "I hope to educate people on Israel and get them interested in supporting Israel."
One of the organizations Binyamin is helping raise funds for is ARMDI, the American Red Magen David for Israel, which helps Magen David Adom, the Israeli Red Cross.
Joining Binyamin in his fund-raising for ARMDI is ASFI at Horizon High School. President Joshua Borenstein felt it was necessary to start ASFI at his high school.
"I started (ASFI) of Horizon in an attempt to eradicate the anti-Israel sentiment that is being caused by propaganda and media bias," he says. "I also wanted to teach high school students about the current political situation within its historical context and prepare them for the anti-Israel sentiment found at college campuses across the country so that they can be effective advocates for Israel."
ASFI of Horizon held its first ARMDI Bowl-a-thon on Feb. 28, with hopes of raising money for the organization. Borenstein hopes that it will become an annual tradition, and also hopes to organize a trip to Israel to "experience the wonder of the land."
Joining the ASU campus for the first time is the new Chabad house. Opened in the middle of the fall semester of 2003, it has brought the Jewish students to a new level of involvement. Not only are they coming to services more often, but they are also becoming more active. Students participate in weekly series on different topics, and recently had more than 50 people at their Grand Israel night.
Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel and his wife Chana moved to Tempe from Brooklyn, N.Y., with their son, Tzvi, to bring Chabad to ASU. Chabad houses on college campuses have become popular in the recent months, with houses at schools such as University of Arizona, University of Southern California, Denver University and Rutgers. Tiechtel is planning a Chabad Birthright trip this summer to bring more students from ASU to Israel.
Still providing a comfortable place for ASU Jewish students to learn about Israel is Hillel. During winter break, more than 20 students went on the ASU Hillel Birthright trip. Upon coming back to school, Hillel held a new series called "Israel on My Mind." There, students were able to discuss Israel, its problems and prospects, and why Americans should care. Leading the discussion was Eitan Ben-Ami of the Israel Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.
During the week on campus, Hillel had its table set up near the Memorial Union with an Israeli flag draped across the front and handed out information about Israel and upcoming events.
At ASU's World Festival on Feb. 25, Hillel and ASFI co-sponsored a table. Included at the table was traditional Israeli food like falafel, hummus and pita, as well as information on Israel and how students can get there.
Hillel will sponsor the Israel Independence Celebration on the ASU campus on March 10. This event is an annual tradition, and includes Israeli food, a petting zoo, information brochures and videos, T-shirts and Israeli dancing.
In the end, what do people feel is the most important thing for advocacy on campus?
"Visits are the first key to getting support," Beliak says. "After that, I believe working toward supporting Israel by getting involved in fund-raising campaigns or with different pro-Israel organizations that make direct contributions to Israel. (Students) need to feel like they can directly impact life in Israel by contributing their time to a cause."
Farrah Kaye is a student at ASU.
Details
- What: Caravan for Democracy guest speaker
- Who: Dr. Ephraim Sneh of Israel's Knesset (Parliament)
- When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 10
- Where: Arizona State University's Murdock Hall, room 101
- Cost: Free
- Registration: Required at www.caravanfordemocracy.org
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