JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

wanting to change the future

By Luanna Azulay · November 14, 2009

Are Jewish federations the hope for the future of the Jewish people?

As assimilation and intermarriage have increased especially since the second half of the 20th century, more and more people have lost their identities. Nathan Sharansky stated in his press conference, “In this global world there are many forces that weaken identities; Jews have to decide to be either a person of the world or a person of the Jewish people. “

So how can people decide their path? How to be a Jew in America or elsewhere in this world? Who is there to help one decide?

As I sat through the forums and lectures I could not help but be amazed with the efforts of these organizations to instill Jewish values into Jews everywhere.

Taglit Birthright turned Rachel Cohen, child of an interfaith marriage, who used to sing in the church choir, into one of the recently “New Jewish Leaders to Watch.” MASA gave Av Cohn, a student from the University of Maryland College Park, a new passion for the land of Israel, which has led him to minor in terrorism and has brought him back to Israel twice during the summers as an intern with the Institute for Counter Terrorism. The Jewish Agency guided three young people from Peru, Ethiopia, and Brazil, who spoke of their hard decision to leave their lives behind alone or with their families to make Aliyah and immigrate to the promised homeland. 

Even around me during the conference, I saw students’ faces change. Their new appreciation for Israel was clear. Those who knew little were thirsty to learn more, while others that knew plenty did not hesitate to ask questions. Truthfully, I am, as they are, a product of these Jewish Federations of North America, which have turned this girl who knew very little about her own culture into an aspiring leader, who wonders what she can do to continue to change the Jewish future.

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Childish uproar

By Talia A. Cohen · November 12, 2009

A childish uproar burst out on the last day of the General Assembly. The topic was loaded and inevitably bound to stir up conversation. What was intended to be a provocative discussion about pro-Israel lobbying and the media’s contribution to the cause, quickly turned into a boxing match.

As an aspiring reporter, I sat there with great excitement as top journalists and advocates stated their opinions. Joe Klein, from Time Magazine, led a large part of the discussion, as he boastfully -- and rightfully so -- told the audience about his passion for seeking the truth in the Middle East. James Kirchik, from The New Republic, and a recent Yale graduate took a stance and abrasively argued Klein.

Klein argued that his expertise has led him to report on factual statements that cannot be refuted, while Kirchik did not discuss his achievements, but rather harped on Klein’s previously written statements, by analyzing his quotes verbatim. The two butted heads on nearly every issue. This constant battle was entertaining and insightful in the beginning, but the mood quickly shifted as the General Assembly participants began taking sides. It was clear that there had been a previous altercation between the two contenders, as they relentlessly interrupted one another and strayed far away from the topic at hand.

Unfortunately, the two quarreling men overshadowed the two even-keeled panelists, Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and director of The Israel Project, and Ori Nir, from Americans for Peace Now. I sat there with great frustration as Klein and Kirchik argued, for the sake of making themselves look good, as opposed to discussing lobbying for Israel through the media.

What was most upsetting, was when Kirchik took a stab at Klein, saying he wrongfully accused individuals of being “neo-conservative propagandists,” to which Klein retorted with a condescending remark, telling Kirchik that he is only three years out of college and needs more time in the field to gain experience. Instead of trying to one up each other, they should have been relaying important information and advice to future journalists, such as myself.

I was a participant of "Do The Write Thing," a program within the General Assembly for college students majoring in journalism, with a desire to report on the truth. My peers and I sat there with grave embarrassment for these men. Since Klein is a difficult reporter to compete with, Kirchik’s short temper and assertiveness surfaced, and while it was well received by some, it left me utterly embarrassed for our generation as young reporters. He held his own, but his demeanor was entirely disrespectful and childish, to the point where Klein’s remarks were unfortunately almost accurate. Kirchik has just a right to report on controversial issues, but his behavior almost warranted Klein’s rude statement.

This was a lively session full of heated arguments, but some facts that were cast away should be repeated, and not swept under the rug. Mizrahi and Nir reminded us that 60% of reporters for Israel have never stepped foot in Israel. This statistic alone is an inspiration to aspiring Jewish journalists to go to Israel and report on the truth. If this is the only information we gained as listeners in this session, then it is enough to evoke passion in my generation, the next generation.

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The end

By Adira Winegust · November 11, 2009

I always am melancholic when I am at an airport. No, let me state that again, I am always melancholic at an airport when I am leaving a city, when something has just drawn to a close. When you are going somewhere, there is the excitement in anticipation. When you are leaving, there is the melancholy of the adventure being over. I am sitting at Regan National Airport as I am typing this (and praying that my Air Canada fight does not have its typical 5 hour delay), I can see the Capitol from here. Now, it is time to reflect on what has happened over the past couple of days in Washington DC.

Whenever I come to any of these conferences, I always seem to have one part of my identity challenged, or looked at more deeply. This was not an exception, and now, it is my Zionist identity. What is Zionism, and how does it make me who I am? Where does this fit in the context of being a student in the increasing hostile university campuses of today? Am I really that counter-culture? These two days have also made me examine and challenge what is left-wing and what is right-wing. I have a feeling that in this post modern world, there is never really an answer to that, as all words and concepts are not defined, or there definitions are constantly evolving. I attended a panel today, with Joe Klien, from Time Magazine and James Kirchick of the New Republic. I have never seem such partisan politics and opinions in my life. Maybe this is a function of my Canadian background, where most people are benign. Over the Israel- Iran situation, names as liberal-wussy, neo-con, were being tossed around, being yelled as if they were bullies. This verbal barrage also started while discussing the recent tragedy at Ft.Hood. Have Americans always been this divided? (Yes I know there was a Civil War, but that was nearly 150 years ago).  I don’t think this divide will be healed anytime soon.

And Israel is no better. Jews are no better. There is the expression, “Two Jews, Three Opinions”. We have to remember to, that even the founder of our religion (race, culture, whatever label you want to put on it), argued with God almighty himself. Moses too argued with God. This is the Jewish way, challenge everything.

But I have to remain optimistic, if this conference has taught me anything. The Jewish people have lasted so long, and through so many things. Change will come, peace will come, and we will survive.

And now, I must depart.

See you next year in Orlando
 

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On dialogue

By Hannah Rabinow · November 11, 2009

Monday was a continuous, high-energy carousel of speakers, engaging us on topics such as improving the public’s opinion of Zionism, challenges Israeli diplomats face while interacting with the media, and strategies that young leaders can adopt in order to effectively build their Jewish communities. We heard from diplomats, professors, and lay leaders, all of whom shared with us what they learned from their experiences working in their respective fields. However, it wasn’t until the day was almost over that the loose threads of ideas began to coalesce, and weave themselves into a sense of purpose that united the events of the day.

The last event was a town hall meeting with Wayne Firestone, the president of Hillel, a student organization to unite Jewish collegians across North America. When I walked into the room, I was struck by the wide range of schools my fellow students hailed from -- Michigan, California, New York, Arkansas, to name a few. Despite our diverse origins, we were united by a common purpose: we wanted to talk about our experiences and derive a higher sense of meaning from the discussion, which we could then bring back to their university campuses to teach to our fellow students.

When the dialogue began, several students voiced the point that they didn’t know what greater message they were supposed to derive from the myriad of meetings they attended over the past 48 hours. One of them, a junior from the University of Michigan, stated their concerns succinctly: “So why are we here?” This took me aback. Of all the ideas we discussed, we never raised the topic of “why?"

The ensuing discussion, facilitated by Firestone, gave us our answer. One young man proposed starting a think tank where student lay leaders could discuss how to promote Jewish unity on campus. Another, a young woman from George Washington University, suggested encouraging students to attend more sessions with the policy makers and lecturers in order to learn more about the Jewish world at large. Thanks to this dialogue, we realized that since we were a group of student leaders, journalists, activists, and organizers, we needed to learn skills necessary in order to become the next generation of leaders in our Jewish communities. The reason why we took the time to come was not just to meet other Jewish students and lay leaders, but also to hear from different viewpoints on a myriad of subjects in order to find new angles on subjects that have always been dismissed as too difficult to broach, and too uncomfortable to discuss in a public venue.

Thanks to the dialogue initiated in the “Schmooze” session, we walked out of the door at 12:30, an hour later than we were initially supposed to have left with a new paradigm in our minds, and new ideas spilling from our lips. We learned that the way to strengthen our communities and universities is to begin open, honest dialogue about what’s on our minds, and determine a sense of purpose to unite our actions. Why are we here? Well, the answer after Monday tonight is apparent: to develop new tools for engaging with our fellow Jews, and to identify new ways of fixing our communities. 

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Pluralism at the GA

By Gabriela Geselowitz · November 11, 2009

“Jews are a very opinionated people,” declared human rights legend Natan Sharansky at a press conference Sunday, “every Jew cannot unite his or her all opinions in one.  They have at least two opinions.”

This certainly seemed to bear true at the General Assembly, where the idea of pluralism seemed to permeate the event on every level. There were several minyanim to choose from for Shacharit, from traditional Orthodox to Conservative Egalitarian.  The organizations present ranged from Ha’Aretz representing journalistic coverage on Israel on a whole, to the Chabad table with tefillin for those who had not yet prayed that morning. Pluralist organizations such as MASA offered to accommodate participants from a variety of backgrounds (they partially subsidize long-term Israel trips from Orthodox Seminary to secular social work programs).

Even anti-Israel activists were represented, albeit unofficially, as a protestor interrupted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to call to end the “occupation in Gaza.”

And in keeping with the GA's pluralistic spirit, Jews and security personnel of different backgrounds and beliefs helped to escort the interloper out.

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On self-definition

By Hannah Rabinow · November 9, 2009

On Monday, my group and I heard from Ido Aharoni, the head of Israel’s brand management team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his speech, he talked to us about the psychology of branding Israel, a very important component of the hasbara efforts undertaken by Israel to build a positive international perception of Israel. One of the main points that he made during his presentation was to discuss the difficulty Israelis face with defining Israel’s image to the rest of the world. After all, other countries in the world have it easy -- Paris can be described as a romantic city of fountains, Rio de Janeiro can be characterized as soccer-obsessed party hub, and New York City is painted as the capitol of tempting opportunities.

But, where does Tel Aviv fall into the global equation? Aharoni answers this question by raising the point that when his Ministry conducted a study of 30 focus groups in multiple states across the United States, some of the common phrases college-educated, upper-middle class Americans used to describe Israel include “cement”, “not friendly”, and  “militaristic”. According to Aharoni, these words mean “the surgery was successful, but the patient was dead”—the Israeli efforts to manage the conflict with the Palestinians was managed well, but the efforts to manage the brand, and public perception of Israel, needed reinvigoration. He also told our group that if you don’t define your identity, someone else will do it for you. As a young, passionate Jew who has had the pleasure of visiting Israel multiple times, his words reverberated with me because it made me think about how to characterize Israel. Could it be described as Herzl’s long-prophesied utopia of Zionist enterprise? Could Israel be viewed as an exotic hotbed of venture capital firms and gleaming desalination plants, or as the holy ground that formed the cradle of the three greatest religions on Earth?

After hearing Aharoni’s words, I realized that Israel is all of the above, and more: It continually defines itself with achievements in a wide variety of areas, whether it is characterizing itself as the home of the second-highest concentration of Bauhaus architecture in the world, an emerging producer of fine wines, or a nation that has produced technological advances like AOL Instant Messenger and VO/IP communications. Instead of letting negative press define Israel as a war-torn gulag, Israel must celebrate its own positive aspects, and truly become the “light unto the nations” that was its original mandate from G-d.
 

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When Is It Too Late?

By Adira Winegust · November 9, 2009

“When a man has a gun says he’s going to kill you, believe him” – Primo Levi

I have heard U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) speak before, it was at the Orthodox Mission to Washington in June 2007. The mood was a lot lighter than what it is at this GA. I don’t know if it is the grey Washington weather outside, or the partisan politics which has gathered strength since my last serious lobbying time in Washington, but there seems to be this air of urgency about the Iranian issue. Cantor’s speech Sunday about the Iranian situation, and the lack of inaction by President Obama, reverberated with me yesterday. Though I feel that his rhetoric might have been over the top, he is the Republican whip, it was sobering for myself, a student who advocates on campus. I don’t want my children to ask me, “When do you know it was too late to stop Iran?”.
 

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Hanging with Sharansky

By Stephanie Doctrow · November 9, 2009

On sunday, the members of the "Do the Write Thing" conference at the 2009 General Assembly participated in a press conference with Natan Sharansky. Sharansky emphasized that one of the Jewish Agency's biggest challenges is engaging students on college campuses. He said the Jewish Agency and the state of Israel are visiting campuses across the United States and encouraging Jewish teens to participate in programs like Birthright Israel. "We cannot afford to retreat because we will lose the next generation," Sharansky said.

Engaging college students seems to be a major theme for the 2009 General Assembly. At the opening plenary, the president of the Jewish Federations of North America's Board of Trustees said one of the organization's goals is committing more fully to opportunities to bring young Jews to Israel. As a college student myself, I can see the importance of this mission. At Indiana University, the issue is not anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiments as much as definite apathy. Sharansky and the Jewish Federations of North America's goal of reaching out to college students is a great starting point to engage the next generation of leaders for the Jewish community. ng point to engage the next generation of leaders for the Jewish community.

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GA 2009 Student Blog Coming Soon!

By None · November 4, 2009

Over the course of 2009 General Assembly, several student-based groups will be documenting their experiences.  Please watch for the student blog starting next week. 

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