By: Channah Barkhordari

More than 120 students from over 60 colleges across North America and Brazil returned to campus this week excited to begin the semester for one reason: to advocate for Israel. Hasbara Fellowships' intensive tracks brought a majority of students to Israel, where they absorbed two exhilarating weeks of education and training.

Based at the Aish HaTorah World Center in the Old City of Jerusalem, the fellowship traveled to strategic cities in the West Bank and the north as well as Sderot in the south, and to sites overlooking Gaza to gain an understanding of history and current events on the ground.

Hasbara hosted students on four programs, including a first-ever regional track for New England students. For their part, the students found the fellowship to be invaluable and unforgettable.

“It’s one thing to learn about what’s going on, and another to see who’s really living it,” said Shira Shamir, a freshman International Relations major at Tufts University.  “I always knew that advocating for Israel was something I wanted to do but I never had the tools and knowledge to do so, and this trip was so important for me because it gave me what I needed.”

Beth Drucker, a sophomore Economics major of Harvard University, shared Shamir’s sentiments.

“Hasbara…not only teaches advocacy but on the program we went to some of the places that are more controversial in the news and places people don’t normally go to see when they talk about Israelis and Palestinians and the whole conflict,” she said. “It was good to be able to see the whole area, from Barta’a, [to] Chevron, and not only know what we hear in the news but piece it together with the situation on the ground.”

The fellowship gave the students the opportunity to hear from a host of journalists, IDF officials, historians, diplomats, and other experts, such as Jerusalem Post’s Khaled Abu Toameh and Yaakov Katz, Sgt. Benjamin Anthony, and Cabinet Minister Nissim Ze’ev. The groups also watched a pre-release screening of Iranium with Executive Producer Raphael Shore, toured the Knesset with Post analyst Gil Hoffman, and heard from Ishmael Khaldi, Israel’s first Bedouin deputy consul, at the Foreign Ministry.

Sessions covered a range of topics including the ancient and modern history of the land of Israel, internal and regional threats to Israel’s security, current Israeli-Palestinian relations, Sderot: Where Fear is Normal, Israel in the media, and human rights. Tour stops highlighted Israel’s myriad internal initiatives towards coexistence and humanitarian aid with organizations such as Givat Chaviva and Save a Child’s Heart, as well as Israel’s contributions to global environmental crises with innovative companies such as Project Better Place.

Many students responded to their experiences with newfound understanding and enthusiasm. “Hasbara…gives the activists the information in a way that doesn’t breed hate to the other side,” said Matt Beller, a sophomore Engineering major of Boston University. “Its recognizing that both sides have different arguments, feels, and emotions and showing that light but exposing the truth through that and not through hate.”

One track of 20 students from across North America spent 10 days in New York City and Washington DC meeting with top experts about issues pertaining to Israel and the Middle East, including Matt Levitt from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Sarah Stern from Endowment for Middle East Truth, Jacob Dalal from the Israeli Spokespersons Office and Alan Elsner from the Israel Project. In addition, the group visited Congress, the United Nations and the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. Students returning from the new east coast fellowship reported that they are eager to translate their experiences into Israel advocacy as they return to campus.