By Gail Axelrod

The past week has been a busy one for schools in the Southeast. Emory Students for Israel is working away planning their largest annual event, iFest. Other upcoming ESI events include a Valentine’s Day fundraiser for Save a Child's Heart and a screening of “Iranium.”  Similar events for Save a Child’s Heart will be talking place at the University of Georgia and Florida International University.

UGA’s pro-Israel group, Dawgs for Israel will be screening the highly acclaimed Israeli film “Five Hours from Paris” at the end of February in conjunction with the Athens Film Festival. The event leads up to UGA’s Israel Peace Week, a national student movement started to educate students about the steps Israel continually takes to promote peace. Plans for IPW are also in the works at Emory and FIU.

Hasbara Fellow Claire Miller is launching Gators for Israel Sundays at the University of Florida at the beginning of February in hopes of further educating the UF campus on pressing matters related to Israeli policy and politics. The bi-monthly brunch briefings will feature varied curriculum and speakers.

Florida State University’s Noles for Israel, headed by Ilana Goldenberg, is gearing up for their Israel Week in mid-February. The weeklong event features Hasbara’s Think Green. Think Blue. Campaign, speaker David Makovsky from the Washington Institute, and an Israeli themed Shabbat dinner sponsored by Hasbara partner, Alpha Epsilon Pi.

Stay tuned for more exciting news from the down south!

Shalom y’all,

Gail