By: Nim Nahum, UCLA class of 2012 and Internal Vice President of Bruins for Israel

Students at UCLA were faced with Palestinian Awareness Week on campus last week.  In addition to the usual counter-events, pro-Israel activists decided to think outside the box.  They used their partnerships and coalitions on campus to show the strength and diversity of the pro-Israel community. Nim, an experienced pro-Israel activist, has been involved with Hasbara Fellowships for several years.  He tells about the events at UCLA last week from a student perspective.

As the core leadership of Bruins For Israel sat around the table discussing our viable options for the upcoming Palestine Awareness Week (PAW) the following question came up: how can we, as students on a public university be proactive instead of reactive, engage student leaders, formnew relationships with our elected officials (on and off campus), and virtually take this typically difficult week and make it an opportunity?

*Over 120 student leaders at UCLA signed this statement in support of Israel. The petition was published 3 times in the UCLA Daily Bruin.

After some time the campaign became clear: over the years there has been a lot of public support for the blatantly anti-Israel rhetoric while there is very little to no support for us. We dared to think that there is support for the US-Israel relationship on campus, and we began with the campaign.

The statement read “I support the US-Israel relationship”. Within only a couple of weeks over 120 diverse student leaders (including six elected officials) signed the statement. Thanks to Hasbara Fellowships and StandWithUs, we were able to publish our work in the Daily Bruin three days before PAW began, and on the first and last days of PAW. The effect was simply immeasurable.

The talk around campus was about the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel, and not the disturbing and graphic “Apartheid wall” that was placed in the middle of campus.  With over thirty thousand copies of the ad being circulated around campus in a week, we truly demonstrated the level of support for the State of Israel.

Furthermore, this was not the only media channel we used. We created BruinsforIsrael.com, spread it on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks we have built over the years. It was a proactive step to combat anti-Israel sentiments on campus. This campaign led us to forming relationships with many campus leaders and strengthened our previous relationships by doing the work of Hasbara, and explaining the importance of the US-Israel relationship. In terms of our public elected officials, we are looking to mail the statement to the five congressmen in our area and the two California senators.

The elected student leaders who signed the statement were not born pro-Israel.  They became pro-Israel because some of their fellow students were willing to get to know them and educate them.  It is my hope that they will turn to us for more advice and education in the future. With anti-Israel movements emerging on campuses across the country, it is important to have friends and supporters.