By: Abram Shanedling

This week has already proven a strong one for Israel awareness in the greater DC area. From Goldstone's recant in the Washington Post to Israeli President Shimon Peres meeting President Obama to discuss Middle East events and the peace process at the White House. And only a few miles away from there, pro-Israel groups are also taking these key messages to the general public.

At American University, Hasbara Fellows in AU Students for Israel (AUSFI) and the AU Israel Public Affairs Committee (AUPAC) are giving the campus both a taste of Israeli culture and a look at Israel commitments to peace during Israel Week 2011.

This year, the week-long campaign included a variety of clever programming both during the day and in the evening. On Monday evening for example, a representative from the Arava Institute spoke about Israel’s contributions to environmental sustainability. Then the next day AU’s main pro-Israel groups along with AEPI sponsored an Israeli-themed soccer tournament on the main campus quad.

Other events this week have been a program outside about the various Israeli political parties (with a hummus making competition on the side), tabling about human rights in Israel and a special panel discussion on Israel’s quest for peace on Thursday with several experts from the American Jewish Committee, The Israel Project and the David Project.

Several Hasbara Fellows have helped with AU’s Israel Week 2011 – Hallie Bondar, Jacob Ross and Garrick Weiss all have been instrumental.

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Meanwhile at Johns Hopkins University, a different, but just as important message is being underscored. Starting with a group screening of Iranium on Tuesday, the Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel has organized what will no doubt be an engaging panel discussion on the Iranian nuclear threat this Wednesday.

The event, which will take place 7:30-9 pm at the Charles Commons Ballroom will feature Patrick Clawson from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Michael Adler from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Mark Dubowitz from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The talk will look at various options for dealing with Iran and will be moderated by Steven David, the Vice Dean for Undergraduate Education at Johns Hopkins.

Hasbara Fellows Ali Cohen, Aliza Fishbein, Bernie Hodkin, Rebecca Rubenstein and Rivky Stern have all worked throughout the semester to foster new coalition partners for such programming, and are now seeing the end product. Wednesday’s event is sponsored by the Foreign Affairs Symposium, the JHU Politik, the College Republicans and College Democrats.

Fore more information on this exciting program, check out the Facebook page.