By: Danielle Reich

In light of the recent month’s events, we as Hasbara Fellows have a lot to look out for as the upcoming year commences.   Whether it is the Palestinian unilateral bid for statehood at the United Nations in September, the Durban III Conference, or the upcoming elections in Egypt, these events are going to play a large role in determining Israel’s defensive plan in the next few months.

Unfortunately, these events also serve as the fuel that will spark a large amount of anti-Israel campaigns on college campuses.  Therefore, now more than ever, we need to be prepared to advocate for Israel and confront the false allegations that many are prepared to throw Israel’s way.

What are some ways that we students can prepare for such a seemingly daunting task?  How can we possibly tackle the uncertainties of the world while maintaining a decent GPA?  Luckily, there are ways for us to be good Israel advocates, maintain a social life, do well in school, and even get a full night of sleep (for those who have impeccable time management skills).

Firstly, in order to be able to hit the college campuses running, plan in advance.  With a few days or even maybe a week left to the summer, try to speak to your campus leadership with ideas you have for programming.  The more you plan, the more organized the event will be, which will lead to much less stress on your shoulders.  You can also talk to your Hasbara Fellowships Campus Coordinators, who can help you bring great campaigns and speakers to campus.

Secondly, educate yourself.  There are plenty of newspapers that a lot of us read on a daily, or even a weekly, basis, that cover Middle Eastern issues.  Additionally, Hasbara Fellowships offers the Hasbara Campus Pulse and The Hasbara Angle, organized compilations of important world news and pro-Israel happenings on college campuses.  The more we are educated, the more confident we will be when making the case for Israel on campus.

In fact, this past Monday night, the Jewish Federation of Middlesex County in New Jersey, co-sponsored by Hasbara Fellowships and Jerusalem Online University, held a training session for high school and college students, preparing them for the challenges that await them on campus in relation to Israel advocacy.  This event exemplifies the need to not only be educated on what is happening in the world, but also how to most effectively present this information to those who are not as informed.

Thirdly, be social and make friends.  While this may sound like an obvious and potentially unnecessary piece of advice – who doesn’t want to make friends in college? – making friends accomplishes more than expanding your social horizons.  When your friend, who knows nothing about Israel, sees an Israel Apartheid Wall or a mock checkpoint on campus, your personal connection can help them.  You will be in an advantageous position to both expose the falsehoods that your campus Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organization is spewing and show just how amazing Israel is as a nation.

This influence can go even further than the people you are friends with, which leads to my next piece of simple, yet underrated advice: utilize the talents and skills that you already have.  If you enjoy politics, join the College Democrats or College Republicans.  If you enjoy journalism, write for your campus newspaper.  No matter what extracurricular activities you find yourself involved in, you can always use your position as a way to educate your friends about Israel.  You can even start a coalition between them and the Israel group on campus with the new Adam and Gila Milstein Coalition Building Initiative Grant sponsored by Hasbara Fellowships.

Finally, as you are packing your trunks in preparation for heading back to school, always keep these three ideas in your minds:

1. Stay positive
2. Know that there is a network of students, communities and organizations (i.e. Hasbara Fellowships!) ready to help you
3. As pro-Israel advocates, we are fighting for something, not against something.  Instead of responding to anti-Israel claims on campus in a reactive way, we should be proactive and ensure that the average college student’s perception of Israel is a positive one.

I’m looking forward to an amazing year with all of you!