By Sandra Cohen

This past month, UC Davis’ Aggies for Israel focused on bringing Assi Azar to campus.

Students, including four Hasbara Fellows, focused on organizing and publicizing for the event which was on November 13. Over 50 non-affiliated students attended, many from co-sponsoring organizations including: Cross Cultural Center, Israeli Consulate General, Davis/Sacramento Hillel and more. Moran Goren, a junior at UC Davis and executive member says, “We are very glad we were able to outreach to a diverse set of groups on campus, and we intend to do more of that in our upcoming events.” While the event was not directly addressing concerns of the Arab-Israeli conflict, it was a successful way to outreach to the community and familiarize others on the advancements of social justice in Israel.

During the Q&A section most of the questions were about Assi Azar's personal experiences, but there was a question comparing Israel and the US: someone asked Assi if he would have preferred growing up being gay in Israel or in the US. Assi responded that he thinks Israel is a better environment for the LGBT community. Goren shares that “this was a powerful statement, especially for people who are not familiar with Israel (which is who we are trying to reach).” All in all, the program was entertaining, educational, and successful!

Looking ahead, UC Davis students want to continue the excitement by bringing Idan Raichel to campus. The executive board is also going to place an emphasis on educational events by reaching out to Neil Lazarus and other politically active speakers.