Israel is AMAZING, and Hopkins Students Know It

By: Alexandra Cohen

For Johns Hopkins students, Israel is a place they know beyond the headlines of mainstream media.  It is a country many have visited, and consider to be a vibrant, unique society full of promise and opportunity.

This Winter, a busload of Johns Hopkins students experienced Israel for the first time on a Hillel-organized Taglit-Birthright trip.  A handful of others spent portions of their break visiting friends and family, and learning to advocate for Israel with Hasbara Fellowships.  For many of them, these trips inspired them to care about Israel in ways they never could have imagined before, and to plug into a strong network of fellow Jewish falafel connoisseurs and Israel enthusiasts on campus.

Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel (CHAI) members could not wait to welcome their peers back from Israel with open arms.  They planned “Get Back to Israel Night” to share their excitement about everything Israel – with free food, music, and giveaways, as well as opportunities to find ways to get back to Israel at little or no cost!

Hasbara Fellow, Aaron Tessler put his new social media skills to the test by creating a promo video for the event on YouTube.  I think the video had a great impact – over 40 students from all years and many backgrounds attended the event!  Hasbara Fellow and CHAI Freshman Representative, Arie Grunberg also advertised the event to a group of his friends who weren’t previously connected to Israel.  He says, “The event had a great turnout. I didn’t know what to expect, but in the end I realized that Israel 360 was actually a very enjoyable way to learn about Israel.  I am very excited to implement all the new skills I learned in Hasbara Fellowships this semester and the next! I really see CHAI growing more in the coming years."

The highlight of the program was a presentation I gave of Israel 360.  In under an hour, I took the event attendees on a complete virtual tour and explained the democracy, society, people, history and Jewish connection to the land of Israel.  It was fun and interactive, and gave the audience a taste of many of the reasons why Israel is so amazing!

Sophomore, Geena Frumkin just returned from Birthright, realizing that she has a deep relationship with Israel. “The event was a lot of fun and further reminded me of my connection to the State of Israel. I'm looking forward to becoming more involved in Israel advocacy on campus thanks to my experience on Birthright and CHAI’s welcoming atmosphere.”

In addition to having the chance to reminisce about the fabulous time they just had in Israel, they heard about an array of Israel programs from our partners Lauren and Anne from Israel Outdoors and Jenn from Young Judaea. Additionally, Hasbara Fellow Jules Szanton shared his experience on JNF’s Alternative Spring Break, and Hasbara Fellow and CHAI VP Rebecca Rubenstein spoke highly of our own Training Program in Israel.

Sophia Geron-Neubauer, a Freshman who regularly attends CHAI programs took advantage of the resources and materials we provided, and says that now, “post-Get-Back-to-Israel-Night”, I’m just chomping at the bit; I gotta get to Israel!”

Want to share why Israel is so amazing with friends?  Check out the Israel 360 campaign on our website and order it today – Hasbara Fellowships Staff will gladly come to your campus!