AJC's Goldman Summer Fellowship Program is designed to develop future leaders in the areas of international and domestic politics, diplomacy, public relations, and management. This competitive summer fellowship gives undergraduate and graduate students the unique opportunity to work in AJC offices in the U.S. and throughout the world—from New York City to Melbourne, Australia. Fellows work supervised closely by mentors—senior AJC personnel—to learn about strategy, advocacy, and the development and implementation of programs. Fellows may also spend part of their time on an independent project for the AJC office to which they are assigned. Research and policy work span the range of AJC's interests—from international affairs and diplomacy to interethnic relations and non-profit management. Applicants are asked to select their preferred field(s) of interest as well as any location preferences. AJC Goldman Fellows receive a minimum stipend of $4,000, plus major travel expenses. |
The story of the Jewish refugees from Muslim countries is overlooked in history textbooks, but even most of the refugees themselves have never shared their past with their decedents and never portrayed themselves as refugees.
Shir speaks about this issue from a firsthand experience, about building her own identity based on the different narratives in society and the role our past plays in building our present and future and about the necessity to learn more about our family history in order to build our future. Includes screening of Shadow in Baghdad! |
Hen Mazzig is a young Israeli writer, international speaker, social media activist and advocate for his country. Hen's family comes from Iraq and North Africa, giving him a unique background where he shares his family's story and the story of 850,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
As a young Israeli, Hen served in the Israel Defense Force for five years as an openly gay commander. Hen's unit was responsible for overseeing the construction of medical facilities, schools, environmental projects, roads, water-related infrastructure, and for security coordination with the Palestinian Security Forces. |
Amin Ahmed is a Syrian refugee who fled to Israel for treatment as a result of the Syrian civil war. He now resides in the USA and speaks about the hate of Israel in Syrian society and how, through personal experience with Israelis, he has come to be an Israel advocate.
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Liz Wahl brings together the topics of domestic and international hate we're seeing lately -- she resigned live on air from Russia Today television due to its propaganda nature, now lives in Washington, DC and after becoming disenchanted with media became a pro-Israel advocate.
Jerusalem U can bring her to your campus for a screening of a documentary she made and talk about how to spot media bias with Israel issues as a case study. |
Dumasani Washington is a pastor and passionate Zionist who leads the Institute for Black Solidarity for Israel. He lectures around the country on Zionism and the history of black support for Israel.
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"My hometown, Haifa, in Israel, is very proud of its legacy of peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs... I made this documentary about a special hair salon called Fifi’s, which is owned by two Christian Arab women and is beloved by Jewish and Arab women alike.
I sought a place where I could easily build intimacy with my subjects, and the idea of working for a hairdresser seemed perfect because of the physical connection with the women... As you’ll see, Fifi’s is remarkable. It draws women from all over the city, and inspires friendship, acceptance and respect between Arabs and Jews. So ultimately I ended up with a film about a little island of sanity." |
Ishmael Khaldi was born and raised in the Bedouin village of Khawalid in the Gail region of Israel. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Haifa, and a Masters Degree in International Relations from Tel Aviv University. Ishmael served in the Israeli Defense Forces, Defense Ministry, and the Israeli Police before being chosen to join the Foreign Ministry, becoming Israel's first Bedouin diplomat.
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Our Soldiers Speak is the only organization that brings uniformed IDF soldiers to campus to speak about Israel. They aseek to inform campuses about the various work that the IDF does. The Surgeon General of the IDF Tarif Bader will be touring around Boston next semester speaking on how the IDF helps to treat Syrian refugees.
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Professor of Israel Studies at Oxford University Derek Penslar will soon be William Lee Frost Chair in Modern Jewish History at Harvard. Penslar is a renowned expert in the Zionist Movement of the early 20th century that resulted in the establishment of the State of Israel. He has written nearly a dozen books on the topic.
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Sderot, a town in southern Israel has, for nearly a decade been subject to indiscriminate rocket attacks from Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza. Unfortunately, the stories of those in Sderot don’t always make it into the international news. Sderot Media Center is an Israeli non-profit that seeks to advance the stories of those living under rocket attacks in Sderot. The Sderot Media Center focuses on the psychological, social, and economic effects of rocket attacks on the residents of Sderot.
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ROCK IN THE RED ZONE is an intimate portrayal of life on the edge in the Israeli city of Sderot. Once known for its prolific rock scene that revolutionized Israeli music, for thirteen years the town has been the target of ongoing rocket fire from the Gaza strip. Through the personal lives and music of Sderot's diverse musicians, and the personal narrative of the filmmaker, who ends up calling the town home, the film chronicles the town's trauma and reveals its enduring spirit.
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This film produced by Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa documents stories from the almost 900,000 Jews who grew up in Arab states and were forced to flee.
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Brothers for Life is a non-profit organization, created and run by disabled Israeli officers, which gives critical and immediate help to disabled Israeli combat soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the safety of the Jewish people.
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Dr. Wilf is a Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute in Jerusalem and an Adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. As a member of the 18th Knesset she served on the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, was Chair of the Education, Sports and Culture Committee, and Chair of the Knesset Sub-Committee for Israel and the Jewish People.
Dr. Wilf reviews the new nature of the "war of ideas" waged against Israel and the tools needed to be victorious. "The real war for Israel today is one of words, images and ideas. We are less likely to engage in wars with tanks and airplanes, and we are failing in this new war, relinquishing the arena. The war against Israel is taking new shape. We have become defeatist in this war. We no longer claim victory as our goal, but merely hope for a draw. I argue that Israel can win. It is a war for two or three decades, not an easy victory for tomorrow morning, but just as we were able to overcome the Arab armies and the Arab boycott, we can overcome here, too. I have no doubt of that." |
"Connecting Leaders in Communities" (CLIC) is a delegation of 30 young Israeli students of all fields and from all cultural and religious backgrounds - Jews, Arabs (Christian and Muslim), Druze and Circassian - who meet regularly in order to discuss various hot issues in Israeli society, and collaborate on various social initiatives crossing through different ethnic communities for the betterment of Israel.
The CLIC delegation is looking to meet with students on US college campuses in order to show the complex face of Israeli society. Panel discussions on multiculturalism in Israel and networking events with student leadership groups to build common ground with their peers in all fields is encouraged. |
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In recent years, there has been a 50% increase in the rates of Arab citizens of Israel voluntarily enlisting to serve their country in the Israel Defense Forces.
While Jewish enlistment in the IDF is largely compulsory, Arab citizens are exempt from army service for both security and humane reasons, such as to prevent a situation where members of families may be caught fighting each other in a war. This presentation by Young Judaea educator and IDF Staff Sgt. Yoav Levin delves into the reasons behind the growing Arab ranks of the IDF, as well as the Druze and Bedouin top battalions, which have been a part of the IDF since before its founding. |
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"My Arab family's story:
Building a future in Israel" George Deek, formerly Israel's vice ambassador to Norway, is an Arab Israeli Christian whose family fled Jaffa, only to return a short while later and build a better life for their family. Hear his incredibly inspiring message to Arab countries and the international community! |
The Coalition Against Anti-Semitism (CAASE) in Europe is the student-led human rights initiative working to combat European anti-Semitism.
The recent attacks against European Jews are not aberrations, but rather manifestations of an alarming rise in Anti-Semitism. We are committed to raising awareness about this affront to fundamental rights of European Jews and demand accountability from European governments. |
In order to work towards a resolve of the Middle Eastern conflicts, education needs to be a key instrument of the tools used, whether on the macro level of the state or the micro level of one's neighbors. If knowledge is power, then offering knowledge could mean building strength.
The goal of the Middle East Learning Academy is to reach out to people motivated to expand their knowledge base in Middle Eastern affairs, and to educate through a nonpartisan, innovative, multimedia learning experience. |
Lian Najami is a young Arab Israeli woman living in Haifa who talks about "Building a Better Society: A Story of Shared Existence" based on her experiences growing up in a liberal Muslim family, attending a Christian high school, and volunteering in a Jewish community center.
Lian lives in a mixed Jewish-Arab area of the city and has volunteered for the past eight years in the Clore Center for Jewish-Arab Coexistence which is located in her neighborhood. Lian speaks Arabic, Hebrew, English, Spanish and German. Lian believes that through tolerance and understanding, shared existence is possible. Lian has served as a Fellow at the US Congress with the Tom Lantos-Humanity in Action Congressional Fellowship and will be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. |
Focusing on the Guinness World Record for the largest serving of hummus, as well as attempts to trademark hummus and calls for its boycott, this talk will use food to highlight questions of ethnic and national identity, examining food as an arena of conflict and coexistence.
Dr. Ari Ariel holds a PhD from Columbia University and a Diploma in Classical Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute. His research focuses on Middle Eastern Jewish communities. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Boston University. |
One of the defining human rights issues of our time surrounds the Iranian quest to obtain a nuclear weapon while simultaneously calling for another nation to be wiped off the map. In addition to an emerging war of moderates vs. extremists throughout the Middle East, this subject is one of many with which Jerusalem Post correspondent Etgar Lefkowits engages campus audiences.
Etgar Lefkowits studied at the University of Chicago, Hebrew University and then at the Sorbonne in Paris. He worked as a Jerusalem research assistant to the bureau chief of a Japanese daily, Asahi Shimbun. He served as senior assistant to former New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief Serge Schmemann. He completed Israeli army service as a military correspondent for the IDF magazine B'mahane. From 2000-2009, he served as Jerusalem correspondent for the Jerusalem Post. Lefkowits has spoken at scores of American universities including Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Over the last year, he served as an Israel and Middle East Fellow on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. |
Explore Afghanistan's centuries-old Jewish community, from their religious and social lives to Muslim-Jewish relations.
Spanning from the community's origins, Sara Y. Aharon details the story of a small Jewish community that lived in relative peace with their Sunni Muslim neighbors, and moved en masse to the New York City neighborhood of Queens. Sara is donating part of her book earnings to UNICEF's "Equity and Education Project in Afghanistan." |
Israeli tour guide and soldier, Ayal Beer, helps college students understand the true realities their Israeli peers face and how despite the trauma they have been surrounded by their entire lives and are even currently facing, they still love their home, Israel. This program covers the following:
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Israel is on the front-lines of leading relief efforts to areas that have suffered from humanitarian disaster. IsraAID is a non-profit humanitarian organization established in 2001 that provides support to areas that have suffered from a humanitarian disaster. IsraAID not only provides emergency relief and aid, but also helps aid communities in sustainable development for a better future. IsraAID has provided assistance in 29 countries and has helped positively improve the lives of over 1 million people.
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For more than 30 years, AIPAC has helped students find their voices in support of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. AIPAC student activists participate in a variety of training opportunities throughout the year. AIPAC offers political leadership training that gives pro-Israel students the tools they need to be effective. From intensive seminars in Washington, D.C. where students meet with members of Congress, to rigorous trips to Israel where these up-and-coming activists can learn about the issues affecting Israel first-hand, AIPAC prepares young leaders to help build the pro-Israel community on and beyond the campus.
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"In spite of our differences, we can build peace, not just negotiate peace”
– Shimon Peres The Peres Center for Peace specializes in coexistence programs for Jews and Arabs in Israel. Whether it is a coexistence program involving sports or one involving sustainability, one can volunteer or intern for a variety of coexistence programming associated with the Peres Center for Peace. |
The Israel Democracy Institute is an independent, non-partisan "think and do tank" dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy.
IDI supports Israel's elected officials, civil servants, and opinion leaders in four main ways: conducting policy reserach on issues critical to the future of Israeli democracy, convening open and fair forums designed to foster vigorous public debate, designing research-based blueprints for reform, promoting values vital for Israel's identity as a Jewish and democratic state. |
Founded by Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, the Hadassah Medical Organization pioneered the development of standards and practices of health care in Israel.
Its main focus and its health care activities are in Jerusalem, and its heritage and emotional links are deeply rooted in the land of Israel and its people. Hadassah Medical Organization is also a bridge to peace, forging links between patients of all nationalities and religions who come to its doors for healing. Hadassah is well known for treating Israelis of all backgrounds: Jewish, Arab, and more. |
As a gay Jew interested in the Middle East, Matt Hoffman has researched the legalities and social customs surrounding gay rights throughout the region.
Sourced with newspaper articles and movie clips, this interactive presentation informs students of the varied realities of Middle Eastern gay life. Contact Matt Hoffman for more info This graphic has more info on gay rights around the world: |
The Agudah works to:
· Ensure the full legal, social and cultural equality of the Israeli GLBT community · Provide support and social interaction for GLBT persons and enhance a sense of communal cohesion · Educate the general public and widen the sphere of understanding and pluralism within Israeli society. The Agudah sends speakers on tours to the US. |
Jerusalem Open House serves free meals that turn people’s lives around. The poor don’t have to wait for someone to invite them for a meal. They don’t have to buy second-day bread, or frequent wedding halls, searching for leftovers. Instead, they eat delicious, hot food, in dignity.
Over four hundred people eat their meals at Jerusalem Open House, every day. Additionally close to three hundred sandwiches are picked up by children to take to school. And hundreds of others, including large families, depend on the packages we send them. Jerusalem Open House is open everyday – Erev Yom Kippur, Motzaei Yom Kippur , even Erev Pesach, because hunger cant wait. Jerusalem Open House offers US speaking tours. |
If you are looking for a speaker to come speak in a class on Israeli Politics, History, Culture, Economics, human rights issues, and more, please contact the Consulate as a resource. We also have a variety of printed materials that may be of use in the classroom as supplemental materials.
If you are interested in going to Israel either just to visit or as part of a mission or sabbatical please let us know. We can assist you in planning your trip as well as connecting you with Israeli universities and faculty. |
Brandeis Bridges is an initiative founded by Black and Jewish students at Brandeis University to bridge the gap that exists between the two communities.
Together, a group of 5 Black and 5 Jewish students venture to Israel for a 10-day intercultural pilgrimage to explore each others' faiths, history, and cultures. Upon returning from this trip, the Brandeis Bridges fellows led programs and events on campus related to their trip to Israel, and bettering Black-Jewish relations. |
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Dr. Mordechai Kedar, the Director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Islam, a research associate of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and a lecturer in the Department of Arabic Studies at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, is one of Israel's leading figures in understanding the Arab world. Dr. Kedar is a frequent guest in the Israeli, Arab and international media. In 2011, Dr. Kedar gave a very insightful presentation on Capitol Hill on "Why is the Middle East Such a Difficult Area for Americans and Westerners to Understand?”
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Annie Tracy Samuel is a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of History at Tel Aviv University (TAU). She is also a junior research fellow at TAU’s Alliance Center for Iranian Studies and the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies. Her doctoral dissertation examines the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Iran-Iraq War and analyzes how the Guards have documented the war and their roles in the conflict. She is a recipient of the Schusterman Israel Scholar Award, given by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.
Her research and writing on those subjects have been published by the Harvard Kennedy School, CNN, Tehran Bureau, and the Global Post, among others. She has spoken at several conferences and universities, including the Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Exeter, and Brandeis University. |
Learn about Self-Determination in the Middle East The ICR is holding an Intercampus Zionist Book Club this semester, using "The Zionist Idea" (edited by Arthur Hertzberg) as our text. This book is a compilation of writings by the original Zionist thinkers, offering a wide array of perspectives on the meaning of "Zionism" and how to enact it. |
StandWithUs has designed a creative way to educate and inspire people about Israel.
The Israel Matters Display is comprised of 16 colorful panels, each 7 feet high, that collectively tell Israel’s story through photographs and basic facts. Its unifying theme is “peace takes two” and students have referred to it as the "Path to Peace." Each two-sided panel covers a different topic. The beauty of the display is that students and can choose which panels they want to use and which would be most suitable for their environments. |
Boston University Professor Deeana Copeland Klepper teaches medieval European religious history. Her publications explore the contradictory attitudes of medieval Christians to Jews and Jewish tradition. Her work examines the ways Christian thinkers understood, justified, and criticized policies of Jewish expulsion, examining the nexus between Augustine’s doctrine of necessary tolerance and emerging policies of absolute intolerance.
Klepper has received grants from the American Academy in Rome, the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, and the American Philosophical Society. She teaches a course covering Gender and Judaism. |
Historians have been adding female experiences and female accomplishments to our picture of the past. In this course we survey this new historical narrative and test the “myth of equality between men and women” in pre-state Israel and in the State of Israel. Students read, view and discuss a wide variety of primary and secondary texts in order to understand how Jewish women experienced their lives.
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A social enterprise started by two civil rights activists in order to bridge the need for marketing for the indigenous Bedouin tourist businesses. We, Sliman - an Israeli Bedouin, and Yeela - an Israeli Jew, have been active together in the Bedouin's civil rights for decades. We view these indigenous tourist venues as having important potential in strengthening the local Bedouin economy, as well as bringing people from different cultures to know and respect each other. |
Don’t miss your chance to win up to $2,000 for sharing your thoughts on civil rights in the Middle East!
A panel of celebrity judges will select winning essays. There are $10,000 in cash awards as well as book prizes. Profile a Mideast civil rights reformer, propose a civil rights campaign, or share your dream deferred with a mock article from the future. |
What is the connection between LGBT people and Israel? A Wider Bridge builds connection to Israel among LGBT Jews and non-Jews in the U.S. through programming that focuses on bringing LGBT people into meaningful and thoughtful connection with Israel and LGBT Israelis.
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Bizchut, The Israeli Human Rights Center for People with Disabilities, works to enable people with physical, intellectual, sensory, mental and learning disabilities to participate as fully and independently as possible in the life of the mainstream community.
Bizchut uses a combination of legal activity, community outreach and educational initiatives to address issues central in the lives of people with disabilities and of us all. |
JIMENA is dedicated to educating and advocating for the over 850,000 Jewish refugees of the Middle East and North Africa. JIMENA aims to bring more light and attention to the Mizrahi Jews who were oppressed and ultimately were forced to leave countries they had resided in for over 2,000 years.
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Jewish Disaster Response Corps (JDRC) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that assists all communities in domestic disaster recovery while exhibiting Jewish values and promoting broad and visible Jewish participation.
The JDRC provides a Jewish partner for institutions and individuals to work with, thus filling the gap between disaster response and the Jewish community’s commitment to help others. |
The StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship is a prestigious one-year fellowship program that recruits, trains, educates, and inspires pro-Israel college students to become an elite cadre of leaders on college campuses across North America.
StandWithUs Emerson Fellows form a network of trained pro-Israel student leaders, chosen from over 40 campuses, who utilize their skills and energy to drive and inspire their peers to run effective pro-Israel events and bring Israel’s message to their campuses. Among their program responsibilities, fellows hold leadership positions within pro-Israel student groups, run four to six programs on their campuses throughout the year, write articles for local and campus media outlets, and attend two training seminars in Los Angeles, CA. Upon completion of the program, fellows receive a stipend and the chance to win an amazing internship at the StandWithUs Jerusalem office. |
Ambassador Michael Oren's memoir tells the story of his journey as an American from New Jersey to becoming Israel’s Ambassador to the United States. His love of both nations shines through in this insightful, 412 page book.
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Beit Avi Chai presents A Face. A Day. A Memorial, an artistic commemorative project in which animators bring to life the personal stories of those who fell in protection of the State of Israel.
The commemorative project is made up of over 23 stories, among them Sherry Ansky's memories of her brother who fell in the Yom Kippur War, and the story of the lone soldier Max Steinberg who made Aliyah to Israel. This year we will be releasing five new memorial animated clips. |