®
2016
TRANSFORMING CAMPUS LIFE For the past decade, CJP’s groundbreaking campus initiative IACT (Inspired, Active, Committed, Transformed) has harnessed the passion of newly-returned Birthright Israel alumni to engage 80% of them in Jewish life. IACT partner campuses have been transformed in ways large and small, from instituting a strong Birthright culture to engaging students in community service and Jewish learning. At its core, IACT remains focused on facilitating each student’s Jewish journey to enable sustainable change. Now, with the increase of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic events on campuses across the country, IACT’s reach has expanded to support defeating Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolutions and provide proactive approaches to combat negative sentiments or actions toward Jews or Israel. We hope our Yearbook gives you a sense of how IACT gives students a personal connection to Israel, and inspires you to get involved.
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The IACT model helps our partner campuses develop student leaders to create change. With the full-time IACT coordinator as a role model and Jewish facilitator for every single Birthright alum, students are tapping more deeply into community service, Jewish learning and Israel engagement. The IACT model is about demonstrable, intentional leadership to deepen Jewish life on campus. - Cheryl Aronson, Vice President Israel and Overseas, and Campus Initiative Founder 3
Without an initiative like IACT, the Jewish people would be missing out on the most powerful agent for change in generations. If we are not reaching out to each and every single Birthright participant and connecting them to Jewish life and Israel, then we are failing to meet this historic opportunity for American Jews and Israel.
- Barry Shrage, President, Combined Jewish Philanthropies 4
FUELING JEWISH LEARNING
Groundbreaking learning — on campus and off
MOBILIZING FOR ISRAEL The passion that inspires
SERVING THE COMMUNITY Bringing positive change to life
TRANSFORMING CAMPUS Together we stand as one
GOING VIRAL FOR ISRAEL When impact creates a buzz
EXPANDING IACT’S SUCCESS Positive change from coast to coast
FOSTERING PARTNERSHIPS
Building support from near and far
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IACT makes it possible for students to deepen their commitment to Judaism. With access to a rich array of expert Jewish scholars, institutions, and campus programs, students are engaged and ready to learn together. Innovative opportunities, like “Kindle Your Judaism” and “Taste of Learning,” inspire them to explore and connect to Judaism in exciting new ways.
500 New England IACT alumni engaged in Jewish learning last year
6
70
60
IACT alumni completed
Ready-to-implement Jewish
Jewish learning
learning opportunities
fellowships on campus
used by campuses
IACT has allowed Tufts Hillel to offer substantial post-trip Jewish learning opportunities. We have been able to partner with Hebrew College and others to engage hundreds of alumni in deep Jewish learning, and the content is always co-created with students and staff.
— Sara Legasey, Senior IACT Coordinator, Tufts University 7
IACT strategies and guidance have been the key determinant in successfully defeating BDS motions on campus. Because IACT inspires well over 100 of our students on Birthright trips each year, we have the commitment and motivation from these alumni to battle BDS and other expressions of anti-Semitism back at school.
- Arinne Braverman, Executive Director, Northeastern University Hillel 8
IACT is the driving force for pro-Israel student engagement on partner campuses around the country. The participation and leadership of hundreds of IACT alumni each semester has been able to push back anti-Semitic efforts like BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), while at the same time building deeper networks of support for Israel across campus.
1,200 Israel Action Ambassadors engaged on New England campuses
700
50
New England students
Get Back to Israel Reps on
came to at least one Israel
New England campuses
advocacy training
recruiting students to travel 9
Birthright Israel trips not only connect students with Israel, they provide a sense of community and purpose. From overseas Alternative Spring Break (ASB) service trips and Onward Israel internships, to volunteering at home in soup kitchens, senior centers and homeless shelters, local IACT alumni stay connected through meaningful experiences that deepen their Jewish journey.
400 Hours of service performed by students during ASB in Haifa
120 10
6
Students completed
National campuses
professional internships with
partnered with
Onward Israel Boston
Gift of Life
Through IACT, we engage more than 100 Birthright alumni each year in service projects, some of which have been created by the alumni. It can be raising funds for hunger relief, organizing a blood drive, or volunteering on an Israeli army base. A full-time IACT coordinator and CJP resources have made expanding service opportunities possible. - Ethan Sobel, Assistant Director, Boston University Hillel 11
At campuses around the country, we have seen IACT alumni at the forefront of pushing back BDS resolutions and activities. IACT has a pro-Israel, aspirational vision for Jewish life on campus, and students naturally want to become leaders in that context. - Jacob Baime, Executive Director, Israel on Campus Coalition 12
By utilizing the excitement generated around Birthright Israel trips, IACT infuses a campus with new layers of Jewish life. Thousands of IACT alumni have committed themselves to Jewish learning, community service or Israel advocacy. IACT is about many students’ individual journeys combining to make lasting change on campus.
80% of our alumni become sustainably engaged in Jewish life on campus during the year following their trip
330
400
Onward Israel internship
IACT alumni have completed
alumni since 2013
ASB trips in Israel since 2013
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GOING VIRAL FOR ISRAEL By engaging students via social media and online channels, IACT has cultivated pro-Israel sentiment on and off campus. We attract hundreds of students to our campus events each year, teaching tactics for student activists to educate their peers year round and during times of crisis. Our Israel Campus Roundtable is an online resource that shares pro-Israel content and facilitates conversations and connections between students who have an interest in Israel.
47,000 Engagements of Facebook users on ICR page
14
16,000
32
Students receiving our
New student blogs to
Israel campus e-news
promote Israel programs
Our IACT coordinator connected us to social media resources and strategies that built a powerful network of support for Israel on campus. We need to meet with people one-on-one, and we also need a vibrant pro-Israel social media presence. - Jeremy Tibbetts, UMass Amherst ’17, Student Alliance For Israel 15
Hillel International is proud to partner with CJP on the fantastic IACT initiative. The continued expansion of IACT to new campuses demonstrates the program’s ability to inspire Birthright Israel alumni on a large scale, and to be a catalyst for transforming Jewish life on campus. - Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of Hillel International 16
In our continuing effort to reach beyond New England, IACT will add four new partner campuses from around the country this year. This expansion will offer thousands of new students immersive Israel programs and a chance to continue their journey and their connection to Israel.
10,000 Hours of alumni volunteerism for Israel on New England campuses
28
18,000
IACT partner
Unique visitors to the
campuses in operation
IsraelCampusRoundtable.com
by Fall 2016
this year 17
Started in the Northeast and expanding to the West Coast, CJP’s IACT program is a joint effort with valued partners on and off campus at 28 schools — and counting!
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA* UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AUSTIN
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT* AMHERST COLLEGE UMASS AMHERST
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN* THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY CLARK UNIVERSITY WELLESLEY COLLEGE BOSTON UNIVERSITY HARVARD UNIVERSITY MIT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY TUFTS UNIVERSITY BROWN UNIVERSITY WILLIAMS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY* RUTGERS UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI*
*New campuses for 2017
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American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee CAMERA CJP’s Boston-Haifa Connection
Consulate General of Israel to New England Hasbara Fellowships Hillel Council of New England Hillel International
Israel on Campus Coalition Israel Campus Roundtable Jewish Agency for Israel Masa Israel Journey The David Project
LEARN MORE For information about CJP’s IACT Initiative , please contact Matt Lebovic, Associate Director of Campus Services, at 617-457-8757 or mattl@cjp.org
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