ISRAEL ENGAGEMENT ANNUAL REVIEW 2014/15
11 DIFFERENT T YPES OF PROGRAMM ES
G2 CELEBRATIN YEARS
TIONS JEWISH CONVERSA CAMPUS
ON
OVER 3100 VOLVED STUDENTS IN ARS OVER TWO YE
OVER 320 STUD ENTS VISITED THE WEBSITE W E CREATED ON THE ISRAELI ELE CTION IN ONE WEEK
STUDENTS FROM 32 CAMPUSES HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ISRAEL ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMMING
NINGS
FILM SCREE
TRAINING IN THE UK AND ISRAEL IDAY ISRAELI FR ERS NIGHT DINN
1 Birmingham 2 Bournemouth 3 Brighton 4 Bristol 5 Buckingham 6 City 7 Dublin 8 Durham
9 Edinburgh 10 Glasgow 11 Goldsmiths 12 Hertfordshire 13 Imperial 14 Keele 15 Kings 16 Lancaster
17 Leeds 18 Leicester 19 Liverpool 20 LSE 21 Manchester 22 Middlesex 23 Nottingham 24 Queen Mary
25 Salford 26 SOAS 27 St Andrews 28 Stirling 29 Swansea 30 UAL 31 UCL 32 Warwick
TRIPS
PROGRAMM ES INCLUDING :
MEETING ISRAELIS
SPEAKERS CTION
A SOCIAL
HEBREW CLASSES
e m o c Wel
Israel inspires a sense of youthfulness. In the international community, Israel is a vibrant but young state. In UJS, Israel Engagement is now a two-year old core value. We barely had a vocabulary when we started. Today, we celebrate over 3100 students having Jewish conversations about Israel on campus. We set out to fulfil a mission statement of reaching the hearts and minds of Jewish students by increasing knowledge levels and understandings of Israel. We continue to strengthen personal relationships with Israel as a core part of Jewish identity and Jewish life. Our success this year is marked by the momentum we’ve championed. A second year has allowed us to continue building the foundations of a strong Israel Engagement strategy. Students from 32 campuses participated in our programmes that range from niche projects for artists to national initiatives for Israeli humanitarian efforts. We are providing the opportunities and support to ensure young adults are developing substantial, lasting Jewish identities. Read on for a glimpse into the impact we are having on campus and for students’ own stories of personal growth and leadership. Together, we are building a stronger Jewish future that benefits from our students having articulate and personal relationships with Israel.
BECA BOOKMAN ISRAEL ENGAGEMENT OFFICER
ELLA ROSE PRESIDENT
DAVID BROWN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 3
INCUBATOR
s t r A e h T f O t r o p p u S n I S J U
Incubator is the UJS flagship programme in support of the arts. Incubator gives students the platform to explore their Jewish identity and personal relationships with Israel through artistic expression. Incubator nurtures talent by working with these students to prepare artistic projects for our annual June exhibition. Students are free to create the art and expression they envision with our financial backing and support from staff. To help them further, artists enjoy educational seminars prepared with assistance from UJIA. This year’s group met with Liron Weissman, an Israeli photographer based in London. Participants learned about the Israeli approach to art with a special focus on graphic design and photography. Liron also provided an Israeli artist’s perspective when giving feedback on the students’ projects. Only at UJS do Jewish student artists receive this support and platform to express themselves. UJS stands at the forefront of ensuring every student is able to express their Jewish identity and relationship to Israel.
INCUBATOR 15 Jewish Artists Displaying At Annual Showcase 6 Mixed Medium and Installation Students 2 Photography Students
“Incubator is about nurturing Jewish and upcoming students. Last year I had the opportunity to take part in the Incubator Project where I was able to link Judaism and my own experiences of what Israel meant to me and encapsulate it within my collection... By initially becoming involved in Incubator it has opened up an array of opportunities which I never thought of exploring previously.�
2 Painters 1 Graphic Artist 1 Fashion Student 1 Graffiti Artist 1 Illustrator 1 Musician
Leanne Mitchell President of Middlesex J-Soc
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CAMPUS
Israeli Cuisine On
The Menu
The Israel Engagement team has cooked up new ways for students to experience Israeli cuisine on campus as we have travelled the country to satisfy taste buds with sessions that expand the palette and mind.
Our main dish is a Shakshuka experience that cooks up conversation. Our partners at the Jewish Agency conceived the idea to spread the skill of making Shakshuka onto campus. After a guided cooking session, students sit down to enjoy a meal in CafĂŠ Dilemma. Students can browse a menu of dilemmas facing Israeli society and discuss the most interesting or challenging topics. CafĂŠ Dilemma has proven its success by preparing a delicious meal and constructive, engaging conversations. For a separate dessert programme, we offer an unbeatable Israeli chocolate tasting. Advertising campaigns for Israeli chocolates provide a new entry point into understanding Israeli society. We explore the beginning of the industry through to present day. Students sample 11 types of chocolate and learn what the commercials for Milki pudding say about Israeli values and the branding choices Max Brenner has made in bringing Israeli chocolate to an international audience. Students finish the night full of chocolate and having discovered a delicious way to learn about Israel and its people.
CAMPUS Café Dilemma topics:
Identity Orange Juice There’s no Bacon here! Let’s ‘Get’ Married Shakshuka Opinionated Tea and Coffee
Food events have been at: Birmingham Hull Glasgow Nottingham Leicester Durham
UCL
iles We have travellled more than 1248 m to bring Israeli food to campus. “The Shakshuka event that we had at Leicester J-Soc was a great event. I had never had Shakshuka before and was very eager to try it out as well as the addition of getting to learn more about Israeli culture. The event hosted by UJIA and UJS Israel engagement officer, Beca, effectively taught me how to make Shakshuka in a very fun environment.”
Joe King President of Leicester J-Soc
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ISRAELI STUDENTS CONFERENCE Our Israeli Students Conference is a key programme in our effort to bring together students of shared interests, passions and backgrounds. Hundreds of Israeli students pursue higher education in the UK every year. We have partnered with the Jewish Agency and Israeli House to create a programme prepared specially for these students. The conference creates a platform for Israeli students to build their personal network and connect with Jewish campus life. Selected speakers address different aspects of university life in the UK ranging from bridging culture gaps, to Israeli students presenting about their own campus initiatives. Participants leave enthusiastic about engaging in Jewish student life in the UK. The programme has provided a momentum for Israeli students to take ownership of their campus experience, including leading Israeli societies and teaching Ulpan classes at their universities.
The partnerships that build this programme reflect the vibrancy of our community. 70 students participated from universities including: Cambridge, Durham, Manchester, Oxford, Reading and UCL
TEL-HAI
Meeting Israeli Students UJS’s innovative Israel Engagement programming means that students don’t have to leave campus to meet Israelis. We have partnered with Tel-Hai Academic College in the Galil to build personal connections through our annual Israeli student delegation that visits UK campuses. The Tel-Hai programme deepens students’ knowledge and understanding of Israelis. Each year, we invite four carefully selected Tel-Hai College students for a week visit. Together, Israeli and UK students host formal and informal campus conversations. Topics range from Israeli culture, politics, elections, society, religion and educating about the Galil region.
The Tel-Hai programme is celebrated for the depth of interaction it promotes. Students engage in substantial dialogue while they learn about Israeli peoplehood. Difficult issues are confronted with honesty and an open atmosphere. British students learn first-hand about the map of Israel, going beyond physicality and gaining insight into the country’s social geography. Jewish students are constantly looking to improve our world, and the Israeli visitors match their British counterparts’ desire for strengthening Israeli society. Bringing British students together with young Israelis is an unparalleled opportunity. As the leading organisation for Jewish campus life, we are proud to be bridging the distance between our students and their Israeli peers.
4 ISRAELIS 355 Miles 4 students from Tel-Hai Academic College.
Distance travelled in 1 week.
TOUR
200 STUDENTS
Tel-Hai visited: LSE, King’s College, UCL, University of Brighton, University of Leeds and youth movements in Manchester.
Meaningful exchanges with over 200 British Jewish students.
“The visit by the Tel-Hai students went really well. Their short but successful visit created new connections between ourselves and them and it was a very good ‘change of routine’ for UCL J-Soc.” - Mickey Dekel - UCL Student
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ISRAEL ENGAGEMENT IN NATIONAL PROGRAMMING
Israel Engagement for Every Student and Leader Israel is an inescapable question for young Jews. UJS believes every Jewish student deserves the space and support to engage with Israel and Jewish identity. Our Israel Engagement efforts respond to this ongoing need by working in collaboration with other UJS projects and events. More than 80 student leaders are trained annually at UJS Summit. Our Israel Engagement specialists give sessions preparing J-Soc committee members on how to deal with Israel for the diverse Jewish audiences found on campuses.
This year’s Summit saw the introduction of an unforgettable Israel Programming Shuk. Each stall exposed students to a flagship programme or approach to bringing Israel Engagement to campus. These training sessions have translated into J-Soc action. Leicester J-Soc scheduled their Shakshuka evening the same night as the Shuk. Leeds representatives joined the Tel Hai programme following the stall’s popularity. Dublin’s J-Soc President enjoyed a clip from “Bethlehem” so much that UJS mailed him the DVD for a screening. These are only snapshots from the full impact of training J-Soc leaders on Israel Engagement. A sampling of other integration into UJS activities includes: training for staff, Israel questions for Jewniversity, Save A Child’s Heart shirts sold at JUEFA, and supporting the campaigns team on Israel issues.
CAMPAIGNS Supporting The UJS Campaigns Team Our work with the UJS campaigns team highlights another avenue of dynamic engagement with Israel. The politics of campus life provides a catalyst for encouraging both activism and Jewish conversations about personal connections to Israel. Our support for UJS’s political work around Israel has ranged from drafting resources to staffing trips. Jewish Agency educators joined the annual Manhigut trip to bolster the political conversation with nuance and expertise. With their support, UJS fostered Jewish leadership, which is also the translation of the word ‘Manhigut.’ Their sessions and contributions helped these students grapple with the variety of opinions encountered in meetings that stretched across the political and religious map. The participants on the trip came from across the political and Jewish religious spectrum – not only reflecting
the diversity of the British Jewish community but also providing contrasting and challenging opinions for the entire group to wrestle with. The Manhigut trip and the educational model that it presents, supports an approach to Israel engagement among students that is varied, open, non-judgmental and student-led. Student leaders from Manhigut were pivotol in leading Piece 2 Peace and anti-BDS campaigns which engaged over 4000 students on campuses throughout the UK in constructive conversations on Israel-Palestine. UJS’s work to bring together Jewish and political conversations about Israel extends further. We made sure Jewish delegates at the National Union of Students’ Conference had space to mark Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. In a challenging week, we prepared a ceremony and a celebration that Jewish students wanted to be part of. Campus politics place pressure on Jewish students, but through UJS’s strategic work, we are combatting this with activism and Jewish students engaged in exploring their personal relationships with Israel.
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WINTER TRAINING TRIP
Save A Child’s Hear
t Programme
Every year, UJS dedicates Valentine’s Day to Save A Child’s Heart (SACH), an Israeli humanitarian organisation. This incredible Israeli-based international humanitarian organisation is dedicated to saving lives by improving the quality of cardiac care for children from developing countries and creating centres of medical competence in these countries. We increased our efforts this year with an Israel trip exploring global health, international development and social action.
UJS worked with SACH to design a new model for student visits where we shared three inspiring meetings in as many days at the hospital and Children’s Home. Students had the rare opportunity to speak with the Executive Director, the Director of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, a Palestinian trainee and an Ethiopian trainee. SACH’s Young Leadership Director and Marketing Manager ran skill sessions for the group. Most importantly, our students built impactful relationships with the children and we had the rare privilege of joining the children and their carers for dinner on our final night.
WINTER TRAINING TRIP
9 students on the trip 5 days in Israel 14 Meetings
“With UJS’ support, experience and networks behind us we were able to reach out to more students across different campuses in Nottingham and put on a brilliant fundraiser with over 120 students which raised hundreds and hundreds of pounds.”
Sarah Simons President, Nottingham Students for SACH
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ISRAEL FOCUSED SOCIAL ACTION
Students came back inspired and founded two campus initiatives: Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve - a social media and t-shirt project and Send A Heart To Save A Heart – a campaign based on sending sweets and chocolates. For the first time, UJS offered a national campaign to support the global Give Your Heart Out Campaign for SACH. The campaign reached campuses of all shapes and sizes– from Brighton to St. Andrews. Nottingham students were on campus sharing their personal experiences with SACH. Further north, Lancaster students that had never heard of the organisation before celebrated the opportunity to connect Israel and their passion for making positive change. Glasgow students held a three-part series of events, including their second annual Friday Night Dinner in support of SACH.
From a Sushi-making event in London Hillel House to a Birmingham student hosting a bake sale, students went beyond campus activity to mobilise friends and communities. Israel Engagement is dedicated to supporting every student. We are proud to assist students to create their own opportunities to shape their communities and university experience.
Reached 15 campuses throughout the UK
Diversity in programmes: campus stalls, bake sales, sushi night, Valentine flower delivery, pub nights, casino night
ISRAEL FOCUSED SOCIAL ACTION
Student Spotlight Name: Sarah Levy Age: 20 University: St Andrews Course: Medicine Sarah Levy participated on our WUJS delegation 2013 and has remained involved in Jewish campus life since. Here is her story of excellence.
“When I read about the Israel Engagement winter trip, it sounded as if it would be a great chance to visit Israel in addition to offering exciting sessions relating to Israeli innovators and entrepreneurs. I had been playing an active in my J-Soc so a chance to learn more about leadership and to meet other young Jewish leaders also appealed to me. The trip was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Israel’s role in the world and to meet other likeminded Jewish individuals. It was great to visit various organisations and charities in Tel Aviv and also to participate in the World Union of Jewish Students annual conference. The trip taught me so much about other ways in which I can engage and connect with Israel. I had previously felt a strong religious connection to Israel but this trip truly opened up my eyes to so many other aspects of Israeli society.
As part of the trip, we visited the Save a Child’s Heart House in Holon. Although we only spent a short period of time there talking to the staff and meeting a couple of the children, I really felt inspired to do some more research into this brilliant organisation. This led me to return to Israel several months later to spend two weeks as a live-in volunteer in the SACH Home. This allowed me to combine my interest in working with children in a medical setting with my new-found interest in Israeli society and engagement. Upon returning home, I found myself spreading the story of SACH to as many people as I could, including writing an article for my community magazine. I later arranged a fundraiser at my University where I raised vital funds for the UJS ‘Give Your Heart Out’ Valentine’s Day appeal as well as talking to other students about the organisation.”
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Office 1, 353 – 359 Finchley Road, NW3 6ET Tel: 020 7424 3288 Email: info@ujs.org.uk
UJS_UK UnionOfJewishStudents UJS_UK
Charity No. 313503 (B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation)
We would like to acknowledge and thank all the students that have led and been involved with UJS Israel Engagement work. Some of our students include: Leanne Mitchell Eli Gaventa Lee Goldfarb Ronnie Goldfarb Leonie Glazer Josh Brickman Jeremy Ross Georgia Lubert Rachel Lewin Alex Tansey Sarah Simons Zac Ferguson Daniel Seligman Estee Sternberg
Daniella Freeman Spencer Lauffer Hannah Kingsley Hadar Ben-Arzi Talia Rosenthal Samantha Henning Sara Peskin Joe King Nicole Rahimzadeh Nathan Abrahams Annabel Hellman Joel Salmon Sarah Levy Abi Tarsh
Rachel Kass Daniel Pittal Sam Adari Millie Foster Jonny Manevitch Kira Lambert Ran Sopher Mickey Dekel Luz Toff Noah Levy Luisa Peres Oli Itkin Saul Yardley Leo Brosh
With special thanks to our communal partners: