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Ben-Gurion: "Accomplishments Come Only To Those Who Dream"
 Though tourists and Israeli citizens alike flock to Eilat for its stunning landscapes, beautiful weather, and relaxing atmosphere, students have been typically unable to afford the academic opportunities of Israel's southernmost city. As a result, Eilat has suffered the loss of young, motivated individuals who would otherwise serve as catalysts for Eilat's economic and social diversity and growth. But on October 19th, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and UIA Canada, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Eilat Municipality laid the cornerstone for the city's first residential student dormitories. (Jewish Agency)
Central Florida: Ehud Barak: 'We Must Realize We Are At War'
by Alex Wall
 Lines wound through the Student Union and trailed outside the entrance as more than 1,100 people turned out to hear former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak speak last week. Barak's presentation, "The Blueprint of Global Relations: Israel, the Middle East, and the World," focused on fighting terrorism and tyranny, and the tragedy of those victimized by oppression and violence. Barak, the most-decorated soldier in the Israeli Defense Force, had a multifaceted but clear message: the need to be responsible, adept, alert and unflinching against an "elusive enemy" on "unseen frontiers." "We must realize we are at war," he said. (Central Florida Future)
Chicago: Law Student Heads to Israel to Serve Supreme Court Clerkship
by JUF News Staff
 Rachel Fleischer Rubin, a third-year law student at the University of Chicago, received an offer from Sidley & Austin, where she interned this past summer. Meanwhile, her husband, Avi Rubin, was on his own high-powered job track, pursuing a doctorate in history that would require a year of research in Israel. The law firm does not allow new hires to defer their employment unless they are clerking for a judge. So what to do? Settle for a globetrotting commuter marriage? Or craft a more creative response? She opted for the latter, snaring a rare position clerking for Justice Elyakim Rubinstein on the Israeli Supreme Court. (Chicago Jewish Community)
Harvard: Come to Harvard and See the World
by Corydon Ireland
 In Israel, Julian Gingold '07 salsa danced with farmers, worked on his Hebrew slang, and studied protein mutations at the Weizmann Institute. "It was America times a hundred," he said of the intensity of his stay, which included visiting archaeological sites and traversing the same pathways and tunnels fighters used during the siege of Jerusalem nearly 3,000 years ago. "It was a very powerful experience." (Harvard Gazette)
Hebrew U: Israeli Official: Palestinian Student Will be Allowed into Israel
by Rachelle Kliger
 A Palestinian student who has been barred from entering Israel to study will eventually be allowed to enter when her case is fully examined, an Israeli army spokesman has said. The story of Sawsan Salameh, from the West Bank town Anata, hit the headlines when it became apparent that despite being accepted into a doctoral program in chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she would not be allowed to pursue her studies because of a sweeping travel ban. The Supreme Court recommended the army find a way to allow Salameh to reach her studies, but the army asked for a two-week delay. (Media Line)
St. Andrews, UK: British Jews Upset by Award to Iranian
 The umbrella body of British Jewry criticized St. Andrews University’s decision to award an honorary doctorate to a former president of Iran. The doctorate was granted to Mohammed Khatami “in recognition of his efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue.” Henry Grunwald, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, wrote a letter of protest to the university’s chancellor, Sir Menzies Campbell, a member of Parliament from the Liberal Democratic Party. (JTA News)
Swarthmore College: Israeli Soldier Speaks on War
by Kaitlin Kyi
 Lapid Levi began the lecture by showing images of young people, asking the audience to imagine their personal lives, their ages and their families. Afterwards, he solemnly informed the lecture hall that those depicted were several of the many innocent people who were killed during the war in Lebanon. “Numbers are hard to imagine,” he said. “These people had nothing to do with the Hizballah.” (The Phoenix)
Texas at San Antonio: Radio Host Speaks on Lies, Misconceptions of Israel
by Kareem el Dahab
 There are “big lies” in the American media’s portrayal of Israel, according to Seattle radio host Michael Medved. Medved claims Israel is unfairly characterized as a product of the Holocaust and as the reason for the Islam’s world hatred of America. Last week in the Main Building auditorium, Medved exposed what he believes are the lies that create misconceptions of Israel and America’s current conflicts with “Islamo-Nazi terror.” “We’re not fighting a war of civilizations, we’re fighting a war for civilization,” Medved said. (The Paisano)
A Different Kind Of Ambassador
by Liel Leibovitz
 The battle for Israel’s public relations has a new general. He’s skinny, and is usually draped in the latest designers’ fashion. He’s a pop star whose lyrics often tell tales of young, disaffected Tel Avivians sitting in cafés, blissfully oblivious to the political reality raging around them. And he’s gay. His name is Ivri Lider, undoubtedly the country’s leading male recording artist. Each of his four albums went platinum or gold, no small feat in a market as small as Israel’s, and he has been chosen as “Singer of the Year” by virtually every major Israeli radio station.Now, he’s touring the United States, talking to student groups and other audiences about what’s it like being a young, talented, openly gay, Israeli superstar. (New York Jewish Week)
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Boston College: Lecture Evolves into Heated Melee
by Michael Madoromo
 What began as a forum for discussion soon turned into a full-blown shouting match at last week's event, "A Journalist's View of the Israeli-Hizballah Conflict," sponsored by the Boston College Coalition for Israel and the political science department. Michael Yoschay, the former head of film and news productions for the Israeli Defense Forces, spoke about his experiences covering the Israeli-Hizballah conflict, emphasizing the extremism of the Palestinian leadership. (The Heights)
Ben-Gurion: Israel's Ecological Triumph
by Alon Tal
 On November 6, Sde Boker will once again be the focus of attention in Israel when Ben-Gurion University's Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Studies co-hosts a major, four-day international meeting entitled "Deserts and Desertification - Challenges and Opportunities." Its partner - the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification - constitutes the key international mechanism for addressing one of the planet's most egregious ecological scourges. This constitutes the first time that the UN has joined in fully supporting an Israeli academic initiative. (Israel21c)
Georgia: Israeli Researcher Studies Biblical Phenomena
by John Knox
 Born in Haifa, Israel, Doron Nof is an internationally renowned oceanographer at Florida State University. His 1992 article, “Are there oceanographic explanations for the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea?” explains why Nof is a controversial character. Of Nof’s 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, four deal in some way with Biblical subject matter. That’s four more Bible-based papers than any other scientist would write. (Red and Black)
Harvard: Diplomat Defends Israel’s Actions
by Daniela Nemerenco
An Israeli counselor for Middle Eastern affairs defended Israel’s actions during this summer’s conflict with Hizballah at a Harvard Students for Israel event last week. Eynat Shlein-Michael, the counselor, who is based in Israel’s Washington D.C. embassy said that Israel was not fighting a “war” against Lebanon but was engaged in a “conflict” with the non-state terror organization Hizballah. “We chose not to fight Lebanon. Hizballah is our enemy,” she said. (Harvard Crimson)
Interdisciplinary Center Herzilya: Academic: Algorithm Shows Nasrallah Will Lay Low
by Ori Raphael
 Prof. Alex Mintz of Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya has developed a formula to map how terrorist organizations make their decisions. His theory can be applied to any leader in the world, whether heads of state or terror masterminds. Is the next round of fighting between Israel and Hizballah unavoidable, as many experts predict? Mintz, an expert on political and computerized decision-making, political marketing and research methodology, has put the Islamist organization and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, under the microscope in an attempt to decipher his next move. (Jerusalem Post)
Pennsylvania: University President Poses with "Suicide Bomber
by Michael Freund
 The president of the University of Pennsylvania last week posed for photographs with a student dressed as a suicide bomber. The photos show president Dr. Amy Gutmann standing with engineering student Saad Saadi at the annual Halloween costume party held at the president's home. Saadi is seen with a keffiyeh around his head, a toy Kalashnikov rifle in hand and six plastic sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest. Gutmann beams alongside him, dressed as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.
See also University President Says Suicide Bomber Costume Was Offensive
The annual party was attended by more than 700 students. "They all crowd around to have their picture taken with me in costume," Gutmann said. She said the costume "is clearly offensive and I was offended by it." (AP)
Tel Aviv: Deputy Defense Minister: Palestinians Could End up Like Bint Jbeil
by Roee Mandel
 Incoming Deputy Defense Minister  Ephraim Sneh, who took up his post last week, is already sending clear and uncompromising messages to the leaders and residents of the Palestinian Authority. "We need to tell the Palestinians: A large-scale regional conflict is impending. If you do not turn against Israel, your country and economy will prosper. If you take the other side, you will look like Bint Jbeil," Sneh warned. Sneh made the statements during a Tel Aviv University conference that dealt with the Lebanon war and its consequences. (Ynet News)
Wayne State: Black Zionist Speaks Out
by Charles Jacobs
 Cornetta Lane is a member of The Fellowship for Israel and Black America. Cornetta's presence and defiance completely undermined the basis for the Anti-Racist Action's divestment campaign - the calumny that "Israel = White Supremacy." Outnumbered and flummoxed by Cornetta and the 30 Jewish students with her, the anti-Zionists walked off. Irvin D. Reid, president of Wayne State, witnessed all this and the next day condemned "divestment" in the Detroit Free Press. Cornetta said that she was proud to stand up for Jewish people and would "do this again" at a moment's notice. (Israel Insider)
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