By Aaron Jacobs, ICB Reporter
Last week, Israel Campus Beat published a story previewing preparations for Israel Peace Week. As the success of this student-generated and guided effort leads growing numbers of campuses to embrace the platform, ICB readers want to know more about where it came from and how they can bring it to their own schools.
The idea took shape during a Hasbara Fellowships seminar in Israel a year ago, when a group of students participated in a discussion about ways to combat Israel Apartheid Week and the BDS movement.
“When a student suggested that we organize the same, yet opposite, initiative, it seemed to make sense, for we had been learning the entire trip that it is crucial to not only defend Israel on our campuses, but to also proactively advocate for her” said Jonathan Dress, a senior at the University of Cincinnati who is one of IPW’s founders.
Dress worked with four other students – Boston University senior Arielle Adler, Brooke Katz (who graduated from Johns Hopkins University last year), University of Ottawa sophomore Adam Moscoe and University of Rochester junior Anna Richlin – to create the idea that became Israel Peace Week.
Last year, 30 campuses in North America and Australia participated in IPW. On each campus, the events and the achievements were tailored to local needs and interests, but all of them stressed Israel’s pursuit of peace.
The University of Cincinnati newspaper published a letter that was submitted jointly by the leaders of the campus Republican and Democrat groups that explained why both groups had been proud to co-sponsor IPW.
Yeshiva University organized a Kumzitz, a sing-along session, in Times Square (footage of the event can be seen here). And the list of successes and events goes on.
The students who created IPW did not rest on their laurels. They continued to talk about it, share information and offer to help other students on other campuses plan and implement similar programs.
Some campuses launched Israel Peace Week last week, and others will hold events later in March and April. Altogether, more than 50 campuses are expected to participate, and all of them can get guidance and tips from experienced student activists (see sidebar).
Bring IPW to Your Campus
A group of students has prepared a primer designed to help new IPW organizers plan successful events.
Israel Peace Week’s strength lies in the fact that everything about it came from students. The idea evolved out of students’ discussions and brainstorming, and students continue to help each other by reaching out across campuses to bring IPW to a growing list of schools. Many organizations provide assistance, guidance, funding and content that helps the movement grow.
“After we confirm an IPW leader on a campus, we send them a package that includes instructions, general guidelines, program examples, our logo, and a shirt design,” University of Cincinnati student Jonathan Dress said.
The Israel on Campus Coalition has provided Israel advocacy grants totaling more than $15,000 to help students on several campuses implement their plans for IPW.
Other organizations, including Hasbara Fellowships, Hillel, The David Project, Stand With Us and more have extended support and assistance to students as they plan and implement IPW programming. A full list of resources can be found at
http://israelpeaceweek.org/resources.html.
At Tufts University, Tufts Friends of Israel planned their own IPW, which took place last week, to “exemplify our organization’s message, which is ‘Israel: a thriving democracy in pursuit of peace,’” said Natalie Milstein, vice president of Tufts Friends of Israel and a recent Hasbara Fellowships participant.
Events have included a panel of Ethiopian Israeli students speaking about minority rights and the Ethiopian experience in Israel, a lecture based on human rights and democracy in Israel by Professor Jonathan Adelman of the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver, and a screening of the popular Israel movie, The Bubble, which highlights the flourishing gay scene in Tel Aviv.
“By voicing a positive and proactive message, we hope to provide the Tufts community with an honest representation of Israel, its thriving democracy, and efforts towards peace,” Milstein said.
While many schools held IPW during the first week of March, other schools will mark the event later in the spring.
At Emory University, Emory Students for Israel will sponsor IPW on March 14-18. Events include a discussion session on the quad and a screening of the movie
Iranium. “Our goal is to show the Emory community how Israel has repeatedly made efforts for peace,” said Emory Students for Israel president Sarah Green. “We hope that by providing a range of activities we will be able to reach the maximum amount of students.
“My advice for students on other campuses is to make sure to include multiple ‘high visibility’ aspects that will be seen by a lot of their peers,” she continued. “Even if it’s just hanging posters that put the message out in the open, that guarantees that it will adequately plant the seed of associating Israel with peace in a large portion of the student body.”
The Jewish Student Union at UC Davis (JSUCD) is planning Israel Peace Week for April 11-15. “In light of recent anti-Israel activity on our campus, the goal is to promote a proactive, positive image of Israel at Davis, said UC Davis student Yael Steinberg. “We want the week to be dynamic, fun, and entirely student operated.”
IPW was born as a response to IAW, but it has grown far beyond that. Schools that do not have IAW programs can still host IPW.
“While IPW was conceived with Israel Apartheid Week in mind, we wish not to associate ourselves with such hostility and fraudulence,” Dress said. “Therefore, we look to bring IPW to any campus that has the potential to run it. We are very proud that in just its first year, IPW was far more successful than IAW on college campuses.
“IPW's huge growth has confirmed its success,” Dress concluded. “We hope that Israel Peace Week continues to grow and that one day, peace will be realized.”
For more information about how you can bring IPW to your campus, visit the website at www.israelpeaceweek.org or email contact@israelpeaceweek.org.
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