By Lauren Schmidt, ICB Reporter 
Thousands of members of the Jewish community descended on Denver last week to participate in the Jewish Federations of North America's annual General Assembly. They were joined by an elite group of student journalists who attended the conference through the Do the Write Thing (DTWT) program.
Operated in partnership by the American Zionist Movement, World Zionist Organization’s Department for Diaspora Activities and Israel's Ministry for Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, DTWT offered tracks for students and young professionals who want to combine their commitment to Israel advocacy with their journalism careers.
Participants learned from prominent, inspirational figures in the journalism and pro-Israel spheres, including Jewish Agency chair Natan Sharansky, former Israeli spokeswoman Miri Eisen and New York Jewish Week editor and publisher Gary Rosenblatt (who also serves on
ICB's advisory board.)
Through meeting other undergraduate students with similar career goals and a united passion for the state of Israel, participants created networks and learned from one another.
Ethan Rauf, a third year student at Northeastern University, came to Do The Write Thing in order to become a more effective writer for Israel. As a student from the United Kingdom, Rauf offers a unique perspective in his college experience.
“Experiencing anti-Israel rhetoric on my campus, I felt the need to fight for the Jewish state using something I love to do,” Rauf said. “I am on the board for Huskies for Israel. My role is the VP of politics. I run all the political events, speaking to our group, organizing speakers for the campus and more.”
Rauf, who has been to Israel through Birthright and Hasbara Fellowships, wants to get involved in a pro-Israel group that focuses on international law and to draw attention to the unfair treatment the Jewish state receives at the United Nations.
“Israel has been under attack by the United Nations for decades, a governing body that is responsible for order in the international community," he said.
“I encourage any person who supports Israel for whatever reason to make your voice heard," Rauf concluded. "Never be afraid to battle hate and propaganda.”
Despite her involvement in her school's pro-Israel group, Friends of Israel, Tufts University junior Miriam Ross-Hirsch confessed that she didn’t always feel comfortable in discussions about Israel because she wasn’t sure how to defend Israel effectively.
“I am interested in Israel and I don’t know how to talk about Israel,” Ross-Hirsch admitted. Through her participation in DTWT, Ross-Hirsch now feels more comfortable, confident, and prepared to defend Israel, on her campus.
In addition, Ross-Hirsch is taking a class on media and society. The class addresses ways in which changes in the media world are impacting society.
She is looking forward to an Israel experience, one different from the one she had in high school. She explained that as young adults, she and her peers have a greater capacity for social and political education regarding Israel, and she wants to embrace it.
“I knew that I wanted to go to Israel after I graduated but this solidified it,” she said.
Yeshiva University senior Tamar Shmaryahu has been to Israel over 20 times. As a student who is planning on making aliyah this summer, she is very involved with the Garin Aliyah Committee at Yeshiva University, which is geared towards young adults who plan to move to Israel within the next five years.
Shmaryahu explained that Yeshiva University has the largest student population that makes aliyah.
“It is an interesting task to engage students interested in making aliyah,” Shmaryahu said. She works to bring students together in different frameworks through planning a variety of upcoming events, including a comedy night at Yeshiva University.
“It is a good opportunity for students to network with each other professionally and socially,” she said.
Her all-Jewish school offers interesting opportunities for pro-Israel activism, and Shmaryahu plays an active role in these efforts.
“At Yeshiva University, there are countless opportunities to be involved with Israel,” Shmaryahu said. “Throughout the three years I've been there I've always attended events such as the anti-Israel apartheid week [at nearby campuses such as New York University, Columbia University and Hunter College], protests at the UN, writing for the newspapers.”
Shmaryahu benefited from the DTWT conference through Jewish identity text reflections and panel speakers. She was pleased to see students engaged in text study in a pluralistic environment because it demonstrated how Zionism is a connecting factor between communities. However, the panel discussions were what Shmaryahu found most inspirational.
“It was amazing to see how professionals take our issues seriously and it is both a fearful and empowering that our generation is going to be the decision-makers soon,” she said.
Shmaryahu returned to her campus intent on becoming involved in writing for Israel journalism platforms in addition to continuing to contribute to the Israel club and creating dialogue amongst students from multiple New York campuses about Zionism.
Barnard University freshman Emma Goss has been working on her Israel advocacy skills since high school. She has traveled to Israel multiple times, but says the most powerful experience was as a part of the Write On for Israel high school program in San Francisco, which gave her the opportunity to create a documentary that told the story of the state of Israel and its people.
“I want to go back this summer and intern with The Jerusalem Post,” Goss said.
Currently, Goss is involved with LionPac, her school's pro-Israel group, and is looking for more outlets to communicate her passion for both Israel and journalism through.
Carly Machlis, also a junior at Tufts, is extremely interested in journalism, active in Hillel and Friends of Israel, and writes for various publications. She has been to Israel twice during high school, and is looking forward to going back.
This was her second GA -- she attended the gathering in New Orleans last year -- and she enjoyed experiencing it through a new lens this year.
“At Do the Write Thing, I learned how to fuse my interest in journalism with my passion for Zionism,” Machlis said. “I was able to make connections in the world of Jewish journalism that I know will be invaluable in the future.”
Machlis benefited from meeting like-minded students from diverse backgrounds and networking at the GA expo, where she learned about great opportunities to go back to Israel or get involved in more Israel journalism programs. Additionally, she enjoyed listening to a panel of Jewish journalists and their descriptions of how they broke into the field, which was helpful for her post-college endeavors.
The session with Israeli government spokesperson Miri Eisen was also valuable to Machlis. She liked Eisen’s animated and engaging nature, the tips she provided for defending Israel on a national stage and her advice on how to be a clear, accurate reporter.
Machlis learned a lot from DTWT, but her greatest takeaway was the feeling of being a part of a larger community of people who share her values.
“I got to meet people from all over the country who are passionate about writing and are also deeply involved with Israel advocacy,” Machlis said. “I realized that I can combine these two interests and now have a great support network that I can turn to as I pursue these endeavors.”
Although each student’s experience at this conference differed, everyone learned something that has the potential to assist him or her in his or her future pro-Israel endeavors. Do The Write Thing is an annual conference and will convene for the 23rd consecutive time next November in Baltimore.
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