Marissa Simon, Mason Lean, Hannah Moss, Jake Glasser, Melissa Eichelbaum, Josh Leibowitz, Jennifer Woldholtz.
Eleven Jewish college students from Tidewater gathered on Thursday, June 14 to embark on their next adventure of pro-Israel advocacy.
After sharing personal stories of anti- Israel sentiment on their campuses, as well as on a national level, the group decided “to step up the education” for students from Tidewater before they return to school this fall. As a result of a brainstorming session, the group realized that the best way to equip local students with tools to combat anti-Israel movements was to give them a deeper understanding of the challenges Israel faces today and how it affects college students.
To achieve this goal, Avi Jorisch will be a part of this year’s Bringing Israel Home event. Jorisch is the founder of the Red Cell Intelligence Group, a consulting and training firm that specializes in national security issues relating to terrorism, illicit finance and radical Islam. He has held prominent positions at the American Foreign Policy Council, the Treasure Department’s office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and as a liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. He also serves on the advisory board of United Against a Nuclear Iran, as well as an Arab media and terrorism consultant for the Department of Defense.
Jorisch is an expert on the topic of financial support for terrorist entities, particularly Iran and Hezbollah. He has written numerous books on the topic, including: Iran’s Dirty Banking: How the Islamic Republic Skirts International Financial Sanctions (2010), On the Trail of Terror Finance: What Law Enforcement and Intelligence Officials Need to Know (2010), and Tainted Money: Are We Losing the War on Money Laundering and Terrorism Finance? (2009)
At the Bringing Israel Home event, Jorisch will lead a crash course on understanding the Arab-Israeli conflict to offer a better understanding of the factors that have influenced Israel through his topic: “Israel: Sixty Years in Sixty Minutes.”
While reconnecting with old friends, students will also have a chance to get updates on Iran, discuss the impact of this year’s election on U.S.-Israel relations, and learn about AIPAC and how they can become advocates for the State of Israel.
Now is the time to bring Israel home. Now is the time for college students to realize that these threats Israel faces also affects them personally—as students, as Jews, and as citizens of the United States. Now is the time to have a deeper understanding of the U.S.-Israel relationship and how it is possible to help strengthen this relationship.
All local college students are invited to learn how important this issue is and understand that now is the time to get equipped with facts, resources, and a strong support base. Be a part of this interactive program that demonstrates how Israel affects students’ daily lives at college and teaches how to stand up for Israel in a world of increasing anti-Israel sentiment.
The event takes places at Bite Restaurant, 440 Monticello Avenue in Norfolk.
Contact Staci Eichelbaum and Mason Leon through Robin Mancoll, the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council director, at RMancoll@ujft.org for more information about the event or to RSVP.
by Staci Eichelbaum and Mason Leon