Israel Resources

Becoming Israel Advocates: Who, Why, and How?
Advocacy - what does it mean? As Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, "There is immense silent agony in the world, and the task of man is to be a voice for the plundered poor, to prevent the desecration of the soul and the violation." Clearly, according to Heschel, taking action is crucial. As human beings and as Jews, it is our responsibility to be vocal and make a difference in the world around us. If we remain silent, we are just as much to blame as those who are actively causing the problems.

Especially regarding our homeland in Israel, taking action is extremely important. We cannot remain silent while Israel is criticized by our neighbors and our media, particularly on college campuses across North America. As committed Jewish teenagers, it is our responsibility both to educate ourselves about the situation and to take action to make a difference.

For this reason, we are providing you with information to help your chapter advocate for Israel. We want you to start thinking about how YOU as the Israel Affairs Vice President can help other USYers become advocates on Israel's behalf. In this section, you will find resources that will help educate you about the facts of Israel's history and the conflict. You will find information about valuable organizations and resources that will help you in your efforts to plan advocacy related programs for USYers. You will also find information about how YOU can take personal action to make a difference and help other USYers do the same.

It's especially important for those USYers who will be going to college soon to become prepared for what they will face on campus in terms of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments. During the year, you can hold senior programming for your USYers to help with this preparation and teach them the facts necessary for advocacy and activism. We hope that this section will provide resources for you to start off and spark your interest in training yourself to advocate on Israel's behalf.