The member organizations of Hillel’s Israel 50th committee are happy to announce to the student community that a myriad of events celebrating the 50th anniversary have been planned for April and early May. This will be a celebration that only a campus like George Washington University could make possible.
It will be unique – engaging prominent members of academia as well as international and domestic policymakers. We are confident in assuring you that when members of our panels speak of the future (a primary focus of this celebration), they will be the ones shaping it.
Our kickoff event took place last week and was entitled “Israel at 50: The Future of the Jewish State.” Dr. Ehud Sprinzak, a world-renowned scholar from Hebrew University, discussed the relationship between the “right and left,” while the Israeli Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Missions, Lenny Ben-David, discussed Israel’s political future. The event was an exciting example of the bipartisan character of our events to come.
Upcoming is an April 15 panel discussion on the Turkish-Israel relationship, featuring speakers from America-Israel Political Action Committee, The Washington Institute of Near East Policy and Georgetown University. There will be an April 20 program entitled “Flashback to 1948,” which will feature activists and prominent actors who supported the fledgling state at the time of independence.
An all-day Israeli Fair and Shuk is planned for April 28. Look out for posters and flyers advertising numerous other events.
While we are fully conscious of Israel’s controversial history, we intend to focus on those positive accomplishments that have been achieved during the last 50 years. We encourage you to take an active role in the celebration of Israel’s role in the international community, as a religious center and as multi-faceted culture. Israel is a state which has developed a distinct culture and society over these groundbreaking years and it is a dynamic state with stories to be told and with lessons to be shared.
-The Israel 50th Committee is comprised of The Student Alliance for Israel, the Jewish Student Leadership Coalition and GW Friends of Israel.
