Dear Friend,

As you may be aware, the recent Jewish Population Study of Greater Philadelphia revealed that many members of our community show a low level of affiliation and/or connection with not only their Jewish identity but also the State of Israel.  One of the potential solutions identified was increased activity around Israel education and Israel advocacy; particularly among youth, young adults, and on the college campuses.

As part of a new community wide initiative designed to bring Israel education and Israel advocacy skills to our community, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, in cooperation and collaboration with Center for Israel and Overseas, Center for Jewish Life and Learning and our Community Relations Council, is pleased to announce a number of opportunities that community members and institutions can take advantage of TODAY!

In addition to our ongoing work on campus, we will be offering schools, synagogues, youth programs, and other interested community groups access to programs and services provided by three national Israel education and Israel advocacy organizations; JerusalemOnlineU.com, The iCenter and The David Project.  Our growing relationship and collaboration with each organization can and will, undoubtedly, benefit our community tremendously and we look forward to discussing how each organization's products and resources can complement the great work that is already being done.

• JerusalemOnlineU.com's Step Up For Israel film series and moderator's guide is an asset for any community group or school looking to augment their Israel education activities or curriculum.  The new 50 minute film, Israel Inside takes a wonderful look at the many aspects of Israel so often missing from the usual conversations about the Middle East.

• The iCenter's comprehensive approach to Israel curriculum writing, their new The Aleph-Bet of Israel Education, along with their teen conferences and teen internships are amazing access points for both students and teachers to develop personalized and in-depth Israel education for any setting.

• The David Project's interactive presentations and workshops for high school and college students are excellent ways to prepare them for building bridges of understanding about Israel - on campus and in the community at large.

You Can Take Action for Israel TODAY!

Contact our office to join with our community initiative!  We will be glad to discuss what products and services best fit your needs.

• JerusalemOnlineU.com's Step Up for Israel 5 part film series, including the film Israel Inside, is available for use immediately - free of charge for the next year.  We will also connect you to individuals in the community who are already using these materials so you can get a better sense of how best to integrate this valuable resource.

• iCenter supported Curriculum Resources like "Poster Tales" uses photo and art interpretation and is available just in time for Israel Independence day.  The iCenter's iConnect with Israel Teen Conference (March 30 - April 1 at Capital Camps & Retreat Center in Waynesboro, PA) is also an excellent opportunity to get your teens engaged with Israel.

• The David Project's "Are You Ready for Campus" workshops designed for High School Juniors and Seniors, along with their High School Israel curriculum provide excellent entry points for students to gain top notch Israel education and Israel advocacy skills.  Our goal is to help convene a community wide workshop for this age group in the spring or fall, but we would also be glad to bring their facilitators to your school separately.  Please contact us if you are interested in either of these fantastic David Project opportunities.

Our overarching goal is to offer pro-active educational programming for the community, and at the same time, serve as the central convener for community wide events related to Israel advocacy and engagement.  Just this year for example, we successfully coordinated a community-wide and campus based response to the anti-Israel conference at the University of Pennsylvania.  Some examples of the programs related to these broader efforts include:

• "We are One With Israel" where we brought 900 people to hear Alan Dershowitz defend Israel from unfounded attacks at Penn - and arranged to have the program streamed to more than 3,000 viewers live via a Web-Cast across the globe. 
• Campus Israel Advocacy Conference co-sponsored with Hillel of Greater Philadelphia and the David Project at Jack Barrack Hebrew Academy.
• Speakers and Presentations supported throughout the community like Jeff Jacoby speaking at a community presentation of Israel Inside, March 25th, at Adath Israel.
• Community Israel Advocacy Conference on June 3rd, offered to our entire community and geared toward empowering adults to stand up and advocate for Israel.

We encourage your synagogue, school or organization to create an Israel committee if you have not already done so, and have a point person be in touch with our senior Israel professional, David Cohen about our various program opportunities (215-832-0549 or dcohen@jfgp.org).  We hope you will be in touch soon, so we can all join together in a collective, community wide effort to TAKE ACTION FOR ISRAEL!

Sincerely,

Sherrie R. Savett, President, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia