PRO-ISRAEL STUDENTS NATIONWIDE PREPARE INNOVATIVE RESPONSE TO "ISRAEL APARTHEID WEEK"

Students launch grassroots campaigns, with David Project support, in response to wave of Israel defamation on campus expected next week

February 24, 2010 - Boston, MA - The organizers of "Israel Apartheid Week," an annual week of coordinated anti-Israel events in dozens of cities worldwide, will be surprised by what the growing community of Israel supporters has in store for them. For the first time in five years, thousands of pro-Israel students have joined forces internationally and prepared innovative counter-campaigns. One initiative alone, a grassroots student run program entitled "Israel Peace Week," which is co-sponsored by The David Project, has already drawn thousands of members on 30 campuses worldwide.

"We are very concerned about the increased anti-Israel sentiment on campus," said Lawrence Muscant, The David Project's Acting Executive Director. "At the same time, we are inspired by the strong commitment of pro-Israel students. We are seeing the fruits of our labor when students across North America say 'enough is enough' and refuse to sit idly by while Israel is defamed and delegitimized. Fortunately, they are more educated, confident, and skilled than ever. This enables students to express their support for the Jewish State through a wide range of initiatives."

David Project students and staff will be at the forefront of standing up to "Israel Apartheid Week." Educators have been conducting special training sessions for students to enable them to ask questions that will unmask the bias and hypocrisy of Apartheid week speakers. Staff and students will attend Apartheid week events around the country and will dog them with questions and protests. The David Project will be a constant presence and will challenge the smug self-righteousness of Apartheid week in every conceivable way. They will be challenged by the truth, that Israel is a force for peace in the Middle East.

The first annual "Israel Peace Week (IPW)" is scheduled for next week to coincide with "Israel Apartheid Week." IPW is "an initiative to educate students internationally about the steps Israel continually takes towards peace." More than 3,000 members have signed up to the campaign in just weeks. The strength of the project is in its grassroots nature: core groups of students on 30 campuses have tailored their response to individual campus needs and organizations, such as The David Project, Hasbara Fellowships and other like-minded organizations, lend them support as needed.

"I expect at least 20 students to be directly involved in the planning and hosting of IPW on our campus, and we're drawing them not only from the Jewish community but from various groups on campus that share Israel's values and whose members are open to collaboration," said David Project Campus Fellow Lauryn Goodtree, an Industrial Design Major at the University of Cincinnati (2013). "Responding to IAW is important, but the significant need is to proactively promote Israel on campus. We are attempting to avoid being reactionary. At the same time, we recognize the immense strength and support a college campus could potentially provide to the US-Israel relationship, and we are looking for innovative ways to tap into that potential."

To that end, Goodtree and her peers are running a day-long program about the US-Israel relationship. "We are co-hosting the event with both the UC Democrats and the UC Republicans," added Goodtree. "We hope that this partnership will not only provide us an additional audience, but also will send a message throughout the community that Israel is a phenomenal gateway to foster unity between traditionally rivaling organizations. We are trying to say that everyone can agree on Israel, as its values are universal.

Another fast-growing initiative is the BUYcott movement. This campaign, with roots in Canada, has grown internationally. Lately, chapters have emerged with programs and events scheduled specifically for next week. The new chapters allow Israel supporters to demonstrate solidarity with Israel and respond to the 'boycott, divestment and sanctions' (BDS) movement by buying Israeli products. The BDS movement has close ties to "Israel Apartheid Week" and aims to punish Israel economically and politically. A David Project initiative, www.buyIsraeliProductsNOW.org allows students to join others and purchase Israeli product in solidarity with Israel, and encourages them to videotape their actions and share them wither other groups, in an effort foster a sense of community.

Many other initiatives are expected throughout March, including-

• The David Project's Campus Team has been helping students form campus-specific strategies in response to IAW;
• On several campuses, David Project Middle East Analysts have been presenting to students about the false Apartheid allegation and empowering them to respond.
• In Boston, The David Project is working closely with the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and other local Israel activists to confront "Israel Apartheid Week."
• The David Project's information and activism portal - www.thedavidproject.org/iaw - provides a plethora of resources and suggested action items.
• A new booklet, "Apartheid: Fact Vs. Fiction" has recently been published online and in print and covers the key issues.
• A new Campus Response Kit provides students with key strategies and basic facts.
• With support from The David Project, students on many campuses are planning to attend many of the anti-Israel lectures and ask the speakers difficult questions to challenge their biased presentations and broaden the conversation.

Goodtree believes that student-run initiatives with professional support is a winning formula: "The David Project has been providing support every step of the way, from having valuable resources and materials, to being personably accessible and helpful with strategies, brainstorming, and implementation our ideas. This empowers me because I feel like it is not a project I am taking on my own, but rather I have an entire team of professionals as my teammates. Ultimately, though, it is our responsibility to act."