taking action by Rachel Margolin Relationships Matter Students learn U.S.-Israel advocacy skills at AIPAC seminars. for Israel, we must teach others the importance of Israel. This involves educating current and future policy- makers. Lobbying congressman or senators, making and signing peti- tions, getting involved in campaigns, and building relationships with con- gressional leaders are all ways to do this. At the second AIPAC conference, four other FJA students and I were surrounded by 350 student leaders from a variety of college campus- es. At one of the sessions, Marilyn Rosenthal, AIPAC's deputy political Frankel Jewish Academy students Zoe Pinter, Hannah Cohen, Rachel Margolin, director, spoke about the five habits Brandon Belgier and Jacob Allen of effective pro-Israel activists. These he American Israel Public Affairs Com- habits can help you find ways to help sustain the mittee (AIPAC), America's top pro-Israel ever-important U.S.-Israel relationship: 1. Personal relationships matter. Building a lobby, advocates for a strong and beneficial relationship between America and Israel. I am for- relationship with your congressman, senator or any tunate enough to have attended two AIPAC train- congressional staffer is a great opportunity to make ing seminars in Washington, D.C., within the last yourself known and also gives you the chance to speak your mind about the current issues in Israel. two months. As a student at Frankel Jewish Academy (FJA) You could invite a member of Congress to your in West Bloomfield, I thought I already understood school to speak or make a presentation for your the importance of America's support for Israel. congressman about an important bill in Congress AIPAC honed this idea and taught me about the that deals with Israel. 2. Support current friends of Israel. Call the mutual benefits of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, office of your congressman and senators for their and how to advocate for it. voting records. It is important to help support the An important lesson I learned is that to advocate T candidate or current congressman who has a strong pro-Israel voting record. If you are too young to vote, share this information with your parents, fam- ily, teachers or neighbors. 3. Both sides of the aisle support Israel. Dem- ocratic or Republican, a friend of Israel is a friend of Israel, no matter their other political beliefs. 4. Know your facts. It is hard to make a strong case for Israel without being knowledgeable about how Israel greatly benefits the U.S. and how the U.S. greatly benefits Israel. Being credible makes your voice stronger. 5. Have meaning and intent behind what- ever method of activism you choose. Having a strong voice and opinion is powerful. Keep work- ing for what you believe in and you can make your voice heard. These are just a few examples of advocacy. The 12 FJA students and other Detroit teens at AIPAC's High School Summit, and the four other students at the Saban Leadership Seminar with me, have been inspired. Along with them, I hope to make a differ- ence in the U.S.-Israel relationship. I hope you've been inspired to take action. Just reading this article is a start! For more about AIPAC, check out www.aipac.org . Rachel Margolin, 17, is a senior at Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield. community spirit by Marisa Horn and Josh Lowenthal BBYO leaders Josh Lowenthal BBYO: more than just socializing and Marisa Horn Organization provides Jewish connections, leadership opportunities. B BYO often is thought of as a way for Jewish teens to socialize with each other. Have you wondered what else there is to BBYO? Fact: Nearly 1,200 Jewish teens are involved in Michigan Region BBYO and nearly 28,000 inter- nationally. Fact: Teens from any Jewish background, from secular to halachically observant, are welcome in BBYO. For many teens, BBYO is their ONLY Jew- ish connection. Fact: BBYO teens complete thousands of hours of community service through their chapters each year at local agencies such as JARC, Yad Ezra, the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, Friendship Circle and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Fact: BBYO took 100 Jewish teens to the Detroit Princess Riverboat where we learned about the ship "Exodus" and the hardships faced by Jewish Holo- caust refugees trying to enter Mandatory Palestine. TT2 teen2teen January 21 • 2010 MI Fact: BBYO held an impactful MBA (Mind, Body, Attitude) program for Jew- ish girls. Themed Gossip Girl, BBYO teens used the popular show as a plat- form to develop personal mottos, discuss the power of inner beauty and help teen- age girls feel more comfortable being themselves. Fact: Locally, more than 300 Jewish teens at- tend leadership seminars and retreats, and nearly 100 Jewish teens spend their summers in BBYO's renowned leadership and travel programs. Fact: Fifteen BBYO teens attended AIPAC's High School Summit in Washington, D.C., to learn to become effective Israel advocates. Fact: In the past six months alone, BBYOers in Michigan have raised more than $4,000 for Will Work For Food, a nonprofit that provides aid to malnourished children in Africa as part of BBYO's Stand UP! Campaign. If you are interested in leadership, BBYO is for you. If you want to find yourself Jewishly, BBYO is for you. If you are interested in tikkun olam (healing the world), BBYO is for you. During the past four years, we have had the plea- sure and honor to be part of this teen movement. It shaped us into leaders, connected us to our Juda- ism, built our self-confidence and forever changed our lives. BBYO: We are far more than just a social net- work. We are a way to inspire Jewish leaders, help our community and heal the world. We are the movers and shakers of today and tomorrow. We are our community's future. Marisa Horn, 17, Is Michigan Region BBG N'siah (girls' president); Josh Lowenthal, 18, is Michigan Region AZA Aleph Godol (boys' president). visit JNt2t.com