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The view in Tel Aviv

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You’ve Got To See Israel To Believe It

I

just came back from visiting Israel for
a month, and all I can say is “Wow!”
You’ve got to see it to believe it.
Despite being involved in Israel advo-
cacy for years via the Zionist Organization
of America (ZOA), StandWithUs and
Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and
despite seeing documen-
taries and reading articles
about Israel’s high-tech
sector, nothing compares
with actually being in
Israel and seeing all the
new development.
It’s amazing to see
the vast number of
Sheryl Silver
high-rise buildings in
Tel Aviv and other cities
— coupled with all the cranes dotting the
landscape representing new construction
under way.
Despite planning to stay only a week
in Israel, I stayed a month. Why? In part,
because my schedule allowed it but, more
importantly, because every time I thought
about packing and leaving Israel, I started to
tear up. As a result, friends here have asked,
“Why don’t you make aliyah if you feel that
way about Israel?”
My response: “I’m not ready to give up
my life in the U.S. Moreover, I think I can be
of greater help to Israel from the U.S. where
I can join organizations advocating on
Capitol Hill with members of the U.S. House
and Senate for legislation that impacts U.S.
policy toward Israel.”
Being outside of Israel, I’m also more

intimately aware of how students in the U.S.
are being impacted by anti-Israel student
groups. One can read about such things
from overseas, but it’s different to attend
events in the U.S. and meet students who
have been directly affected. That firsthand
exposure motivates me to keep donating to
organizations like StandWithUs, ZOA and
CUFI that provide resources, support — and
sometimes even legal remedies — for pro-
Israel students seeking to stand up to such
harassment.
Being in the U.S. also seems crucial in the
effort to combat the Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions (BDS) movement, whether it’s
through the StandWithUs B.I.G. (Buy Israeli
Goods) campaign, attending Defeat BDS
rallies or supporting the legislative initiatives
individual states in the U.S. are passing to
make it clear they won’t do business with
companies supporting the BDS movement.
We have a unique vantage point and the
freedom in the U.S. to communicate directly
with our elected officials that enables us to
help combat — and ultimately defeat — the
BDS movement.
That said, now that I’ve been to Israel and
fallen in love with it and the Israelis I’ve met,
I know I’ll want to come back soon.
More importantly, I want to encourage
everyone who supports Israel to travel to
Israel as soon as their schedules allow. The
reality of Israel makes the miracle of its
achievements even more amazing.
If you’re worried about your safety, let me
say this: People aren’t walking around daily
worrying about security. They trust that

their government is doing that. From all I
saw, everyone is out and about, going to and
from work, walking their dogs, shopping for
groceries, clothes, cosmetics, cars, furniture,
phones — all the basics of life, which thank-
fully also include celebrating weddings, bar
mitzvahs and baby namings.
People are at restaurants meeting with
friends and going to clubs to dance and
have fun. They’re out walking their babies
in strollers, exercising or running on the
boardwalk by the beach.
Not to be overlooked: Israeli danc-
ing outdoors at Tel Aviv’s Gordon Beach
every Saturday night. Held adjacent to the
beach, it’s great exercise, great fun … and
as one Israeli woman I met there said, “a
lot better than a psychiatrist.”
Of course, there can be random terror
events in Israel, but we have those in the
U.S. now, too. Frankly, more than con-
cerns about terror, the complaint I heard
most often from Israelis during this trip is
that the cost of housing is too high.
After this visit, I’m more committed
than ever to make sure we defeat the
organizations and governments trying
to delegitimize Israel and destroy its

economy with boycotts. I remain as com-
mitted as ever to visiting Capitol Hill and
communicating via phone and email with
U.S. senators and members of Congress
regarding legislation aimed at protecting
Israel’s interests and security. It’s the least
those of us in the diaspora can do for our
Israeli brothers and sisters who are liv-
ing on the front lines in a very dangerous
neighborhood, making the dream of a
Jewish homeland a reality every day.
If you care about Israel as a Jewish
homeland, as a bulwark of democracy in
the tumultuous Middle East and/or as a
hub of innovation in science, technology
and medical research, make it a prior-
ity to visit soon. Not only will the tourist
dollars from your visit help boost Israel’s
economy, the visit will — without ques-
tion — boost your spirit.
Seeing this exciting example of Zionism
firsthand and being with Israelis every day
is more inspiring than words could ever
convey.

doesn’t work that way. We need to
change that perception to avoid los-
ing them.
What does that new model look
like? Is it really a new model or just
new packaging? How do we package
it so that we don’t dilute the essen-
tial fibers of Judaism?
There are three key components
that we must offer Jewish students
today if we want them to make
an enduring commitment to Jewish life.
Judaism must be accessible, relevant and
meaningful.

munity service/tikkun olam to Israel, from
textual learning to spirituality, from local
projects to national conferences.
Beyond hosting multiple options, acces-
sibility means that a given opportunity
is geographically convenient, affordable
and welcoming. I would like to place par-
ticular emphasis on these last two points.
Sometimes w e as a community forget how
much of a factor cost plays in participation
and how uncomfortable it can be if the
expense is out of reach.
Further, these days, with so many vir-
tual options for participation, what entices
someone to actually walk through the
door? What is their experience from the
moment they walk in until the moment
they leave? If we don’t invest our resources
in the entirety of their experience, we may
not get another chance.

*

Sheryl Silver is a former national secretary of ZOA,
founder of the Enough is Enough Initiative and a life-
long Temple Israel member.

guest column

Engaging Millennials On Campus

E ditor’s Note: The Pew Research Center’s

“A Portrait of Jewish Americans” showed
that 32 percent of millennial Jews
describe themselves as “having no reli-
gion” and identifying as Jewish on “the
basis of ancestry, ethnicity or culture.”
In response, the Jewish News has asked
various community leaders how their
organizations plan to engage the younger
generation and strengthen their Jewish
identity. Look for more of these essays in
future issues. This installment features
Miriam Starkman, executive director of
Hillel of Metropolitan Detroit.

T

he biggest challenge our campus
Jewish community is facing today
is not BDS (Boycott, Divestment,
Sanctions) against Israel. We do sometimes
hear anti-Israel rhetoric at our schools, and

it is an issue that needs to be
addressed vigorously.
However, I believe that the
primary challenge is, as indicat-
ed in the Pew report, the alarm-
ing fact that roughly one-third
of Jewish millennials identify
themselves as “having no reli-
gion” or as ethnic/cultural Jews. Miriam
Starkman
The study further states that
they are less likely to raise their
children Jewishly and less likely to get
involved with the organized Jewish world.
This is the reality my colleagues and I
are addressing on college campuses across
the country. Students today have always
known the “Starbucks world” — the world
where they can order exactly what they
want, how and when they want it. The
Jewish world, as they have experienced it,

ACCESSIBLE
Accessibility relates to both content and
environment. We must provide a menu
of options that pique the interests of our
students, a variety that ranges from com-

continued on page 10

8 September 15 • 2016

