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WSU students attend Chicago
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Jeremy Rosenberg, Leah Langnas and Alex McInnis } jewish@edu writers
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WSU students at conference: Mara Kuhne,
Leah Langnas, Justin Sherman, Jeremy
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n October, five Wayne State University
students involved in Hillel of Metro
Detroit and WSU Students for Israel
attended the sixth annual Diplomatic
Conference for Student Leaders hosted
by the consulate general of Israel to the
Midwest.
During 24 hours in Chicago, we had the
opportunity to explore, meet new people
and develop relationships with young, pro-
Israel leaders from all over the Midwest.
We bonded over our love for Israel and our
passion to gain support from others, and
bounced ideas off each other on how to be
pro-Israel on campus. We also heard from
some incredible, insightful speakers, and we
did some networking as well.
Prior to the conference, it’s fair to say
each of us had a different understanding of
what Israel advocacy and Israel education
look like. We had certainly not been exposed
to the strategies and the people who helped
guide us through our day-long conference.
Sure, you can rally against a protest, or you
can try to talk to individuals; but on a larger
scale, how can you really make a difference?
Ilan Sinelnikov, co-founder of Students
Supporting Israel, ran a session that edu-
cated us on building coalitions with other
groups on campus. We were assigned a dif-
ferent student group based on race or eth-
nicity, and we tried to create different events
that would allow us to collaborate and reach
a wider audience. We immediately realized
just how hard it is to pair another group
with Students Supporting Israel because it is
incredibly difficult to find allies on campus.
Southfield, Mi 48034
Additionally, Julian Markowitz, Alpha
Epsilon Pi (AEPi) director of Israel
Engagement, taught us different ways we
can positively combat anti-Israel rhetoric
without silencing the other side. By simply
offering a different idea or a different direc-
tion of thinking, you can capture the 60-80
percent of people who are undecided when
it comes to this conflict.
The conference also provided exemplary
chances to meet new people. Itay Milner
and Zoe Kellner work for the consul general
in Chicago, and Ari Feinstein works for an
Israeli media outlet called Israel21c. At the
end of the conference, he asked us to pick
an article from the Israel21c website. Then
he asked what we liked best about it and
how it could be improved. He said Israel21c
is looking for digital ambassadors — people
who work for Israel21c through a paid
internship; all we had to do was apply. I was
eager to apply and was eventually accepted
to the program. This would not have been
possible had I not attended the conference.
Overall, we had a wonderful time; we
learned plenty about effective advocacy
and education, and we are excited for more
opportunities like this one. @
Jeremy Rosenberg, Leah Langnas and Alex
McInnis are freshmen at Wayne State
University and are members of WSU’s
Students for Israel group.