AIPAC Policy Conference 2015

Last week, I went with the Colgate delegation to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference. There, along with 16,000 other Israel supporters, I was granted the opportunity to attend massive general sessions, where we were addressed by influential political figures, including the Prime Minister of Israel BB Netanyahu. I also attended the ‘breakout’ sessions where I learned about topics ranging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the role of data analytics in political campaigns. I even had the opportunity to introduce the speakers at one of these sessions (the video is posted on our Facebook page). The conference was truly a unique and unforgettable experience. 

Something that became clear over the two days of the conference was AIPAC’s commitment to student activists. Over 3,000 students, high school and college, attended the conference, accounting for about one fifth of all the delegates. Numerous times the students were praised for their dedication to AIPAC, but now I must mention how dedicated AIPAC is to the students. They held special programming to improve Israel advocation abilities on campus, where anti-Israel sentiment is often encountered. They held a college fair so high school students could gauge which campus had the right Jewish and pro-Israel environment for them. All in all, AIPAC did just as much, if not more, for the students than we could have possibly done for them.

You may ask, what is it that we can do for them? Well, I am doing my part right here, right now. By writing this blog, publicizing it through Facebook and discussing AIPAC and Israel, I am reinforcing a strong American-Israeli relationship by demonstrating my support for Israel and the importance of maintaining strong bonds with our valuable ally. AIPAC’s main method of mobilizing the troops, so to speak, is the lobbying aspect of the organization. AIPAC is one of the most successful lobbying organizations in our country, despite their relatively small size. By forming relationships with representatives, discussing Israel with them and demonstrating how important the relationship is to us, we take tangible steps to ensuring that pro-Israel bills pass through Congress. In fact, the final day of Policy Conference consists of lobbying senators right on Capitol Hill. This gives us an opportunity both to support Israel and to give back to an organization that has given us so much. 

If you want to hear more about AIPAC, Israel club, Israel or pretty much anything, private message me on Facebook or comment below; I’d love to start a conversation!