By Tamar Shmaryahu, ICB Reporter
Tufts student leaders will come together this semester to sign a leadership statement in support of the US-Israel relationship. Tufts Friends of Israel (FOI) decided to initiate the statement to send a clear message to the school's student body to learn more about the US-Israel relationship and understand that it often is portrayed unfairly in the media and on college campuses.
FOI's Outreach Committee, led by senior Aaron Tartakovsky, felt compelled to circulate the statement in order to demonstrate the broad support for Israel among student leaders. According to Mario Feola, FOI’s communications chair, FOI hopes to encourage Tufts students to explore more about the US-Israel relationship and understand the misperceptions of Israel in the media and on college campuses.
The statement seeks to inspire Tufts students to reevaluate their own beliefs about Israel and encourage them to “critically examine their own beliefs and those of their friends,” Feola said.
The statement includes a very simple and clear message: “I support the US-Israel relationship.” The straightforward approach to the statement aims to appeal to a wide range of people regardless of their political and ideological leanings.
Feola said that efforts are underway to attract the leaders of student groups of all kinds, including student government, sports captains, mock trial team president, Hillel, ethnic student groups and leaders of community service groups.
Plans call for inviting the signatories to attend FOI programs and to publish the statement in the Tufts Daily. A similar statement was published last year and received positive feedback from students. The week the statement was issued, a lot of students began talking about Israel in their conversations. Feola said FOI wanted to send the same message this year that Tufts student leaders support the US-Israel relationship.
FOI's efforts have been recognized nationally and regionally. The group received Hasbara Fellowships' award for “the most influential group in New England.”
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