The Illini Love Israel Blog is written by students, for students at the University of Illinois. Enjoy!
Latest from the Blog:
AIPAC Chicago Annual Event: A Reminder That Campus Activism Does Not Go Unnoticed
by Meirav Malter Attending the AIPAC Chicago Annual Event as a student leader representing the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) was a privilege and an empowering experience. In total, there were 12 student leaders invited to the event to represent the AIPAC connection to Midwest universities and the Chicago…
Yizkor: Remembering Fallen Israeli Soldiers
by Shani Benezra Today is Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day. This is the hardest day of the year because every Israeli has a personal connection to this day. It isn’t a day filled with barbecues and promotional sales like in America. Because Israel is so small and serving in the…
I Am a Witness by Ariel Shilitz
by Ariel Shilitz If we held a moment of silence for every victim of the Holocaust, we would be silent for eleven and a half years. I am a student, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a Jew, and I am a witness, a witness to a survivor. On this…
What’s in a Name: A Reflection on the Holocaust
by Max Truman Shapiro My name is Max Truman Shapiro. I am a proud Jew. I am proof of the unquenchable strength of the Jewish people. The pain of the Holocaust, the largest orchestrated theft of human life, runs through my blood. Like many, my roots come from many of…
Even Better the Second Time Around: Reflections from AIPAC Policy Conference 2018
by Zach Becker The 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference was an amazing educational and social experience. This was my second ever policy conference and lived up to my excitement and expectations going in. For a college student, the conference is an incredible opportunity to both learn about the U.S.-Israel relationship and…
Lessons Learned at My First AIPAC Policy Conference
by Madeleine Hubbard I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend my first AIPAC Policy Conference this year with other students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Too often on our college campus, the word “zionist” is thrown around as an insult; the term is put at the…
Thank You UI President Killeen for Condemning BDS on Campus
Dear Timothy Killeen, President of the University of Illinois: My name is Shani Benezra. I am a senior at the Urbana-Champaign campus studying Broadcast Journalism. I am a Jewish, Israeli-American. I would like to sincerely thank you for your strong statement against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campus.…
Power in Numbers at AIPAC Policy Conference
by Elana Zelden I had the privilege this month to have attended my fourth AIPAC Policy Conference. American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is an organization that advocates to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Each year, Policy Conference falls out within days of the Jewish holiday of Purim. Whether this is…
Referendum to Divest from Israel Defeated Second Time at the University of Illinois
A referendum on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student ballot calling for divestment from companies that do business with Israel has been defeated for second year in a row. Students overwhelming rejected this question with 3133 “no” votes to 1700 “yes” votes. Diverse student coalitions joined together under the…
How 18,000 People Helped Refine My Focus
by Eitan Troyansky I am very grateful to have spent three days in our nation’s beautiful capitol learning about and educating myself about a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, at the 2018 AIPAC Policy Conference with IlliniPAC of the University of Illinois. Every opportunity I get to attend a conference about Israel…
Defining my Own Israel Narrative by Leah Berlowe
by Leah Berlowe My understanding of the conflict in Israel and pro-Israel advocacy efforts was, for a while, largely limited by my own ignorance. For the early half of my life, I was focused strictly on my education, both secular and Judaic, and less on exploring the intricacies of the…
University of Illinois Professor Awarded Israeli Wolf Prize
by Evelyn Tarnovsky Gene Robinson, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, was recently awarded the Wolf Prize in Agriculture. The Wolf Prize is a prestigious award granted annually in Israel to honor the achievements of…
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