The state of Alaska is thousands of miles away from Israel – but that didn`t stop more than 300 people gathering in the Wendy Williamson Auditorium at the University of Alaska to express their solidarity with Israel. One of the event partners was Students United, a CAMERA sponsored group, but the event was organised together with other organisations, including CUFI (Christians United For Israel), AIPAC and local synagogues.
The keynote speaker was Holocaust survivor Irving Roth, a survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps, and numerous communal figures and Rabbis attended the evening. A video message from Senator Lisa Murkowski was also played at the event, in which she praised Israel for “its booming technology sector” and being “the one stable democacy in the region”. It was a very successful evening, with many people signing up to Students United`s mailing list to be informed of future events.
A month later, in October, Students United hosted Ishmael Khaldi, the first Bedouin diplomat in Israel`s ministry of Foreign Affairs, for another well received event. They may be on the other side of the globe – but Students United are keeping their connection to Israel strong!
Contributed by Aron White, CAMERA intern
