WOFI magazine

Learning to be advocates for Israel

by Ariel Frankel

Through the Write On for Israel (WOFI) program we learned to not just defend Israel, but to be on the offensive and reveal Israel's significance in the world today by especially advocating to impressionable college students.

High-school juniors interested in advocating for Israel, specifically through a journalistic approach, applied to WOFI last year. Once the group was selected, the members met one Sunday every month, 10-5, in order to be versed on Israel's history, participate in mock debates, listen to famous speakers who were both pro- and anti-Israel, and write articles of advocacy.

Getting a taste for advocacy and falafel in Israel

by Arielle Stambler

Last June, 20 high-school juniors, all participants in Write On for Israel, sponsored by The AVI CHAI Foundation and the Cleveland Jewish News, left Cleveland and flew across the Atlantic, the European continent, and the Middle East to Israel. While all but three had been to the Jewish state before, the trip was a unique experience for everyone in the group.

Welcome to Israel from Ami: bus driver, tour guide and ambassador

by Rebecca Sebo

Ami, our Write On for Israel bus driver this summer, was the most dedicated bus driver I could ever imagine.

The job description he devised does not just include driving a vehicle full of young people, but entertaining them and showing them his land, Israel. Ami displayed character, enthusiasm, and kindness to all the WOFI fellows and staff. When the Fellows fell asleep, he threatened to sing to wake us up. Often, he did.

One IDF soldier's story

by Rebecca Siegel

Yet another day of advocacy and learning started when four soldiers in uniform boarded our bus.

I watched them all awkwardly take seats with us, seeming as nervous as we were about meeting new people. One took a seat beside me.

I waved because I was unsure how good his English was. His response was a clear, fluent "hello." What? An Israeli soldier speaking fluent English?

A new view of the army

by Arielle Stambler

While in Israel, I met Shaun Hoffman, an Israeli Defense Forces soldier from Canada in his early twenties. He told everyone on our bus how he had always wanted to integrate into Israeli society, and he believed that the quickest way to do so was to join the army.

Keeping Israel safe: Security threats explained

by Oren Wolpert

We heard many political experts and journalists who analyzed and scrutinized Israel's current position on global affairs. The expert who left me with the greatest understanding of Israel's current dangers was Sheldon Shuman. Shuman was aware of and unafraid to identify all the possible threats to Israel's security, as well as offering legitimate and reasonable methods by which Israel can prevent serious dangers.

More than just camels and sand dunes?

by Gadi Yungster

When people think of Israel, they simply picture a big open desert with a bunch of sand and a few camels. What people don't know is that Israel is home to a number of high-tech industries and very urban lifestyles.

Nightclubs, theater and art museums

by Brienne Einstein

After visiting Tel Aviv, I discovered the hidden side of Israel that is not covered by major news reporters.

I attended a theatrical play the first night in Tel Aviv, which showcased Israel's passion for the arts. I also attended an Israeli rock concert in a trendy nightclub - a night I will never forget. Finally, being on the streets of Tel Aviv and completely lost, I was able to find my way by asking so many different, yet always considerate, individuals to get to my destination.

Israel's high-tech achievements

by Morde Khaimov

A significant part of Israel's economy is based on technological advancements. Israel has created life-changing technologies. For example, some of Israel's technologies now run famous programs such as ICQ and AIM (internet communication networks). Others help manage Israel's limited water supply by allowing the country to conserve water and flourish at the same time (e.g. drip irrigation).

A border kibbutz seeks safe buildings

Nachum Landow looks like a classic Israeli kibbutznik. When we met him, he was wearing sunglasses, a baggy short-sleeve button-down shirt, cargo shorts; and he spoke only Hebrew. He cannot be more than 45, but he has an aged, serious quality about him because of all he has to deal with in his day-to-day life. He has a head of gray hair, which serves as witness to the stress that comes with living in Kibbutz Sa'ad.

A filmmaker captures young musicians

by Jeremy Borison

My first impression of Laura Bialis was that of an American tourist visiting the Jewish homeland. I was proven right when I learned that she grew up in Los Angeles and had only recently moved to Israel.

Yet Bialis is unlike any other Israeli immigrant I have ever met. She is young, she came without family, and she moved to the dangerous city of Sderot to film a documentary about the terrors occurring there.

An immigrant who doesn't fit in

by Maya Rosenblum

We met Kathy Rivkin, a film student, at Sapir College in Sderot, where she presented our group of Israel advocates with her video titled "Meltdown."

The film captured the life of a young Russian immigrant who longed for the days before she became an outcast upon immigrating to Israel.

A general's view on the value of life in the Israel Defense Forces

There is a wide-spread belief among people in America and other nations that the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) mission is to obliterate its neighbors. According to this erroneous belief, the IDF generals teach their soldiers to show no mercy and have little consideration for human life. They set their goals for destruction and plan to obtain them at all costs.

Israel's right to defense

by Collin Zaslov

In Operation Cast Lead (the Dec. 2008 Gaza conflict), the IDF maintained high moral standards while fighting an enemy whose aim was to terrorize Israeli civilians while taking cover among uninvolved civilians, using them as human shields. During Operation Cast Lead, there was an enormous effort to focus IDF fire only against the terrorists. The IDF used Palestinian radio, dropped more than two million leaflets, and made personal telephone warnings to more than 165,000 Gaza residents to ensure that Palestinian civilians could avoid harm.

Organic pioneers on a modern-day kibbutz

by Rebecca Levinsky

Sarah Goldschmidt is as involved in the "go green" movement as any modern ecowarrior. In her long, faded blue jeans, bright red "BioTour" polo, and sport sunglasses, she looks nothing like the tie-dyed organic foodies of America. And yet her kibbutz, Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, has been an organic kibbutz for over 20 years, and Sarah is its spokeswoman.

A green country

I was awed by how "green" the country is. From the Sea of Galilee in the north to the southern development towns of Sderot and Mitzpe Ramon, Israel is dedicated to developing green technology and saving our planet's resources.

Unearthing the history of ancient Israel

With dirt-caked hands and a weather-beaten army-green hat, Yuval Marcus greeted our group with an eager smile, wringing his hands and sprinkling the earthen floor with more dust. As we slumped into the benches, he enthusiastically held up crinkled historical pictures, attempting to infuse some energy into our sleep-deprived group. Shaking out our wind-ravaged hair and chugging down bottle after bottle of cool drinks, we turned our attention to the animated man in front of us.

Jerusalem: The swing from ancient to modern

by Peter Waxman

For people who have never visited Israel, it can be seen as only a historical, biblical, and religious country. People tend to miss the more modern attributes that Israel exhibits. Jerusalem has remained “The Old City” in the minds of many.

Teens on an urban kibbutz

A young Israeli named Aviv Kest made a massive impact on me while I was in Israel. He was one of the members of the urban Kibbutz Reut.

I was able to relate to him as any person my age. I also connected with him on the multiple instruments he plays and the music we both enjoy. These connections made his reasons for helping the kibbutz even more powerful to me.

Teens in an Arab village

The first thing I noticed this summer in Jisr az-Zarqa, an Arab-Israeli village on the Mediterranean Sea, was the poverty. As I left the trash-covered streets to enter the community center, I felt as if I had a giant bull's-eye painted on my face. Here we were, our Write On for Israel contingent, 20 middle class Jewish kids from Cleveland, trying to force conversation with 20 Muslim kids from this village.

The message was in the fun

by Rebecca Levinsky

On Saturday, Jan. 9, Write On for Israel organized an advocacy-based evening of food, music, art and friends for Cleveland-area teenagers. The event, "A Night in Tel Aviv," hoped to reveal to 250 teenagers, both Jewish and non-Jewish, the "cool, hip and modern" aspect of Israeli culture that has long been associated with the city of Tel Aviv.

With their own eyes

by Jeremy Borison

One of the ways we promoted our case for Israel and displayed our experiences in Write On for Israel was through video. I put together a four-minute video that was shown at WOFI's MOCA "A Night in Tel Aviv." The video was a blend of all the clips we had taken throughout our trip in Israel. WOFI fellows described the activities we experienced and the lessons and advocacy tools we learned about Israel. The video visualized not only our trip, but the purpose and meaning of Israel advocacy.

Click here to view WOFI's Israel advocacy videos.

Resonating with Israel through art

by Emily Gross-Rosenblatt

Maya Rosenblum and I created a lively and revealing poster exhibit. As artists ourselves, we used photography to display Israel's diversity and vibrancy. For the party, "A Night in Tel Aviv," we created nine posters utilizing photographs taken during our trip to Israel last summer - each is a collection of images focusing on a theme.

We still have more to learn about Israel

Did you know that Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to its population in the world? That Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds, right behind the U.S.? Or that Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees?