Justin Ellis
Director, ZOA’s Fuel For
Truth
30
The Messenger is as Important as the Message.
A NEW MODEL OF ISRAEL ADVOCACY
When you hear someone say something about Israel that challenges your perception of reality,
rather than ask yourself how to tell the person they’re wrong, first ask yourself why they think
they’re right.
This statement best summarizes the methodology behind ZOA’s Fuel For Truth (FFT) and our
Israel advocacy Boot Camp program for young professionals. All too often, when people attempt
to change hearts and minds relative to Israel, they focus exclusively on their own value system,
knowledge level and prior experience to guide their talking points. They rarely think about how
the other person’s value system, knowledge level and prior experience might be different.
All of us are different. Even the most avowedly pro-Israel individuals don’t have exactly the
same opinions about every issue, so we need to understand that the facts we selectively prioritize
in our advocacy may not align with everyone who’s listening.
Only by truly understanding where someone is coming from and how they came to their
current conclusions can you effectively begin to address and change their views on the subject.
Persuasion is a process, and it begins with knowing, appreciating, and creating positive experiences
with your audience.
IF YOU WILL IT, IT IS NO DREAM (COAST TO
COAST)
Those famous words, uttered by Theodor Herzl when he dedicated his life to reconstituting
Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, have special meaning to us outside of their original
context. For years we heard from people across the country, begging us to bring Boot Camp
to their home cities because there was no local program that accomplishes what Boot Camp
does. As a result, our biggest goal became bringing Boot Camp to every major market in the
U.S. and providing the education and community so desperately needed.
We are now getting closer to accomplishing that special goal. ZOA’s FFT has begun taking
steps toward establishing Boot Camp in Los Angeles and Chicago - the second and third largest
U.S. markets. We are optimistic that our fifth and sixth chapters will launch in the spring/
summer 2019, joining New York, Washington, D.C., Miami and Boston.
Justin Ellis lecturing at an FFT Boot
Camp session in NYC