Though by
no means
scientific,
ZOA’s survey
confirms
that Israel
is the most
important
issue to ZOA
members.
We would
have
expected
nothing less.
Capitol Hill Mission
Some 60 pro-Israel advocates from the
Greater Philadelphia area took part in the
annual ZOA Capitol Hill Advocacy Mission.
Many joined on the bus trip to D.C., while
20 advocates arrived the night before to
attend the Mission kickoff dinner. Everyone
was in awe of the lineup of senators and
House members who addressed all the advocates
at ZOA’s congressional luncheon, and
the Mission kickoff dinner also received a lot
of positive feedback. But it was the advocacy
and the opportunity to make the case for
Israel directly to lawmakers or their staff that
seemed to have the most impact on those who
attended the Capitol Hill Advocacy Mission.
Israel an Important Issue
Greater Philadelphia ZOA conducted a
survey to get a sense of just how important
the issue of Israel is to ZOA’s members and
friends. Asked if a presidential candidate’s
position on Israel is a factor in how they vote,
nearly 97% of respondents said yes. When
asked to rank Israel in their list of priority
issues when deciding whom to vote for,
approximately 55% of respondents ranked
it number one out of seven. Although these
results were not scientific and the respondents
were random, the responses are a good
barometer of the views of the local ZOA population.
Greater Philadelphia ZOA leadership and
members continue to be prolific in appearances
in both local media and online publications,
and we continue to encourage members
and supporters to speak up and speak out in
support of Israel and in opposition to those
committed to harming Israel and the Jewish
people.
PITTSBURGH
Israel Scholarship Program
ZOA Pittsburgh’s Israel Scholarship
Program has helped hundreds of local Jewish
teenagers attend structured summer programs
in Israel. Started in 1962 by the late Hy
Kimal, who served as ZOA Pittsburgh’s executive
director for 36 years, the program is
based on the belief that young people need to
visit Israel to see 3,000 years of Jewish history
and develop their own relationship with the
home of the Jewish people.
The Israel Scholarship Program continues
today with funding from endowments
underwritten by Avraham and Patti Anouchi;
Harold and Marla Scheinman; the late
Thelma Esman; the late Bernard and Esther
Klionsky; and the Novick family, in loving
memory of the late Ivan and Natalie Novick.
Eligible high school sophomores and
juniors must complete applications to the
program, which include a description of
their Jewish education, Jewish activities, and
volunteer work. They must also write an
essay on the topic, “What the State of Israel
and Zionism mean to me.” The Scholarship
Committee reviews the applications and
selects three winners, each of whom receive a
$1,000 stipend, paid directly to the organizers
of their trip.
These are the scholarship recipients for the
summer of 2019:
Maya
Davis
70 Around the Country: Pittsburgh
Abigail
Segel
Noah H.
Strauss
Activists at ZOA's Capitol Hill Advocacy Mission in Washington, D.C.