ns on the importance of Jewish self-defense, with an
for students and young professionals across the state. This
and reinforces the strength and self-reliant ethos of Zionism.
77
Israel Scholarship Program
and Israel Education
Workshop for Young Adults
Too many young American Jews are
increasingly enticed to turn away from Israel.
A study by the Brand Israel Group showed
that support for Israel among Jewish college
students in the U.S. had dropped 32 percent
between 2010 and 2016. The problem lies
in the fact that most young Jews are only
learning about Israel in depth for the first
time when they arrive on their university
campuses – a notoriously hostile environment
for the Jewish state. Students need to come
to college already educated about Israel and
ready to defend the Jewish state’s right to exist
in safety and security. It’s the entire Jewish
community’s responsibility to educate our
children on the importance of the Jewish
nation and its ties to the land of Israel.
To meet this need, ZOA Michigan created
an Israel Advocacy Workshop and Israel
travel scholarship for high school students,
to give them tools to defend Israel on college
campuses and to be proud of their Jewish
homeland and heritage.
The purpose of the program is to educate,
train and motivate students to become passionate,
dedicated and effective pro-Israel
advocates, and to provide scholarship assistance
to students participating in various
organized educational trips to Israel.
Our Israel Education Workshops were successful.
Students learned about the Arab war
against Israel, Jewish history and heritage,
Zionism, and serving in the IDF. We also discussed
how to answer tough questions about
Israel that are likely to arise on campus. Some
of the students are planning Israel events with
ZOA on their respective campuses as part of
the program. ZOA Michigan is also proud to
help fund Israel-themed events and initiatives
created by the students for their peers on
campus and around the Jewish community.
Our education workshop and scholarship
program are open to all Jewish teens in Metro
Detroit, where we have and will continue to
connect Jewish teens through their common
love of Israel. The program promotes Jewish
identity and encourages students to take on
leadership roles and become active pro-Israel
advocates.
Over the past few years, ZOA Michigan has
spent approximately $60,000 in scholarships
to help students afford trips to Israel.
Noah Adler, a student participant in the
program, said: “The ZOA Michigan Israel
Scholarship and Israel Advocacy Workshop
helped me get to Israel on a gap-year program
and played a significant part in motivating
me to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. My
hope is that many other Michigan students
will also take advantage of this great opportunity
to gain the tools to defend Israel on
ZOA Michigan in Israel with IDF soldiers
IDF soldier and former
ZOA Michigan student
participant Noah Adler