Hasbara Fellowships

Hasbara Fellowships
Formation2001
HeadquartersNew York City, New York, U.S.
Websitehasbarafellowships.org

Hasbara Fellowships is an organization that brings students to Israel and trains them to be effective pro-Israel activists on college campuses.[1] Based in New York, it was started in 2001 by Aish HaTorah in conjunction with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organization claims to have trained nearly 2,000 students on over 220 North American campuses.[2]

Activities

Activists trained by Hasbara Fellowships[3] have been involved in several campus rallies.[4] In 2002, Hasbara Fellowships organized a rally at the National Student Palestinian Conference at the University of Michigan.[5] In 2007, Hasbara Fellowships members at Brandeis University protested against former US President Jimmy Carter's book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.[6]

In May 2007, Hasbara Fellowships (co-sponsored by the Israeli Foreign Ministry) called for volunteers to counter a "dangerous trend" of Wikipedia entries portraying Israel in a "negative light". Interested readers were encouraged to consider "joining a team of Wikipedians to make sure Israel is presented fairly and accurately".[7][8]

In 2008, Hasbara Fellowships helped to organize "Islamic State Apartheid Week" at York University to counter the rival "Israeli Apartheid Week".[9]

In 2010, Hasbara Fellows created Israel Peace Week as a response to Israel Apartheid Week. In its first year, the program reached 28 campuses in the US and three in Australia.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Arenson, Karen W. (26 February 2007). "Film's View of Islam Stirs Anger on Campuses". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Hasbara Fellowships - Homepage". Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  3. ^ David Israel (December 11, 2018). "Advocacy Training Trips Groom Next Pro-Israel Voices". The Jewish Press.
  4. ^ Julie Cohen (December 15, 2010). "All Is Not Well On The Eastern Front". The Jewish Press.
  5. ^ "Redirecting..." Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 16 April 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  6. ^ "Dailynewstribune.com". Archived from the original on 26 January 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  7. ^ Archive.org, Hasbara Fellowships Newsletter, 31 May 2007, accessed 24 May 2010.
  8. ^ Allan, Diana; Curtis Brown (Autumn 2010). "The Mavi Marmara at the Frontlines of Web 2.0". Journal of Palestine Studies. 1. 40: 63. doi:10.1525/jps.2010.xl.1.063.
  9. ^ "Excal.on.ca". Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  10. ^ "peace". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
  11. ^ "ynet". Ynetnews. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2012-05-05.