2008 Diamond Summer Intern with Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Summer in the nation’s capital means thousands of young people eager to jump-start a future in politics. For the past three decades, AIPAC has utilized the summer months to expose America’s future leaders to the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship through a series of educational seminars. This year’s programming attracted more than one-thousand Washington-based interns and young professionals. “It was amazing to have the kinds of opportunities AIPAC made available,” said Danielle Steinberg, who will be a senior at The George Washington University. Morehouse College rising senior Christian Perry agreed, “It was so great to see Republicans and Democrats come together in support of a common issue.”
AIPAC’s Summer Seminar Series featured House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY). In addition, White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten spoke to students in a rare appearance. More than three-hundred student leaders from more than 100 campuses across the country attended AIPAC’s 2008 Summer Saban Leadership Seminar. The seminar included forums with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL).
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) addresses student leaders at 2008 Policy Conference
Student activists will have the chance to meet Washington insiders and hear from Israeli leaders when they attend the 2009 AIPAC Policy Conference, May 3-5, 2009.
Policy Conference, the pro-Israel community's premier annual event, gives students the chance to hear from policy-makers and leading Middle East scholars. They have the opportunity to meet fellow activists from around the nation and engage in state-of-the-art workshops to improve their lobbying and other political skills. Special events are held for student government officials, and all delegates have the chance to lobby their members of Congress face-to-face.
Previous conference speakers have included: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, and leaders of Congress.
Last year, more than 1,200 students from 363 campuses in all 50 states gathered for Policy Conference. Student delegates included more than 175 student government presidents, 26 national and state leaders of the College Democrats of America and College Republican National Committee, 200 students from Christian and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and 200 high school students.
"It's so exciting to be surrounded by thousands of pro-Israel activists. This year will be my fifth Policy Conference and I’ve already put the date on my calendar, I can't wait to meet with my members of Congress again and help make a difference in the U.S.-Israel relationship," said Duke University rising junior Marissa Gittelman.
To learn more about opportunities to attend AIPAC Policy Conference 2009, contact oncampus@aipac.org
Saban participants between lobbying sessions on Capitol Hill
Some of them hope to become members of Congress. Some hope to run campaigns. And others, like Morgan Kaplan, a rising junior at The George Washington University, just know that they “love politics.”
But knowing you love politics and knowing how to be an effective citizen activist are two different things.
Once again, at AIPAC’s Saban Leadership Seminar, AIPAC professional staff, student leaders, and experts in politics and Middle East policy came together to offer young, pro-Israel activists a unique educational experience.
The Saban Leadership Seminar in Washington, D.C., which was conducted for the thirteenth time, is designed to enhance the political skills and knowledge of pro-Israel student leaders and to put forward AIPAC’s campus agenda for the fall semester.
This year, programmatic highlights included forums with Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), as well as a rare appearance by White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten.
“As exciting as hearing the big-name speakers was, the truly engaging part of Saban was learning from students who have mobilized on their campus to really make a difference,” said Danielle Gersh, who will be a junior at the University of California-Berkeley.
The three-day intensive program included numerous seminars that participants could choose from in order to improve their skills, such as Engaging Future Leaders, Talking to Supporters about the Importance of Political Action, and Best Practices of Award-Winning Activists. Additionally, after receiving legislative briefings and participating in lobbying workshops, Saban participants divided into groups to attend 115 lobbying appointments with their campus district’s members of Congress.
Diamond Summer Interns, working closely with top AIPAC professionals, contribute to the work of America’s pro-Israel lobby, while continually learning and training throughout the summer. AIPAC's 45 Diamond Summer Interns hail from 38 campuses and 38 hometowns.
Washington, D.C. interns host AIPAC’s long-standing Summer Seminar Series, which provides students and young professionals an interactive forum with key policy makers who are shaping the U.S.-Israel relationship. AIPAC’s Schusterman Advocacy Institute Summer Saban Leadership Seminar, held July 27-30, teaches the interns and hundreds of other pro-Israel students from campuses across the country how to be more effective pro-Israel political advocates.
“The projects I’ve worked on as an AIPAC intern are substantive and deal with issues I’m passionate about,” said intern Katina Rajunov, a student at the University of Texas. “By working alongside AIPAC professionals, I’ve built relationships with mentors while gaining insight into the execution of AIPAC’s mission and mandate.”
Campus delegates attend Policy Conference 2008.
In a year of heightened political awareness, campus delegates attended a forum at the AIPAC Policy Conference highlighting young Americans’ increased political involvement throughout the 2008 presidential campaign season—a phenomenon Time Magazine dubbed a political “youth quake”—and its implications for the pro-Israel student movement.
The forum explored the challenges and opportunities in harnessing the potential of pro-Israel students to make a difference in the U.S.-Israel relationship. Featuring Jonathan Kessler, AIPAC’s leadership development director, Ethan Eilon, the executive director of the College Republican National Committee, and Lauren Wolfe, president of College Democrats of America, the forum examined the effect of new communication technologies on political involvement and the many pro-Israel initiatives surrounding Campaign ’08 on campuses across the nation
“Campaign ’08 has really gotten students from both sides of the aisle excited–especially pro-Israel students,” said University of Chicago student Elizabeth Scoggin. “And the activity of the pro-Israel movement in both parties is no more evident than here at Policy Conference, where I’ve seen an amazing bi-partisan turnout.”
Diamond Summer Interns peruse briefing materials at AIPAC's D.C. headquarters.
Speaking with members of Congress and organizing programs for hundreds of students were all in a day’s work for AIPAC’s Diamond Summer Interns. As part of their summer experience, interns worked in either the Washington, D.C. headquarters or one of AIPAC’s regional offices nationwide. Although interns’ day-to-day responsibilities varied, their goals focused on engaging Americans on and off campus to become more involved in pro-Israel political activity. Interns got the chance to lobby on Capitol Hill, attend policy briefings, interact with AIPAC senior staff, take part in discussions with key opinion leaders, and research subjects from Hamas to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“From my first day at the internship, I was treated as a member of the staff. The inclusive atmosphere meant a lot to me and encouraged me to achieve my best,” said Atlanta Intern Amy Berelowitz.
Michellene Marifosque, AIPAC’s San Diego office intern, said she is inspired by her work. “No day is the same as the last. You know that your actions are having a direct impact not only in D.C., but halfway around the world.”
Want to learn more about becoming an AIPAC Diamond Summer Intern next year? Click here.
Want to make a difference? Become an AIPAC Diamond Intern.
Listen in as students share their stories about why they commit to pro-Israel activism on and off campus.
