The three days that I spent on AIPAC’s Schusterman High School Summit in Washington DC were phenomenal. Throughout the sessions we learned about different aspects of Israel advocacy, during the breaks I met many new people from every corner of this country, and the final day we went up to capital hill to lobby congress members. Through this experience I gained a true connection to Israel and Zionism and I became empowered with the skills and knowledge to act on that. We began our sessions by introducing ourselves and getting to know one another better. As they progressed we slowly went from defining AIPAC and Israel advocacy, to learning about Israeli issues, to learning how to help solve those issues from an American standpoint. Our final goal and culmination in the trip was lobbying. I lobbied NY Congresswoman Yvette Clarke and her staff members. We spoke with her about the growing threat of Hezbollah, the Iran Deal, and the anti-BDS bill. These three issues are crucial to the well-being of the state of Israel, as well as, having many American interests, both political and economic. Overall, it was a great opportunity and I learned a lot. I’m really looking forward to take what I learned to the next step and for my future AIPAC encounters.
~Ezra Faks, Class of 2019
