Summer Saban

Hey guys,
Ben H. here. Last week 3 of us attended an awesome 3-day conference for student activists for Israel. While the sessions and speeches were thought-provoking, the real draw of the conference was the opportunity to newtork with over 400 students from around the country. Yes, there were a lot of Jews (Israel is, after all, a Jewish state). But I met a significant number of non-Jewish attendees who were just as passionate and dedicated to the US-Israel relationship. It was incredible to talk to students from historically-black colleges and Christian universities; democrats and republicans; Ultra-orthodox and Reformniks like myself. I listened to debates about Health Care Reform (the hot topic inside the beltway these days), cap-and-trade, and other matters of foreign policy. I had conversations about everything from political corruption in Illinois and Louisiana, to domestic Israeli policy. The heated political conversations reminded me why Washington, DC is an invigorating place to live.
When it came to the relationship between the US and Israel, however, support was unilateral. We capped off the experience by travelling to Capitol Hill to lobby congressmen about supporting Israel, and taking action on Iran. Seeing the daily grind of the interns there made me glad I chose to avoid the Hill this summer. Despite the enticing menu of the Longworth Cafeteria, the prospect of labeling envelopes, taking calls from angry constituents, and performing other menial tasks was definitely not appealing.
Ultimately, the chance to spend 3 days networking and engaging with accomplished and fascinating students was well worth the time spent out of the office!