Jewish Agency to increase number of ‘Israel fellows’ on campuses

The Jewish Agency will increase the number of emissaries, or Israel Fellows, dispatched to college campuses abroad by more than 30 percent in order to help combat rising efforts to “delegitimize” the State of Israel, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky announced.

“Our goal is to thwart those who seek to confuse young Jews and draw them away from Israel,” Sharansky said during a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven cabinet ministers in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

“Our Israel Fellows are doing an outstanding job of bringing young Jews to experience Israel, encouraging them to become involved in advocacy for Israel, and inspiring them to feel deeply attached to Israel,” he added.

According to a statement by the Agency, 85 fellows will be sent to 170 university campuses across North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, South Africa, and Germany, up from 65 on 120 campuses this past academic year. The 31% increase in the number of Israel Fellows and the 42% increase in campus coverage represent the program’s largest expansion since it was created in 2003, the statement added.

Israel Fellows, according to the Jewish Agency, are young Israeli college graduates sent abroad to work as part of local campus Hillel staffs, helping connect Jewish students to their Jewish identities and to Israel and supporting Israel-related activities on campus. The fellows spend a year or more in their campus postings, after receiving extensive training in Jerusalem.

The Jewish Agency said it is set to dispatch a total of 1,600 emissaries over the course of the summer, including some 1,200 camp counselors sent to Jewish summer camps in North America and 400 long-term emissaries sent to Jewish communities around the world in order to strengthen the communities’ connections to Israel and Jewish life and present them with opportunities to experience life in Israel on a variety of Jewish Agency programs.