On October 12th, ORT University students attended a special lecture given by Professor Jack Drassinover, who teaches Israeli politics and Zionism at Machon Le Madrichim. The title of the event was “Mapping Israel in the 21st Century.”

CAMERA's Fellow in Uruguay
CAMERA’s Fellow in Uruguay

Ilan Bajarlia, the CAMERA Campus Fellow at ORT University who organized the event, was pleased with the event’s overall success. Ilan says that “15 outstanding Jewish and Non-Jewish undergraduate and post-graduate students of International Affairs, Political Science, Journalism and Economics” attended the lecture. Professor Jack Drassinover discussed Israeli current affairs, specifically those related to the conflict, and he also spoke about the Arab Spring. In addition, he highlighted the unique relationship between Israel and those residing in the Diaspora, laying out the challenges each group currently faces.

Ilan was pleased that students were able to discuss another important issue at the event: The fact that Jewish students lack a framework through which they can get involved in both Jewish and non-Jewish affairs on campus. Some students discussed ways in which Jewish students could get more involved on campus, and Ilan brought forth his ideas on how to engage non-Jewish students in various programs.

The goals of the event were for the most part met, says Ilan. The evening provided a platform for learning about and debating Israeli affairs with an expert Israeli professor, and it provided an opportunity to build relationships within a group of interested students that will be likely to participate in future events of this nature. This event is part of a larger effort to garner support for Jewish and Israeli programming in Uruguay.

With the success of this event, Ilan is looking forward to working on other such programs in Uruguay. As the first CAMERA Fellow in Uruguay, Ilan is truly leading the way to building well-informed communities in Uruguay on matters concerning Israel and the Jewish people.

Contributed by CAMERA Intern Ariella Charny

arrow-rightArtboard 2arrowArtboard 1awardArtboard 3bookletArtboard 2brushArtboard 2buildingArtboard 2business-personArtboard 2calendarArtboard 2caret-downcheckArtboard 10checkArtboard 10clockArtboard 2closeArtboard 2crownArtboard 2documentArtboard 2down-arrowArtboard 2facebookArtboard 1gearArtboard 2heartArtboard 2homeArtboard 2instagramArtboard 1keyArtboard 2locationArtboard 2paperclipArtboard 1pencilArtboard 2personArtboard 1pictureArtboard 2pie-chartArtboard 2planeArtboard 2presentationArtboard 2searchArtboard 2speech-bubbleArtboard 1starArtboard 2street-signArtboard 2toolsArtboard 2trophyArtboard 1twitterArtboard 1youtubeArtboard 1