OneVoice International Engagement Program Regional Tours: 2008

In 2007-2008, we scaled down the total number of tours in order to deepen sustained engagement and impact with an additional Leadership Training component. We conducted seven regional tours in North America, stopping in Washington DC, the Midwest, Northern & Southern California, and Eastern & Western Canada. We spoke to a total of 2300 students and community members, held 56 events, and generated 24 unique news articles, television interviews, and radio appearances.

We were hosted by an incredibly diverse group of student groups, including the Committee for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Students Association, Hillel, the Jewish Students Association, the Israel Action Committee, Amnesty International, and Americans for Informed Democracy. Members of all student groups find the parallel, nationalistic messages from OVI and OVP Youth Leaders powerful and compelling. They have consistently demanded greater opportunities to engage with OneVoice after we have left campus.

Southern California Tour: April 21-25, 2008

Shani Gershon of Jerusalem and Malaka Samara of Tulkaram joined us on our final tour of the 2007-08 academic year in Southern California. We were hosted by a diverse array of student groups at UCLA, Pomona College, UC Irvine, Occidental College, and UC San Diego. We had the honor to speak at Temple Adat Shalom during Passover and meet with members of the San Diego Islamic Society.

We were covered by 6 media outlets, including two 30-minute interviews on a LA-based TV station. We also had several strategic meetings that have allowed us to lay the foundation for greater outreach in Southern California. Students were very receptive to the idea of starting OneVoice chapters on campus, some of whom have already begun the process.

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Midwest Tour: March 22-28, 2008

In March, OneVoice’s International Education Program brought two outstanding youth leaders from Israel and Palestine to speak to student groups and community members. Maya Epstein, an international relations student at the Hebrew University, and Duroub Yacoub, a project coordinator at the Ministry of Finance, spoke about the critical nature of 2008 and the need, now more than ever, to mobilize grassroots citizens in Israeli, Palestine, and around the world to echo calls for an end to conflict.

Our second annual Midwest tour included stops at three universities; a meeting at the Islamic Society of America in Dearborn, Michigan, the largest mosque in America; an hour-long radio interview with a local NPR station; and coverage by several other media outlets.

We were hosted at Western Michigan University by a rich array of student groups, including the Palestinian-Israeli Peace Initiative, Western Michigan Hillel, the Muslim Students Association, and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.

At Ohio State, the local OneVoice chapter hosted us for a second year. Two years ago, students at Ohio State were inspired by OneVoice’s message and took the initiative to begin their own OneVoice chapter. The University of Michigan included co-sponsorship by the Union of Progressive Zionists and Bridge the Gap, an Israeli-Palestinian peace club. We had exciting, productive events all each of the universities. Audience members stayed long after the event to speak with Maya Epstein and Duroub Yacoub, our Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders.

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Western Canada Tour: March 15-20, 2008

OneVoice finished a week-long tour to Western Canada in early March, our first programming in this region.

We spoke at four universities—University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Malaspiena University in Nanaimo, and the University of Alberta in Edmonton—to diverse groups of students and community members. The Edmonton Gateway covered our University of Alberta event.

Our most urgent visit was at Simon Fraser University, a campus suffering from escalating tensions between Hillel students and the Palestinian Human Rights Committee (PHRC) members. In response to Hillel’s Israel Week, PHRC erected a giant wall across the major pedestrian throughway on campus to mimic the security barrier currently being erected in the Middle East. Normally a very quiet campus, this heightening of rhetoric was unexpected and concerning for students on both sides. Despite tensions, we were able to bring students from both groups into the same room for an event and a productive discussion.

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Northern California Tour: February 8-15, 2008

OneVoice’s tour to Northern California engaged diverse audiences and has laid the foundation for sustained OneVoice initiatives in this region. With Youth Leaders Wafa Nazzal of Palestine and Noga Ron of Israel, we spoke with students at UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley, San Francisco State University, Stanford, Santa Rosa Junior College, and Sonoma State, and to religious communities at the Quaker Meeting House and Temple Beth El. We were hosted at universities by many different student groups, including the Committee for Justice in Palestine, the Israel Action Committee, Hillel, Amnesty International, Americans for Informed Democracy, AHA! A Human Association, and Students Promoting Ethnic and Cultural Kinship (SPEAK). The Stanford Daily and the Jewish News Weekly covered the week’s events.

The events drew diverse, engaged audiences that were eager to hear about the work being done in Israel and Palestine, and also to discuss the need for work in local communities in Northern California. We had vibrant debates at the events, fielded a few challenges from students with extreme viewpoints, and built a broad coalition of student group support.

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Eastern Canada Tour: January 18-26, 2008

OneVoice’s first tour of the spring semester engaged 5 area universities and held 3 community events. University speaking events included Wildred Laurier University in Waterloo, University of Guelph, York University in Toronto, St Paul University in Ottawa, and Universite de Montreal. We were excited to kick off the semester of OneVoice regional tours with great youth leaders Adi Labadi of Palestine and Smadar Cohen of Israel.