“The fact is we can’t take Jewish support of Israel for granted. Hillel at UCLA leverages the AIPAC Policy Conference through preparatory and post-conference programming to educate and inspire Jewish Bruins to take impactful action on-campus.” - Bruins-Israel Public Affairs Committee Member

In 2017, Hillel at UCLA sent 60 students, the single largest student delegation; and from the furthest distance.

In 2018, we're aiming to send our largest delegation yet! Our delegates are doing more in advance of conference including multiple learning sessions aimed to curtail the learning curve. Students will be briefed on issues so that upon arrival in D.C., students will be at ease in the conversation, and able to add insightful questions. Learning sessions will culminate with our third annual Bruin Leadership Dinner, where students will hear about American-Israel relations from elected officials.

Post-conference, students come back to campus far more knowledgeable on the issues and inspired to act through coalition-building and making their voices heard on-campus through media and in their organizational involvements. 

CLICK HERE to Help Send UCLA to AIPAC Policy Conference! 

Thank you for your generous support!

For questions, please contact Rachael Petru, [email protected] / 310-208-3081 x213

or Gisele Haykin, [email protected] / 310-208-3081 x214

Monday was an early celebration for Yom Ha'atzmaut at the UCLA campus! The place was alive with energy of so many students filled with the desire to celebrate Israel and to remember those who have found safety in the state and to remember those who have fallen fighting to keep Israel.

Rabbi Aaron Lerner gave a speech to the passionate crowd, we are grateful to the student who filmed so we might all enjoy. Watch video of his speech below!

"We are brought together today to celebrate our return to the Jewish homeland. It started with Abraham in the Bible, struggling to make a new life where he can worship in freedom. Then famine, slavery and push us out of Israel over the millennia.

And yet, time and again, whether from Egypt, Babylon, North Africa, Iran or Poland or Greece – we return to our roots. In spite of knowing the perils, the long journeys, the loss of our possessions – our DNA compels us to return. For only in Eretz Israel are we fully able to express our Jewish existence. Only in Eretz Israel can we ensure our own protection. Only in Eretz Israel can we realize our true potential.

With modern Zionism, we have found liberation once more. An oppressed and marginalized people, we reclaimed our identity from the ashes of the Holocaust. We revived our ancient language.  We joined the small communities of Jews who had maintained a continuous presence in the cities of Jerusalem, Safed, Tiberias and Hebron, and created an autonomous nation.

We found our land decimated by years of war, taxation and neglect. But we revived it. And we thrived. We elected a female Prime Minister in 1969, nearly 48 years before the United States of America even had a potential female nominee for President. We embraced immigrants with different languages, cultures, education, and skin colors. And we never questioned whether gays belong in the military.

Is Israel perfect? No. It never has been and it never will be. Jews are human. Modern Israel has made, and will continue to make, many mistakes. But we can proud of what we’ve accomplished. In less than 100 years, we built an incredible nation on a piece of land smaller than El Salvador or New Jersey. That’s incredible!

Instead of being maligned, Israel should offer hope to other aspiring indigenous peoples. The key to our success was optimism (probably mixed with a few thousand years of desperation for motivation). Optimism allowed Abraham to leave everything. Optimism allowed us to focus on building, never sure if our creation would be stuck by a bomb or taken from us. Optimism compelled teaching our kids to read. And it gave us the courage to stop internal terrorists instead of promoting them.

We invested in hope. We invested in technology. We invested in bettering society. And we thrived.

Israel is not just celebration for Jews. Israel is a celebration for humanity. If Jews can create an optimistic, democratic nation-state which respects and honors the rights of minorities and contributes to the progress of humanity, I know that others can as well.

And so I end with a universal prayer: Dear God – help all nations of this world to live in peace. May those who suffer from today’s dictators and oppressive societies find hope and redemption. As Jews, we take our responsibility to create a more just world seriously. Aid us, as a free people living in the United States and Israel, to offer assistance to the downtrodden and the vulnerable. May we use the power you have granted us responsibility and with humility. In your name, Amen."  - Transcript of Aaron Lerner's speech

Fighting for Israel on Campus:

Join the Bruin Alliance!

Hillel at UCLA promotes personal connections to Israel for thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish students annually.

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Your support enables those students to feel safe and credible as they advocate for our homeland.  Your contribution is an investment in both Jewish identity and Israel’s future.

DONATE NOW

Here are a few ways that you personally can advocate for Israel on campus:

• For $1,800, you can sponsor a student to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference and other immersive advocacy trainings.
• For $5,000, you can sponsor a non-Jewish student leader to travel to Israel as a Fact Finder on our Annual Fact Finding Journey.

And a gift in any amount will positively impact the Jewish future.

Thank you for your generous support!

For questions, please contact [email protected] / 310-208-3081 x213

Yesterday, the University of California Student Association board, which purports to represent more than 230,000 students in the UC system’s 10 campuses, approved a resolution that calls on the UC Regents to financially divest from the United States.

Yes, you read that correctly. The elected student leaders, now well known in our community for targeting Israel, are now attacking their own country.