Israeli students come to Blair

Four Israeli university students spoke after school to a group of approximately 20 Blazers and teachers for two hours to present a new perspective on Israeli life. The event was sponsored by the Jewish Culture Club on Tuesday, March 1.

The students were sent by The Jewish Agency to explain Israeli society and culture to local students at Georgetown University, George Washington University and the University of Maryland. Blair was the only high school visited.

The speakers began by introducing themselves and having the audience guess their experiences, which ranged from Yehoyada Mandeel's being present at the Oslo Peace Accord signing to Eran Keter's holding his university's spear-throwing record. The group then showed a video promoting Israeli tourism, presenting the country as a modern cultural nexus where "the Bible comes alive."

Although the group will be speaking about "social justice" when they present to college students, at Blair, the group primarily discussed the history and motives behind the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The four Israelis did this because they felt that high-school students might not be fully informed. "We can show what they can't show on CNN," says Mandeel.

The speakers began by explaining the complex issues behind the Disengagement Plan currently being pursued by the Israeli government in an attempt to create a Palestinian state and their personal opinions on the matter. "Among the four of us, there are five different opinions," said Dvora Brener. "It's an emotional issue."

To conclude their presentation, Mandeel gave a PowerPoint presentation explaining the creation of Israel, the workings of the Israeli government and the evolution of the peace process.