Sen. Menendez to address Israel advocacy summit

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) will be part of the opening program at the Step Up For Israel Advocacy Summit on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m. at the Aidekman Jewish Community Campus, Whippany. Lorna Fitzsimons will be keynote speaker (see Related Article).

Step Up For Israel is a grassroots initiative to counter assaults on Israel’s legitimacy.

At the summit, experts from leading advocacy organizations will address the dangers Israel faces and provide the tools to enable participants to advocate for Israel with confidence.

The summit will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; optional advocacy workshops will be held 2-3:30.

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The summit is sponsored by the Community Relations Committee of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ and the Jewish Federation of Central NJ and the NJ region of the American Jewish Committee in partnership with local synagogues and organizations.

Participating organizations include the Anti-Defamation League, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting (CAMERA), The David Project, Hasbara Fellowships, Honest Reporting, Israel Action Network, The Israel Project, Israeli Consulate of New York, Jerusalem Online U, MEMRI-The Middle East Research Institute, and Stand With Us.

The panel discussions will address delegitimization efforts:

• Media Monitoring and Response — Gary Kenzer, USA executive director, Honest Reporting; Alex Safian, associate director and research director, CAMERA; Nathan Klein, director of research and messaging, The Israel Project; and Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor-in-chief, New Jersey Jewish News.

• Advocacy and Political Engagement — Dr. Sharon Goldman, Northeast Region political director, AIPAC; Aaron Jacob, associate director of international affairs, AJC; and David Dabscheck, deputy managing director, IAN.

• Step Up For Israel: Where Do We Go From Here? — Elliot Mathias, executive director, Hasbara Fellowships, and Sarit Catz, CRC Israel advocacy chair.

On Sept. 21, the CRC also launched CampaignForTruth.info, a website that provides quick and concise responses to questions about Israel advocacy.

The summit is free and open to the community; a kosher lunch will be available for purchase. RSVPs are encouraged; contact CRC@ujcnj.org or visit www.ujcnj.org/summit.