UIA to host top Israel educator
StandWithUs' senior educator and director of international student programs Charlotte Korchak shares her advice with students dealing with anti-Israel motions and antisemitism on campus.
As Jewish students confront anti-Israel motions and antisemitism on campus, thousands have sought advice from StandWithUs’ senior educator and director of international student programs Charlotte Korchak.
In an exclusive interview with The AJN, Korchak – who is coming to Australia as a guest of the United Israel Appeal – shared her advice for students facing anti-Israel motions, saying firstly, “Get educated”, because “knowledge is power”, and it provides the confidence one needs to engage in discussions about Israel.
She said her second tip is to “figure out the right methods and strategies to be effective on campus”, noting that every campus will be different. And third: “Be proactive about getting yourself educated and be proactive about educating others.
“Don’t wait for a BDS motion to arise, to then bring the conversation about Israel to your campus,” she said.
“Be confident enough to start that conversation, even if that means that there’s going to be an anti-Zionist backlash … that shouldn’t stop us from telling our truth … and helping the average student on campus better understand Israel, let them know that you can be that source of information for that.”
In terms of being educated, Korchak said, “Our educational model at StandWithUs is one of transparency. We are firm believers that we could teach the good, the bad, the ugly of Israel, and people will still come out supporting the existence of the State of Israel.”
She said it is important to tackle difficult issues about Israel “because if you don’t introduce them, somebody’s going to, and they’ll take it to an extreme”, leading to misinformation and pushing some Jewish students away from supporting Israel.
“It breaks my heart watching us lose these students. Because we just haven’t given them the knowledge and the tools to be able to properly understand and analyse that information,” she said.
“When you give students the full picture, that enables them to really answer the false claims made against Israel.”
UIA Australia CEO Yair Miller OAM said, “UIA is proud to once again be bringing world-leading speakers and educators to our community. With the constant increase in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on our campuses and in our schools, it is a coup to be bringing one of the leading educators in this space to engage with our community.”
Melbourne
Korchak will speak at the UIA, ZFA and Zionism Victoria public forum ‘Concepts & Misconceptions About Israel, Zionism & Jews’ – Wednesday, November 9, 7.45pm. Book: events.uiavic.org.au/ck
More info: (03) 9272 5533, info@uiavic.org.au
Sydney
UIA & AUJS Young Adult Shabbat Dinner – Friday, November 4, book: bit.ly/uia-aujs-shabbat.
UIA & ZFA Israel Education & Activism Seminar – Sunday, November 6, book: bit.ly/uia-zfa-seminar.
UIA Young Leadership Grill the Expert: Tackling Anti-Israel Narratives on Social Media – Sunday, November 6, book: bit.ly/uia-yl-expert.
More info: (02) 9361 4273, info@uiansw.org.au
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