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Student on a Mission
On the ZOA Advocacy Mission to DC
by David B. Greenberg, Queens College
I began my internship at the ZOA House in New York City on June 8, shortly after the marching with the ZOA in Salute to Israel Parade up Fifth Avenue. The first order of business to be addressed: the ZOA Annual Avocacy Mission to Washington, DC, June 21st and 22nd. I didn’t know what to expect, since I had never participated in an advocacy mission. I wasn’t disappointed.
I began my internship at the ZOA House in New York City on June 8, shortly after the marching with the ZOA in Salute to Israel Parade up Fifth Avenue. The first order of business to be addressed: the ZOA Annual Advocacy Mission to Washington, DC, June 21st and 22nd. I didn’t know what to expect, since I had never participated in an advocacy mission. I wasn’t disappointed.
During orientation, an impressive turnout of over 250 mission participants was addressed by ZOA notables, who discussed what issues would be brought up during lobbying sessions with Congress the next day. The most important measure to be discussed was passage of the Saudi Arabia Accountability Act, which would impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, although considered an ally in the “War on Terror,” continues to sponsor inflammatory Wahhabi education, fund terrorism, and fail to cooperate with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts.
Also on the agenda was the Palestinian Compliance Act, which would require all U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority to be contingent upon ending Arab incitement of violence against Jews, such as broadcasts showing little children glorifying jihad against Jews and shahada, or martyrdom. ZOA activists also were to urge their senators and representatives to encourage President Bush to pressure Mahmoud Abbas to exclude terrorist groups such as Hamas from his government.
After the orientation session, we congregated at the spectacular Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill for dinner. The speakers included ZOA National President Morton Klein, Member of Knesset Aryeh Eldad, Yigal Carmon of MEMRI (Middle East Monitoring Research Institute), and Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch (www.jihadwatch.org).
Each speaker eloquently delivered informative an informative lecture, providing unique insights regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict. My personal favorite was Robert Spencer, who has authored and edited several books on Islam and the Arab world. Spencer portrayed the rising threat of Islamic terrorism bluntly: not an anomalous, extremist tendency that perverts Islam, but a logical extension of violent jihad, which has been a constant in Muslim history. Jihadi warfare is explicitly mandated by the Qu’ran (9:29) and considered binding by clerics in the Muslim mainstream; the only solution, concludes Spencer, is institutional reform.
The second day of the mission involved the actual lobbying appointments with congressmen. After we enjoyed an opportunity to speak to our elected officials, we reconvened at the Cannon Building for lunch, during which we heard from senators and congressmen from both parties who endorsed the ZOA and discussed the ongoing anti-terrorism effort.
From Capitol Hill we headed to the Historic Synagogue on Sixth and I Street, which was recently restored. There, we were addressed by Daniel Ayalon, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Ambassador Ayalon explained the Sharon government’s stated reasons for expelling Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria, and he facilitated dialogue from inquisitive mission participants. The most significant statement that Ambassador Ayalon made, which was later confirmed by the Israeli Embassy, was that there will be no further evacuations of Jews from their homes in Israel. Other officials in the Israeli government, however, have made assertions to the contrary.
The ZOA Advocacy Mission was an eye-opening experience that I encourage other college students interested in Israel advocacy to participate in next year. I gained a profound and first-hand perspective of where congressmen stand politically regarding issues facing the US and Israel.
David B. Greenberg is in his junior year at Queens College and is a History, Jewish Studies, and Political Science major.
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