Hi LionPAC,

Hope you are all having fantastic summers! By now most of you have probably heard about the violent incident that occurred early this morning concerning a Gaza aid flotilla. While we are still awaiting more details, LionPAC wanted to alert you to the available information. The following is our official press statement.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Violence Under the Mask of Humanitarian Aid

Early Monday morning, the Israeli Navy was forced to intercept a six-ship flotilla led by the Free Gaza Movement and Turkish-based Insani Yardim Vakfl off the coast of Cyprus en route to Gaza. The flotilla intended to break Israel’s maritime blockade off the Gaza coast, which prevents smugglers from providing weapons to the terrorist group Hamas. Following standard security procedures, the Israeli Navy sent multiple warnings to the flotilla requesting that the flotilla redirect to Ashdod, where the humanitarian aid could be safely sent to Gaza. Israel inspects all entering aid because Hamas frequently steals many aid items, such as cement, to construct Qassam rockets that they launch against Israeli civilians. As a result, many vital materials never reach the intended Gazan civilians. In this case, the Israeli government guaranteed the flotilla that, following standard inspection, all humanitarian aid items would be delivered to Gaza and Israel would ensure that the aid items reached Gazan civilians, not Hamas.

After the flotilla refused Israeli inspection and insisted on continuing towards Gaza, the Navy warned the lead ship of the fleet, the Mavi Marmara, that soldiers would board the ship for inspection. After boarding the ship, the soldiers were attacked by the activists using knives, metal poles marble slingshots, and other improvised weaponry. Video footage from the operation clearly shows these acts of violence as well as an image of an activist throwing an Israeli soldier overboard. The most provocative moment of the operation occurred when the activists stole pistols from the IDF soldiers and fired upon the soldiers. The soldiers, armed with weak weapons effective only against minor protests, responded to the escalation made by the activists by similarly using live fire. As a result, an estimated nine activists were killed and at least five IDF soldiers were wounded during the operation with two hospitalized and in critical condition. The wounded convoy passengers and soldiers were immediately air lifted to Israeli hospitals and are currently undergoing treatment.

While LionPAC and Israel alike regret any loss of life, the Israeli Defense Force followed standard security procedures for any ships intending to disregard the necessary security regulations for any materials entering Gaza. According to Israel's Foreign Ministry, "The protestors indicated their clear intention to violate the blockade by means of written and oral statements. Moreover, the route of these vessels indicate their clear intention to violate the blockade in violation of international law. Given the protestors explicit intention to violate the naval blockade, Israel exercised its right under international law to enforce the blockade."
The sole purpose of Israel’s maritime blockade is to ensure prevention of arms smuggling to the violent Hamas party currently in control of the Gaza Strip.

LionPAC stands by Israel and affirms that it was well within its right to defend itself due to the flotilla’s blatant disregard for protocol and insidious intent for violence.

Here are two videos from the incident:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LulDJh4fWI&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6jDIQr59Sk&NR=1

This statement was written by Eric Lawrence, GS/JTS '13, LionPAC's deputy public relations director.

-The LionPAC Board
www.lionpac.org

Hi everyone,

I hope you have all had a fantastic weekend!

LionPAC will be going to Washington, D.C. on Thursday, April 22 for our annual lobby mission and would love for you all to come. As you may know, our earlier attempt to schedule the mission was unfortunately cancelled due to inclement weather. The day-long mission is a great opportunity to meet with your congressperson to lobby pro-Israel legislation.

We will hold a mandatory training session in the week prior to the visit to Washington for everyone who plans to attend. If you have any questions about the mission, email Eric, LionPAC's Director of Political Affairs at: ejs2161@columbia.edu or (215)-280-5509.

To sign up for the trip please follow this link:

http://bit.ly/cGdZ2y

The Facebook event page is:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=399023876390&ref=ts

Please keep in mind that RSVPing to the Facebook event does NOT mean you have signed up for the mission, you must fill out the sign up link above.

Hope to see you there!

TRAVEL TO DC and Lobby Congress - LionPAC Legislative Impact Mission THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11th, 2010 - REGISTER NOW!

Join other members of LionPAC on this free lobby mission to Washington, D.C. and meet with members of Congress to promote pro-Israel legislation. We will be holding a mandatory training/prep session during the week prior to the trip for everyone who plans to attend. To register, please visit:

http://bit.ly/8w1yEo

Trip Attendees will have the opportunity to meet their congressperson to lobby current issues pertaining to Israel.

If you have any questions about the trip, please contact:

Cory Doliner, Political Affairs Director
Csd2112@columbia.edu
(813)-454-2793

Dear LionPAC community,

We just wanted to take a minute and introduce our new executive board to you for next semester. Also, please see below for information about Hillel Executive Board elections.

Congrats to the new LionPAC Board:

President - Allison Bernstein
Vice President- Michael Shapiro
Political Affairs - Cory Doliner
Cultural Affairs - Julianna Storch
Campus Affairs - Yoav Oren
Marketing - Marc Rosenthal
Public Relations - Eric Schorr
Hillel Liaison - David Weltman
Academic Affairs - Ruthie Eisenberg
Secretary/Treasurer - Ilana Yablonovich
Tech Director- Ron Shapiro
Board Members at Large - Tamar Schiff, Jacob Shapiro

Hillel Elections:
Rock The Vote!
Ballots for Executive Board Elections have been e-mailed to students (any student who is on the Hillel-wide e-mail list is eligible to vote). If you receive weekly Hillel e-mails but have not yet received your ballot, please e-mail carrie@hillel.columbia.edu to get your ballot. You must E-mail her by Wednesday at noon.

Good luck with finals!

The LionPAC Board

On September 15th, Judge Richard Goldstone released his report from a fact-finding mission looking into possible war crimes committed by both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces in last winter's Operation Cast Lead. The 574-page report excoriates Israel and only discusses possible war crimes by Hamas in ten pages. Of those ten, Judge Goldstone nearly dismisses any possibility of infraction by Hamas militants.

Prior to the beginning of the mission, many countries who sensed that the report would be biased and skewed against Israel's behalf refused to support Goldstone and his commission.

A wide majority of both houses of Congress spoke out against the report, calling it biased and ignorant of the reality in the region. Since the report was released, the IDF has posted videos that disprove points made in the report.

The Obama Administration and many other countries across Europe have also denounced the report, quoting similar reasons. Israeli President Shimon Peres said last week, "The report gives de facto legitimacy to terrorist initiatives and ignores the obligation and right of every country to defend itself, as the UN itself had clearly stated." He added that the criticism aimed at Israel, "Failed to supply any other way for Hamas fire to stop," and the report “makes a mockery of history and fails to distinguish between aggressor and those acting in self-defense.”

Going against the outlines of a fact-finding mission, Goldstone stated that Israel needs to do a self-investigation of the situation or the case will be sent to the International Criminal Court.

There are reports, though unconfirmed, that the Obama Administration claims it is willing to use its UN Security Council Veto to prevent the report from going any further.

Reassuring for Israel, the tripartite meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd with President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, was very successful. Obama supported Netanyahu and said that he was disappointed the two sides have been resistant to talks. After many attempts and PA rejections, this was a success for Netanyahu.

--Ron Shapiro--

Dear LionPAC,

Hope you had a great weekend! Please take a look at the excellent programs happening this week and we hope to see you at both of our events!

1) Krav Maga with an IDF Reservist

Tuesday, October 13, 7:30-9:00 PM
Rennert Hall, Kraft Center
606 W. 115th Street

Come learn the fundamentals of Krav Maga, the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) form of self-defense, with IDF reservist and Columbia student Yoav Oren.

PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHING!

GUARANTEED TO BE AN INVIGORATING WORK-OUT!

Krav Maga's techniques emphasize simple, practical movements, based on the body's natural instincts that can be performed by people of all levels of ability. Protect yourself with these self-defense skills that teach you to respond to violent attacks and assaults quickly and effectively, addressing the danger and counter attacking immediately to prevent further struggle. These techniques assume that you are at a disadvantage, and show you how to remove yourself from a dangerous situation in the shortest possible time.

Co-sponsored by AEPi and Israel Va'ad.

2) Khaled Abu Toameh

Sunday, October 18, 6:00 PM
Location TBA

Mr. Toameh is an independent, award winning Israeli-Arab journalist who has been covering Palestinian issues in the West Bank and Gaza for over two decades. He began his journalism career as a writer for an official PLO newspaper while attending Hebrew University. He now writes for the Jerusalem Post and works frequently with NBC and TV-2 Denmark television.

Co-sponsored by Hasbara Fellowships, The David Project, ZOA, Israel Va'ad, Garin Lavi, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, CAMERA, Campus Media Watch, and The Roosevelt Institute at Columbia University.

Other Events of Interest:

Israel Va'ad's Free Screening of Waltz with Bashir
Thursday, October 15, 6:00 PM
Lerner Cinema

Waltz with Bashir is a highly acclaimed, Academy-Award nominated Israeli movie. Through masterful use of animation, it explores Israeli soldiers' recollections of their experiences during the invasion of Lebanon in 1982. A powerful and meaningful journey, it is not to be missed.
This screening kicks off Hillel's Film Festival, during which we will screen a number of movies on all different topics.

Have a great week!

The LionPAC Board

Dear LionPAC,

We hope you had a great weekend and that you take advantage of some of the events we are hosting this week. But first, our cultural, political, and public relations directors are looking for people to join their committees! To get involved email:

Cultural- Leora Kanner- lk2325@barnard.edu
Political- Cory Doliner- csd2122@columbia.edu
Public Relations- Eric Schorr- ejs2161@columbia.edu

Meet Israeli Soldiers: Women in the Army
Wednesday, September 30, 12 PM- Kraft Center

Learn about women in the IDF and the humanitarian work that they do.

Sharon served as a Sergeant in the technological unit of the Intelligence corps in the IDF and is currently studying Government, Diplomacy & Strategy at the IDC Herzelia.

Danielle served as an Instructor of army intelligence within the Intelligence corps in the IDF and is currently studying International Relations & Communications at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=157902026553&ref=mf

Reflections of an IDF Soldier
Thursday, October 1, 7:30 PM- 332 Uris

Ever wondered what it's like to be an Israeli soldier? Still have questions from what really went on in the war in 2006? Esteemed speaker Benjamin Anthony will be addressing these issues and more on October 1st at 7:30 pm in 332 Uris. Sgt. Benjamin Anthony is a British native who served in the IDF during the war in 2006. Join us for this unique opportunity to hear him relate his experiences behind enemy lines in Lebanon.

Sponsored by Garin Lavi, Israel Va'ad, Koach, LionPAC and Yavneh

Other Opportunities:

ZOA's Student Leadership Mission to Israel

Going to Israel this Winter? Apply today for ZOA's Student Leadership Mission to Israel- http://www.zoa.org/student-trip.asp

-Strategic touring of the border regions (Sderot, Golan)

-Visit the communities of Judea/Samaria

-Meet with evacuees from Gush Katif

-Hear from members of Knesset, journalists, policy experts

-As low as $699

-Scholarships available

Contact dkadosh@zoa.org or call (212) 481-1500 for more information.

Hope to see you at our events!

-The LionPAC Board

It is regrettable that basic standards of academic integrity have been compromised in order to grant tenure to an individual who has promulgated both hatred and inflammatory rhetoric.

Dear LionPAC community,

We just wanted to take a minute and introduce our new executive board to you for next semester. Also, we wanted to present you with a few great opportunities so have a look!

Congrats to the new LionPAC Board:

President - Allison Bernstein
Political Affairs - Cory Doliner
Cultural Affairs - Leora Kanner
Campus Affairs - Yoav Oren
Marketing - Michael Shapiro
Public Relations - Eric Schorr
Outreach - Ilana Yablonovich
Academic Affairs Director - Julianna Storch Secretary/Treasurer - Tamar Schiff
Board Member at Large - Ilana Arje
Past President - Jacob Shapiro

Opportunities!

ISRAEL PARADE!

Do you want to march in the Salute to Israel Parade on Sunday, May 31st? Go as a member of the Hillel team!
The Salute to Israel Parade (http://salutetoisrael.com/parade/) is one of the largest Israel events in the world. Millions of New Yorkers, and non New Yorkers alike, march down 5th Avenue in support of Israel.
The Hillels of New York will be marching together under a Hillel Banner. Want to join? email Brandon Hammer for more details israel@hillel.columbia.edu. T-shirts cost $8 - Please let us know by Monday, May 4th at midnight if you want a t-shirt!

ZOA Summer Internship

Still looking for something worthwhile this summer? Spend the summer interning at the Zionist Organization of America! The ZOA summer internship is five weeks of intense Israel advocacy training and working at the oldest pro-Israel organization in America. Interns will work on a number of projects designed to maximize their impact on campus Israel advocacy. Interns also have the opportunity to meet with top pro-Israel speakers in a small group setting, and get a chance to strengthen their knowledge of Israel through challenging research. The ZOA internship program will take place at the ZOA office in midtown Manhattan from May 26 through June 26, a second session may be added based on the volume of applications. Interns will be paid a small stipend for their work. Apply online at www.thecollegezionist.org/intern.html.

NORPAC Mission to Washington! - May 20, 2009 - REGISTER BY MAY 10!

NORPAC is a non-partisan political action committee whose primary purpose is to support candidates and sitting members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who demonstrate a genuine commitment to the strength, security, and survival of Israel. With the constant turnover in Congress, we cannot take a strong U.S.-Israel relationship for granted. It is only through our continued active involvement that we can help assure that the issues of importance to our community get the attention and support they deserve.

You can register online at http://www.norpac.net/events/mission_regi_real

Good luck with finals!!!

The LionPAC Board

Dear LionPAC Community,

As some of you are aware, a group of students on campus have organized a "Columbia Palestine Forum." This forum advocates divestment from Israel. In response, LionPAC and the Hillel Israel Committee invite you to help flier campus to explain why apartheid is a factually inaccurate term and calls for divestment are malicious attempts to associate Israel with some of the world's most evil regimes. Fliers and free cups of coffee will be on the 3rd Floor of the Hillel building tonight at 11:30 PM. Please help us inform all of campus of the truth! This will only take a few minutes of your time and will make a big impact.

Also, for those of you that want more information on the campaign or the true facts, please e-mail us at lionpac@hillel.columbia.edu. We are also willing to e-mail fliers to you to put on your doors if you cannot make it to Hillel tonight.

Furthermore, we have posted important information on our website (www.lionpac.org) regarding the issue. President Bollinger's statement on divestment from 2002 is posted along with a letter from the President of Hampshire College stating that the university did NOT in fact divest form Israel as many students have claimed. we encourage you to check it out.

See you tonight,

The LionPAC Board

Open Letter to Alan Dershowitz

An open letter to Alan Dershowitz from Hampshire College President Ralph Hexter and Chair of the Board of Trustees Sigmund Roos

Dear Alan,

We begin by affirming our high esteem for you, both as a legal scholar and a powerful voice against anti-Semitism. We also appreciate that as a parent of a Hampshire College alumnus, you are part of a community that we hold dear. Nonetheless, we are saddened and frustrated by your recent column in the Jerusalem Post and elsewhere and by your many comments in the press, which present information about the actions of the Hampshire College Board of Trustees that is simply not true. Hampshire College did not divest from Israel or take the action it did because of Israel's relationship with the Palestinians or its presence on the West Bank. At no time did the college or the board take actions or make statements motivated by anti-Semitism, bigotry and anti-Israelism.

Your influence in the public sphere of ideas has the power to cause great harm to our — or, indeed, any — institution's reputation. So our frustration stems from your decision to rely not on the official statements of the board of trustees and from us as individuals, but rather from the press releases of a student group, Students for Justice in Palestine.

Hampshire College has made a strenuous, good-faith effort to explain its decision to exit a problematic mutual fund. We make this effort again, without equivocation: Israel was not the cause for divestment from the State Street fund. As you know, last spring, the student group SJP, which is sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, petitioned, as is its right, the community-based subcommittee (CHOIR) on responsible investing, which is a subcommittee of the investment committee, in turn itself a subcommittee of the finance committee of the board, asking that the college exit from one particular fund, State Street SSgA. The group claimed that six companies in the fund were supporting or profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. The companies were said to be Caterpillar, General Electric, ITT, Motorola, Terex and United Technologies. CHOIR passed a recommendation concerning these companies to the investment committee, in accordance with the board's procedures.

The investment committee, however, expressly rejected this narrow focus, and instead sought to apply our own socially responsible investment policies. This cursory review suggested multiple problems — none of them having to do with Israel — in the fund, and also revealed the implementation inadequacies of the policy. The committee then turned to an outside, independent reviewer, KLD Research & Analytics, the gold standard for socially responsible investment screening, to look closely into the fund's components. KLD's review vetted companies for several possible red flags, including employment discrimination, environmental abuse, military weapons manufacturing, unsafe workplace settings, and dealings with Burma or Sudan. Twenty-three equities were found to violate the military weapons screen; four dealt with Burma and three with Sudan; 70 were involved in significant employment discrimination controversies; 28 were found to exhibit poor environmental performance; and 197 were cited for employee safety issues. Some companies appeared in more than one screening category.

In sum, what KLD found was that of the fund's 455 holdings, well over 200 raised significant concerns relative to Hampshire College's socially responsible investment policy and were in violation of values of socially responsible investing. It was on this basis that the investment committee voted as it did to exit from the fund when an alternative fund has been identified. The decision was entirely unrelated to Israel or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, two of the six companies originally cited by students as problematic were given a clean bill of health on Hampshire's policy by the KLD screeners (and a third, it turned out, was not even listed as a constituent of the fund). As a consequence, stocks in these two companies (Motorola and Terex) — we speak unequivocally — remain among our holdings and will remain on our potential buy-list in accordance with KLD standards.

At the risk of repetition, let us emphasize again that this review did not include Israel, its interaction with the Palestinians, nor its presence on the West Bank as tests for the stocks in this fund. Moreover, Hampshire currently holds investments in funds that include many hundreds of companies that do business in Israel and in at least three actual Israeli companies: Amdocs, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Check Point Software. No other college or university should use Hampshire as a precedent for divesting from Israel, since Hampshire has refused to divest from Israel. Anyone who claims otherwise is deliberately misrepresenting Hampshire’s decision and has no right to speak for the college.

We understand that socially responsible investing is a very powerful tool and must be used prudently. The investment committee and now the full board have recognized during this process that the college's policy on socially responsible investment, last revised in 1994, has become outdated and much too awkward to implement. We are now at work developing a new college policy on socially responsible investing, one that is up-to-date and provides clear guidance for our investment advisors.

Sadly, though, there have been students and some members of our faculty who have mischaracterized what happened here, claiming that the board did something that it did not do. None is a member of the investment committee. We have great respect for our students and encourage their endeavors — academic, social, political. We very much want our campus to be a place for learning and for healthy debate from all points of view. But we are also clear, and urge you to understand us clearly, when we say that students do not speak for the college and may not willfully misrepresent the school. It will be, and must be, the college's task to undertake any disciplinary action, according to its established rules and procedures. Discipline is an internal process that is not shared with the public.

We understand that this is an emotional issue for all involved. We simply want to state the facts plainly, separating them from the rhetoric, which, while very public, remains all too often untrue. Your good opinion matters to us; it matters, yes, because you are an influential public figure, but it matters even more because we count you as one of the Hampshire family, and hope that you will think of yourself that way, too.

Sincerely,

Ralph Hexter, president
Sigmund Roos, chair of the Board of Trustees
Hampshire College

Dear LionPAC,

Given the recent efforts to encourage Columbia to divest from Israel, we thought we would share President Bollinger's statement on the matter from 2002:

President Lee Bollinger's Statement on the Divestment Campaign
November 07, 2002

November 7, 2002


Columbia University Statement on Divestment from Israel

The conflict in the Middle East continues to be the subject of intense and emotional debate around the world and on university campuses. Recently, some Columbia and Barnard faculty formed a committee and launched a petition campaign demanding that Columbia University divest from all companies that produce or sell arms or other military hardware to Israel.

There are procedures established at Columbia for considering proposals of this sort. Anyone can submit a proposal to the University’s Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing for resolution.

As President of Columbia, however, I want to state clearly that I will not lend any support to this proposal. The petition alleges human rights abuses and compares Israel to South Africa at the time of apartheid, an analogy I believe is both grotesque and offensive.

It is equally clear to me that a rigorous and open debate about the issues in the Middle East—and, in particular, about the policies of the Israeli government and the Palestinian leadership—is not only appropriate but also essential to life in an academic institution. Every member of our community is free to express his or her opinion or views on all aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or any other issue. Political debate should, and will, flourish at Columbia.


Lee C. Bollinger
President

Dear LionPAC Membership,

The LionPAC Executive Board wants to let its membership know that we are fully aware of the petition circulating around Columbia that was presented to President Bollinger.

We want to first thank many of you for sending us your thoughts on this topic and want to reassure you that we are equally concerned about this letter. We are working on several different levels to confront the signers of the letter with the facts and while we cannot publicly describe our efforts at this time, we hope to provide you with more information in the coming days. With that said, if you would like to discuss the letter or LionPAC's response in greater detail, please e-mail us at lionpac@hillel.columbia.edu and we will be happy to hear your thoughts and share ours as well.

Thank you for understanding, and we will keep you updated as soon as we have more information to release.

Best,

The LionPAC Board

Dear LionPAC,

We hope that you take advantage of some of the excellent programming available this week and that you order one of our NEW SWEATSHIRTS! Read on:

LIONPAC SWEATSHIRTS AVAILABLE! Please visit our Facebook page to see the design for the sweatshirts and click on the following link to place your order (Price: $20): http://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?key=p5TWQ_c6drdVLCe2iC59GeQ

LionPAC Board Openings:

LionPAC is seeking to fill several positions on its Executive Board. In addition, we are always looking for students to get involved in our organization on whatever level they can. Please e-mail Jacob Shapiro (jls2171@columbia.edu) if you are interested in applying for a position on the board.

A Conversation with Congressman Charles B. Rangel - RSVP Only (Space Limited) - Thursday, February 19th, 12-1 P.M.

As part of our ongoing relationship with Congressman Rangel's office, LionPAC will be taking a select group of student to the district office to hear from the Congressman. Among other topics, we will be discussing the bi-partisan support for Israel in the new Congress, the Israeli elections and the impact of the Obama Administration on the region. Please e-mail Sara Ashman (sa2420@barnard.edu) if you are interested in attending. Students will be back in time for their 1:10 classes. Cosponsored by the CU College Democrats.

Ambassador Gabriela Shalev on Israel and International Law - Wednesday, February 18th, 5:30-7:00 P.M. at the Law School - REGISTRATION REQUIRED (see below)

Gabriela Shalev, Israel's Ambassador to the UN and one of the foremost law experts in the country, will come to discuss the current situation in Israel and how international law plays a role. LINK TO REGISTRATION: http://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/7086685

Co-sponsored by JLSA (Jewish Law Students Association)

LionPAC Legislative Impact Mission - March 31st, 2009 - REGISTER NOW!

Join LionPAC on this free mission to Washington, D.C. to meet with Members of Congress and promote pro-Israel legislation. More information will be coming soon. To register, visit: http://www.lionpac.org/rsvp

Mercaz HaRav Memorial - Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 8:30 P.M. - 5th Floor of Hillel

Last year, eight students at Mercaz HaRav, a yeshivah in Jerusalem, were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist. As a means of remembering these individuals, the Beith Midrash Committee, the Israel Committee, and LionPAC and will be holding a non-denominational memorial service.

We hope to see you this week!

The LionPAC Board

Dear LionPAC Community,

LionPAC would like to announce that our Annual Legislative Mission to Washington will be on Tuesday March 31st!

Come join with fellow activists at Columbia as we travel to Washington to lobby our members of Congress on issues vital to the U.S.-Israel relationship.

To sign up, go to http://www.lionpac.org/rsvp. If you have any questions, please contact Sara Ashman at sa2420@barnard.edu

Dear LionPAC Community,

First, we want to thank those of you that came out to support our rally on Monday and we are thrilled that so many of you found the event worthwhile. If you have any pictures from the event, please e-mail them to us! Please take a look below at our wonderful events and we look forward to seeing you this week for both of our programs:

Eat For Israel - Monday, February 2nd, 7-8 P.M., 3rd Floor of Hillel

Our biannual introduction to LionPAC (complete with free food!). Come here about what LionPAC will be up to this semester and to get more involved yourself! We are open to new and returning members and would love to hear new ideas and suggestions.

What Now for Israel? featuring Dr. Mordecai Kedar on Gaza and the Israeli Elections - Tuesday, February 3rd, 8 P.M., 5th Floor of Hillel

Dr. Mordechai Kedar (Ph.D. Bar-Ilan U.) Served for 25 years in IDF Military Intelligence specializing in Arab political discourse, Arab mass media, Islamic groups and the Syrian domestic arena. A lecturer in Arabic at Bar-Ilan U., he is also an expert on Israeli Arabs. He will come and speak about the upcoming elections and the current situation in Gaza.

LionPAC's Annual D.C. Legislative Mission - Date TBA

Join LionPAC on this free mission to Washington, D.C. to meet with Members of Congress and promote pro-Israel legislation. More information will be coming soon. To register, visit: http://www.lionpac.org/rsvp

Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

The LionPAC Board

Lionpac is pleased to announce a rally of solidarity and peace for Israel and its neighbors, to be held at noon on Monday, January 26. The rally will unite pro-Israel students of all backgrounds together at the Sundial, in the center of Columbia's campus. Featured speakers include Columbia professors Judith Jacobson and Awi Federgruen, as well as student leaders from across the political spectrum.

Lionpac supports a two-state solution and looks forward to a lasting and sustainable peace solution between Israel and its neighbors. We deeply regret loss of innocent lives on both sides of the conflict. While Lionpac does not take a stance on the specific military tactics employed by the Israeli Defense Forces, it unequivocally backs the moral justification behind Israel's recent operation in Gaza: to return normalcy to the lives of nearly 1 million Israelis paralyzed by the threat of indiscriminate rocket fire. In a time when Jews and friends of Israel have suffered verbal and physical abuse across the world, Lionpac is proud to demonstrate that pro-Israel students are not alone.

Dear LionPAC Community,

We hope your first week back at school is going well. Before our other events, we want to inform you about an Israel Solidarity Rally that we will be hosting next Monday at noon at the sundial.

Given the past weeks' operation in Gaza, the inauguration of Barack Obama and the impending Israeli Elections, now is a perfect time to stand together as a community and support Israel's right to self defense and our hopes for peace in the region. In times like these, it is important to be proud of our support for Israel and of the U.S. Government's steadfast determination to see that Israelis, and all citizens in the region, are able to live in peace and security.

Again: Israel Solidarity and Peace Rally - Monday, January 26th 12 P.M. at the Sundial.

We will be distributing fliers that you can post on your doors and around campus. Please e-mail LionPAC President Jacob Shapiro (jls2171@columbia.edu) if you would like the flier.

Also, please mark your calendars for our other upcoming events:

Eat For Israel - Sunday, February 1st, Time TBA, Room TBA

Our biannual introduction to Lionpac (complete with Israeli food!). Come here about what Lionpac will be up to this coming semester and to get more involved yourself!
We are open to new and returning members and would love to hear new ideas and suggestions.

Dr. Mordecai Kedar on Gaza and the Israeli Elections - Tuesday, February 3rd, 8 P.M., Room TBA

Dr. Mordechai Kedar (Ph.D. Bar-Ilan U.) Served for 25 years in IDF Military Intelligence specializing in Arab political discourse, Arab mass media, Islamic groups and the Syrian domestic arena. A lecturer in Arabic at Bar-Ilan U., he is also an expert on Israeli Arabs. He will come and speak about the upcoming elections and the current situation in Gaza.

Here is a recent article by Mordechai Kedar:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3657730,00.html

We hope you have a great weekend and that we see you in blue and white on Monday.

The LionPAC Board

Dear LionPAC Community,

We hope that you are having a restful break and cannot wait to begin an excellent semester of programming in a few weeks. We know that many of you are following the situation in Gaza and wanted to provide you with some additional information. Below, we are providing a list of articles written by some of the world's top thinkers on the subject. Also, for those of you in the New York area, please note that there will be a rally in support of Israel tomorrow (for those of you outside of New York, consult your local community leadership). Should you have any questions or observations about the current situation, please feel free to contact us at lionpac@hillel.columbia.edu for more information.

RALLY IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL - TOMORROW!, Tuesday Jan. 6 at 12:30 P.M. at the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan (42nd and 2nd Ave)

Co-sponsored by: The David Project, Fuel for Truth, Hasbara, UJA, AJC, ZOA, Act for America, National Council of Young Israel, CJC-AMCHA, AFSI, Mothers Against Terrorism, Students for Peace in the Middle East and more.

Article List:

Michael Oren and Yossi Klein Halevi: The Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051182944538487.html

Alan Dershowitz: Christian Science Monitor and the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123085925621747981.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1231/p09s02-coop.html

Charles Krauthammer: Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/01/AR2009010101780.html

Khaled Abu Toameh: Hudson:
http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/01/hamas-and-the-palestinians.php

Amos Oz: http://mfaex.castup.net/mfa/public/sderot/AmosOz/AmosOz-ENG.pdf

Have a great end to your break,

The LionPAC Board

Dear LionPAC Community,

We hope that you've had a great first week of classes and that you are beginning to settle in for another fantastic semester. We just wanted to make you aware of our introductory events; hopefully we'll see you soon!

Eat for Israel Fall 2008

Eat for What? Eat for Israel! Come schmooze with the board of LionPAC, eat delicious food, hang out with your friends and make new ones.New and returning students are encouraged to come and learn about LionPAC’s role on campus and our past and future events. We will also be introducing our new 4-session Israel Advocacy Seminar. Come Eat for Israel and learn more. Of course, FREE DINNER provided!

LionPAC Advanced Israel Advocacy Seminar - First Seminar is September 14th so register soon!

LionPAC will be holding an Advanced Advocacy Seminar that will consist of four dinner sessions on Israeli History and advocacy strategies. The program will focus specifically on past, current and future advocacy skills and strategies pertaining to Columbia's campus. If you are new to Israel Advocacy, have always wanted to learn more, or want to solidify your knowledge of the region, this program is right for you. If you are interested in the seminar, please email LionPAC Academic Affairs Director Leora Kanner at lk2325@barnard.edu for more information. Admission will be limited.

We hope to hear from you soon and see you at Eat for Israel on Sunday!

Thanks,

The LionPAC Board
www.lionpac.org