March 2, 2012
Dear Alumni, Parents, Community Members and Friends,
USC President C. L. Max Nikias recently returned from an historic 10-day mission to Israel with a delegation that included Provost Elizabeth Garrett, other senior USC Administrators, Deans, Trustees and faculty. The delegation met and forged relationships with university presidents and administrators, leading scientists and academics, prominent business executives, cultural leaders, elected officials and security experts.
In addition to joining the delegation as a representative of USC Hillel and the USC Jewish Alumni Association, I also participated in a series of meetings with our global Hillel partners in Israel. In these meetings, we explored ways in which to foster deeper connections between USC students and Israel. I am pleased to report that we are already moving forward on collaborations that focus on USC business undergraduate students in conjunction with the Recanati School of Business at the University of Tel Aviv. We are also forging ahead with plans to establish an innovative home hospitality program for students traveling to Israel on Birthright, study abroad and exchange programs, as well as summer internships, in conjunction with Hillel Israel, University of Tel Aviv and with The Jewish Agency for Israel.
While I am enormously proud to share these updates with you, I am also writing to ask you for your support. Despite the pressure many campuses in the US are under to divest from Israel, USC is investing in Israel as a leader in the arenas of technology, research, innovation, culture and the humanities. I am asking you to consider making your own investment to support critical programs offered by USC Hillel that provide transformative experiences like Taglit-Birthright Israel, Israeli cultural programs, Israel advocacy and educational efforts, and initiatives like the new Israel Business Alliance created by our students.
The great news is that we are seeing tremendous growth in activity and involvement in Israel programs at USC. The challenge is that additional resources are required if we are to sustain and grow our Israel programs this year and into the future.
As we do not receive any financial support from USC, USC Hillel is completely dependent on contributions from parents, alumni and other members of the community. Making a meaningful gift goes a long way to ensuring the continued growth of our programs and to cementing the role Hillel plays as the center of Jewish life at USC. Parents can contribute by joining the Parents Association and alumni can contribute by joining the USC Jewish Alumni Association. All other gifts can be made online by clicking here or can be sent in at the address below.
Thank you in advance and FIGHT ON!
Michael Jeser
The Allen & Ruth Ziegler Executive Director, USC Hillel
CEO, USC Jewish Alumni Association
