Our goal was to empower students to be change-makers and to provide them with a toolbox for engaged, open, and civil discourse.
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Our strength was in the ability to create safe places in which hard issues can be addressed in collaboration with a wide spectrum of organizational partners.
Many know the general biography of Avi Schaefer. They know that he was thoroughly involved in Jewish youth groups and community work. They know that he joined the mahalim (volunteers from the Diaspora) with his twin after high school to volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces. They know that the global Jewish community mourned and continue to mourn his passing, so aware of the great community leader and friend they had just lost. But few know the details of Avi’s character that make his legacy so revered and so respected.
The esteemed, prize-winning Israeli writer and thinker, A.B. Yehoshua was the keynote speaker at the third annual Avi Schaefer Fund’s Jerusalem Symposium: The Meaning and Purpose of Israel as a Jewish State. The program took place on February 17, at Yad Ben-Zvi in Jerusalem.
To some Americans, the Israeli Palestinian conflict is just an occasional headline in the news. But to Avi Schaefer, a Jewish Santa Barbara native, it was much more than that. On Feb. 8, the Jewish Student Union (JSU) hosted a commemorative ceremony in honor of Shaefer’s life and legacy, as well as the creation of the Avi Shaefer Fund. It was held at 5 p.m. in Randolph Hall and a traditional Shabbat dinner followed.
February 12, the 28th of the Jewish month of Shevat, will mark Avi’s 3rd yahrzeit. Every day we are reminded of Avi and keep his vision alive through the work of ASF.
Join us for live coverage of the Jerusalem Symposium this Sunday, February 17 9 a.m.-11 a.m. ET. Click here to join the live stream. The keynote address “What is the Continuation of the Zionist Revolution?” by A.B. Yehoshua (novelist and thinker) and the opening panel will be live-streaming thanks to the support of Stand With Us in Israel. Follow the full day’s conversation via Twitter at#ASFSymposium. (We invite you to Tweet your questions to us throughout the day.)
On February 17, 300 young adults will take part in the third annual ASF Jerusalem Symposium: “The Meaning & Purpose of Israel as a Jewish State.” Influential thought-leaders in Israeli society, representing diverse ideological, political and religious backgrounds, will help to shed light upon some of the most pressing challenges facing Israeli society today. The Symposium will provide an open environment for participants to grapple with these challenges through the lens of Israel’s Jewish identity.
As part of the University of Rhode Island’s Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week, Stand Up forPeace, a comedy show with Scott Blakeman and Dean Obeidallah, will be held Thursday, Feb.7 at 7:30 pm in the Memorial Union Ballroom, 50 Lower College Road, in Kingston. The performance is free and open to the public.
The Avi Shabbat program was created as an opportunity for Jewish and Muslim students on North American campuses to establish a positive connection. To date, nearly 70 campuses have received a small micro-grant from ASF to design an interfaith program around the central theme that one person can make a difference while sharing in faith traditions.
The Avi Schaefer Fund has opened registration for the 2013 Jerusalem Symposium on February 17, 2013. The program brings together North American student leaders from high school, gap-year, study abroad, and post-graduate programs in Israel to hear from distinguished scholars, thinkers, and activists in Israeli society.
The esteemed, prize-winning Israeli writer and thinker, A.B. Yehoshua was the keynote speaker at the third annual Avi Schaefer Fund’s Jerusalem Symposium: The Meaning and Purpose of Israel as a Jewish State. The program took place on February 17, at Yad Ben-Zvi in Jerusalem.
February 12, the 28th of the Jewish month of Shevat, will mark Avi’s 3rd yahrzeit. Every day we are reminded of Avi and keep his vision alive through the work of ASF.