Spotlight on CLAL
Welcome to Spotlight on CLAL. Here you will find stories about what is happening at CLAL and about the work that CLAL is doing across North America. Sometimes we will focus on a program, or a special event, or upon a CLAL faculty member's work and interests. Bookmark this page if you want to get to know us better.
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Leadership Development On Campus
By Judy Epstein, Director of Public Affairs
Can you have a pluralist perspective and still remain loyal to Israel?
That was the animating question posed by Rabbi Irwin Kula, CLAL President,
to student advocates at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC
this past spring. Speaking to more than 750 campus representatives, the
largest group ever assembled, Rabbi Kula challenged student leaders to
consider the multiple truths and see the perspectives of those they oppose.
“On Capitol Hill, lobbyists must be very unambiguous to be effective.
But in college, students are encouraged to wrestle with a diversity of
opinions, new ideas, and unimagined frameworks.” said Rabbi Kula. “When
these young people go back to their universities, listening to others’
nuances may be the first way of truly reaching out.”
As the keynoter, Rabbi Kula talked about how the Jewish community had
attained a level of political maturity, requiring us to both acknowledge the
power we have gained and the responsibility of what that power brings. “An
ethics of power demands the show of restraint. We have to be able to think
differently, with new language, and look at the motivations of people from
all points of view. We may need to make judgments that are more gray.”
In talking about Israel, Rabbi Kula focused on the importance of making
distinctions. He pointed out that while this may not work for lobbyists, it
was important that the students see the many stories and realities told. “No
one person is ever 100% right or wrong.”
“There are gradations,” Rabbi Kula pointed out. “An abuse of power doesn’t
de-legitimize the use of power, nor is every abuse equivalent.
There are the enemies we can live with, those we find harder to live with
but can, and those we cannot. How we approach the issues are critical.”
The student dinner plenary brought together young people from all across the
country. As young leaders on their campuses, they represent the next wave of
Jewish leadership in the coming decades.
CLAL, as part of its longstanding relationship with AIPAC, continues to
serve as a bridge between the student and adult communities. It helps
provide the tools that young people will take back with them to their
schools to create effective advocacy.
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