With a name like Haleli Jabotinsky, it comes as no surprise that the 26-year-old Jezreel Valley native is a vocal Israel advocate, working on North American college campuses to promote a positive image of her home country, Israel. Haleli is one of seven great-grandchildren of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the illustrious Revisionist Zionist Jewish thinker. She says she proudly carries on in his footsteps, serving as a representative for the Jewish Agency. Jabotinsky is one of 350 Jewish Agency delegates serving missions abroad. As part of her service in Montreal, Jabotinsky holds meetings with thousands of students, explaining the positive elements of life in Israel. She explains how proud she is to carry on in the tradition of her great-grandfather's work. She says he was a kind of envoy himself, traveling between Jewish communities and trying to convince Jews of the need to immigrate, or make aliyah, to Israel. "I am proud and excited to continue my great-grandfather Ze'ev Jabotinsky's legacy. In my view, the delegation is Zionism in action," she explains. Haleli was raised in the Jezreel Valley and was educated at home in the liberal-Zionist spirit of her great-grandfather. She says that "as a graduate of the public diplomacy program Stand With Us, the decision to join a delegation was a natural step for me." She joins the more than 70 delegates who are working in conjunction with the Hillel on-campus Jewish community organizations to try to paint a realistic picture of Israel to students. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky has supported a number of initiatives to promote Israel on college campuses worldwide, believing that the influence of universities on international public opinion has grown dramatically. The Jewish Agency is planning an event this week for hundreds of delegates who either worked this year at summer camps across North America or in Jewish communities across the globe. Jewish Agency delegate coordinator Ofer Isarov says that "Israelis coming back from their missions are an asset to the Jewish nation and Israeli society. ... The conference is designed to connect them with opportunities for further action and social involvement in Israeli society, and strengthening ties with Diaspora Jews."
Haleli Jabotinsky follows in her great-grandfather's footsteps
The great-granddaughter of Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky is one of dozens of Jewish Agency delegates on North American college campuses promoting a positive image of Israel • "I am proud and excited to continue my great-grandfather's legacy," she says.
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