I have always valued the U.S.-Israel relationship and knew I wanted to do what I could to support it. In my freshman year of high school I joined a club called MIPAC, the Ma’ayanot Israel Political Alliance Committee. Throughout my years at Ma’ayanot, I was given the opportunity to enter multiple pro-Israel programs which allowed me to advocate for what I believe in. I joined StandWithUs, ICAN, TILI, TLC and many other programs which helped me with my goals. This year I am a co-president of MIPAC which allows me to spread awareness about Israel to the other students at Ma’ayanot. Earlier in the year, I was informed of an opportunity to join the YUPAC High School Fellowship, which would give me the chance to share my thoughts with the Jewish community. I was chosen to go on an advocacy trip to Washington to help spread awareness of crucial matters in the Middle East.

My group met with the staffers of Senators J.D. Vance, Marsha Blackburn and Brian Schatz. Additionally, we heard words of inspiration from Senators Ted Cruz and Bobby Richards. On this trip, we focused on four main points, Iranian nuclear power, the Hijab Iranian revolution, Palestinian terrorism against Israel, and U.S. security assistance to Israel. In order to be prepared to speak on these matters, I consulted with my faculty advisor, Mrs. Yael Weil, researched the topics  and studied the talking points we were given to assist us. At the end of our trip, we went to the AIPAC building in D.C. and heard from a panel of AIPAC employees that gave us an insight into the inner workings of PACs.

I am grateful to Mrs. Weil, the Ma’ayanot faculty and the clubs and programs at Ma’ayanot for all these wonderful opportunities. Being able to be a part of this has shown me that my voice matters and how important advocacy is, especially in regard to Israel.

Tamar Bruk is a senior at Ma’ayanot.