Seventy one RKYHS students attended the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC. AIPAC is the largest gathering of America’s pro-Israel community with over 18,000 in attendance. Students had the opportunity to hear from keynote speeches at the general session including Prime Minister Netanyahu, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, Vice President Pence, Senator Cory Booker, presidential candidates former Vice President Biden and Michael Bloomberg, in addition to an entire roster of esteemed speakers. The new AIPAC President Betsy Berns Korn spoke to the RKYHS students, as did Jason Greenblatt, former Trump adviser on Israel, who spoke about the plan for peace in the Middle East.

The student delegation attended a number of more intimate breakout sessions on targeted topics that interested them including Amplifying High School Activism, Preparing for College Campus Activism, Israel and the Environment, Strategic Challenges in the Middle East, Making Sense of Israel’s Changing Frontiers, The Israeli Ethos: Making a Difference Around the World and more. The RKYHS delegation participated in a special general session just for students. Students spent their final day lobbying their senators and congressmen on Capitol Hill.

Year after year, RKYHS is one of the largest student delegations at the conference. The AIPAC Policy Conference is an extension of the work done by the RKYHS AIPAC student group throughout the year. The group meets weekly to plan political advocacy projects, host guest speakers, hear student presentations as well as participate in special trips.