This month we will be profiling the first of two students that were selected to represent the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at the Israel on Campuses Coalition (ICC) and the Center for Leadership Initiatives (CLI) ten day mission to Israel this past winter. The ICC-CLI Leading Up North trip gave participants the opportunity to participate in real engagement in Israel’s North by aiding in the reparation of cities and town, bomb shelters, and forests which have been devastated by the recent violence. A specially tailored Israel advocacy and educational curriculum was offered on the ICC-CLI Leading Up North mission by scholars-in-residence with expertise in service learning and Israel and education.

We were proud to be able to offer this opportunity to Blair Albom and Aaron Ellias, who were chosen out of several highly qualified students who had participated in a program at the Rothberg School and applied specifically to participate in this mission.

A native of Farmington Hills, MI, Aaron Ellis spent his freshman year at Michigan State University before transferring to the University of Michigan. After spending one semester there, Aaron then spent the spring semester of his sophomore year studying abroad at the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before returning to UMich where he is now a junior majoring in Political Science. Aaron hopes to either return to Israel or look for a job in our nation’s capital working in global relations.

Aaron said he, "had the opportunity to spend 10 days helping to heal the North of Israel after the damage of the summer’s war. My group worked exclusively in Akko. Our time was primarily spent painting bomb shelters. We were able to tour Akko and visit with city officials. We were also afforded the chance to enter the communities and speak with the people of Akko. I developed an understanding of the pain felt by these communities. The time we spent in the bomb shelters gave me a glimpse into the terror felt by the North, and if our paint helps ease the fear of a single child, we were successful. Perhaps more significantly, I saw the will of these communities. The war did not deter their courage, it merely strengthened their resolve. This trip also strengthened my resolve. In an uneasy time for Israel on American campuses, it was heartening to spend time with the best Israel campus leaders in North America. We developed bonds and shared ideas, and our voices have never been stronger."

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