America-Israel Friendship League Inc

TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS AS WELL AS PROMOTING FRIENDSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL.

PUBLIC INFORMATION / EDUCATION - THE AIFL WEBINAR SERIES GREW IN TOTAL UNIQUE VIEWERSHIP TO EXCEED 2 MILLION VIEWERS, WITH AN EXPOSURE OF THE ACTIVITIES AND THE ORGANIZATION VIA ONLINE PROMOTION TO NEARLY 12 MILLION VIEWS, AND HAS INCREASED THE VIEWERSHIP FROM SEVERAL HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS AT THE OUTSET, IN EARLY 2020, TO AN AVERAGE EXCEEDING 10,000 UNIQUE VIEWERS PER SESSION ON A CONSISTENT BASIS. THIS IS UNHEARD OF, AS MOST ORGANIZATIONS THAT ENGAGED IN WEBINARS DURING THE COVID YEARS HAVE SEEN THEIR NUMBERS DWINDLE AS LIFE IS RESORTING BACK TO NORMAL, AND HAVE THEREFORE BEEN FORCED TO DISCONTINUE THE WEBINAR ACTIVITY ON A REGULAR BASIS.

LEADERSHIP DELEGATIONS - 2022 SAW THE RELAUNCHING OF DELEGATION ACTIVITY. AIFL CONTINUES TO SEE HIGH-IMPACT DELEGATION ACTIVITY AS A CORNERSTONE OF ITS CONTINUED ACTIVITY BASE. THE FIRST DELEGATION WAS THAT OF HISPANIC COMMUNITY LEADERS, INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ACTIVE AND INFLUENTIAL IN THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY AND ARE WELL POSITIONED TO ACTIVATE SOCIAL SUPPORT. THEY ARE LEADERS FROM VARIOUS PROFESSIONAL ARENAS SUCH AS ACADEMIA, BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. THE PURPOSE OF THE DELEGATION'S VISIT WAS TO BRING TOGETHER HISPANIC COMMUNITY LEADERS AS AIFL STAKEHOLDERS. THEIR ITINERARY WAS DESIGNED TO HELP THEM RECOGNIZE AND GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OF U.S.-ISRAEL RELATIONS AND THEIR ROLE IN STRENGTHENING THE TIES THAT BIND THESE TWO DEMOCRACIES WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE NATURAL BONDS THAT ALREADY EXIST AND, BY DEFINING COMMON INTERESTS, HONORING THEIR DIVERSITY, AND CREATING A POSITIVE FUTURE. THE TRIP INCLUDED A STAY IN JERUSALEM, WHERE THE PARTICIPANTS WERE GREETED AT THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS BY, AMONGST OTHERS, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, VISITED THE KNESSET (ISRAEL'S PARLIAMENT), THE MUSEUM OF ISRAEL AND THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AT YAD VASHEM. THE GROUP TRAVELLED TO THE NORTH, VISITING NETAFIM, A PIONEER IN PRECISION IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY, AND THE HOLY SITES AT THE SEA OF GALILEE. THE GROUP RECEIVED A BRIEFING FROM ALMA, A RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER ON THE LEBANESE BORDER, AND, IN TEL AVIV, VISITED THE NEW ANU MUSEUM AND THE PERES CENTER FOR PEACE AND INNOVATION. SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED OF THE PARTICIPANTS, BEFORE AND AFTER THE TRIP, TO EVALUATE IMPACTS IN THREE DIMENSIONS (I) BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ISRAEL; (II) SELF-PERCEPTION AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THEIR TRIP TO ISRAEL; AND (III) AFFINITY WITH ISRAEL. SURVEY RESULTS SHOWED A POSITIVE, AND STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT, IN ALL THREE DIMENSIONS. THE SECOND DELEGATION WAS THAT OF THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY ACAPELLA GROUP, THE HARVARD KROKODILOES, IN JULY. THE PURPOSE OF THE DELEGATION'S VISIT WAS TO CREATE A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ISRAELI AUDIENCES TO WITNESS AND ENJOY FIRSTHAND THE TALENT OF ONE OF THE UNITED STATES' OLDEST IVY LEAGUE A CAPPELLA GROUPS. AIFL ORGANIZED CONCERTS AT THE RUBIN MUSEUM, AT THE ANU MUSEUM, IN FRONT OF IDF SOLDIERS AND A CONCERT ON THE BEACH IN BAT-YAM. ADDITIONAL DELEGATIONS PLANNED FOR THIS YEAR INCLUDE A RENEWAL OF THE YOUTH AMBASSADOR STUDENT EXCHANGE (YASE), IN WHICH U.S. AND ISRAELI STUDENTS SPEND AN IMMERSE PERIOD OF CO-HOSTING AND VISITING EACH OTHER; A DELEGATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY; AND A DELEGATION OF LEADERS OF STATE LEGISLATURES.

LOCAL NETWORK - AIFL CONTINUED THIS YEAR TO RUN ITS NEW PLATFORM, LOCAL AREA NETWORKS, WHICH ARE NETWORKS OF SMALL GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS FROM THE SAME GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION, AND FROM A SIMILAR PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, FRIENDSHIP NETWORK, AND ANY OTHER CHARACTERISTIC THAT MIGHT CONNECT AND CREATE A NETWORK OF INDIVIDUALS. THROUGH QUARTERLY PARLOR MEETINGS OF THESE SMALL NETWORKS, EVOLVING AROUND CUSTOMIZED ACTIVITIES DESIGNED AROUND THE INTEREST OF EACH GROUP, AIFL CREATES SMALL GROUPS OF THE ORGANIZATION AROUND THE COUNTRY, WITH HIGH LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION INVOLVEMENT.