Avi Schaefer and Israel on Campus

These remarks were delivered at The Avi Schaefer Symposium: Reimagining Israel on the North American College Campus held March 1, 2011 in Jerusalem.

Thursday, Feb 11 2010. Avi Schaefer, a young man of 21, was killed by a drunk driver near Brown U campus grounds, where he was a student. That Thursday started like any other day at the L.A. office of the Israeli Consulate, where I was serving at the time as Consul for Culture, Media Public Affairs. However, in a matter of hours, things changed. The first to break the news to me was my assistant, Maya Buenos, a close friend of the Schaefers, an announcement which was soon followed by a torrent of callers, calling to let the Consulate know of what had happened. I remember receiving calls from many members of the Jewish Community, and even as far away as Israel, from friends of Avi and Yoav, the Schaefer twins who completed their service of the IDF as lone soldiers only the year before.  The realization of the tragedy which has befallen upon us was made clear to me during Avi’s funeral service, where I heard that flags of Israel were flying high, on Brown U campus grounds (!), in memory and appreciation of Avi Schaefer. As a long time soldier in the battlefield for Israel’s image, I was awed by the magnitude of the gesture, and the tears in my eyes could not cease flowing.

On Sunday, February 27 2011, the Earth shook in the Middle East. Indeed, it seems the World is getting used to Middle Eastern earthquakes, with the fall of long time rulers in the Arab world and the rising of a yet unclear future. However, this tremor took place in Israel, at the heart of Jerusalem. Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, named after Israel’s 2nd President, is a Zionist educational institute, operating from where the 2nd President’s offices used to be, an institution based on “Love of mankind, our nation, our country and the spirit of humility and modesty” as its mission statement reads. It is in Yad Ben-Zvi’s Shed, a modestly built and newly renovated national heritage site, where the 1st Avi Schaefer Symposium took place, titled “Re-Imagining Israel on the North American Campus” conducted by the Avi Schaefer Fund (ASF). One could not think of a more befitting venue to commemorate Avi and his legacy, one year into his sad and untimely passing. The Fund, led by the Schaefer family under the leadership of Avi’s twin brother, Yoav, is dedicated to changing the climate of the Israeli-Palestinian discussion on North American college campuses, through a pursuit of honest conversation and peace. Honesty, humanity, sincerity, empathy, decency: words which could not be farther from our reality in dealing with this complex conflict.

To me the event was nothing short of a celebration: A celebration of Avi’s spirit, a celebration of his heart, and a celebration of his soul. It was a full house (or “Shed” in this case), with barely room to stand, filled with hundreds of young American and Israeli Jewish students, all coming together under the auspices of the ASF, to get ready for life on American College Campus (some of them already on it) and to inhale the spirit of Avi, and truly grasp the Power of the One to make a difference and bring about a change. The symposium presented an array of prominent and knowledgeable speakers, representing leading establishments and organizations (Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, StandWithUs, Reut Institute, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jewish Agency for Israel, Hillel and more), to learn from each others’ experience in order to be “Soldiers for Peace”, just like Avi was – and as was clearly evident, apparently still is – as his legacy lives on, in the hearts of the many who knew him and the many more who knew of him, and wish to follow his path. The strongest message coming from all of the speakers was clear: Never forget your humanity and never forget the “other side” is human as well, and only when we bring ourselves into the equation, breathe our souls and hearts into the “Hasbara”, do we really understand that Israel is not only what we say, but is also who we are, what we do, how we do it and what we care about. Being a supporter of Israel, while being a lover of humanity, is indeed 2 sides of the same coin.

Seek Peace and Pursue It (Psalm 34) is the motto of the Avi Schafer Fund. Seek Peace in yourselves, and only then will you truly be able to pursue it outside.

In loving memory of Avi Schaefer,
May his spirit be with us forever.

Shahar Azani is Former Consul for Culture, Media and Public Affairs Israeli Consulate, L.A.