by Shimmy Mandelbaum ('16)

March 26th served as a meaningful and productive day on two fronts for the MTA students who participated in the school's annual lobbying mission to Washington D.C. The Hatzioni members that partook in this event had been preparing for weeks in advance; researching bills, familiarizing themselves with specific members of congress, etc. Groups were divided into roughly six or seven members per senator or member of congress and had a faculty advisor, guide them through the process. Although each group was led by a member of the YUHSB faculty, there too were two group leaders in every group; a senior and junior,who had lobbying experience. They were privileged to take advantage of this incredible opportunity by leading a group to lobby for something they held close to them, Israel.

While the trip most certainly served as an incredible opportunity, by building upon certain skills, such as public speaking, research, and presentation, it did serve another purpose as well. Each student, (and faculty member) was capable of speaking one on one with either a member of congress, a senator or their aid. This was also beneficial, because it opened a gate for many students to enter the fascinating and intriguing world of politics, via relations started only yesterday.

The final front that resulted in success was the research aspect. in preparation of the lobbying mission,each student researched both their senator and his or her view on israel as well as one of the bills. The bills which the students advocated for- 269, 615 and 619- discuss both the nuclear Iran crisis, as will as a further progression in American- Israeli relations. The former topic spanned from imposing sanctions on Iran to negotiations that must be made. The latter topic covered a completely different spectrum, in which students discussed creaking down on BDS, an organization dedicated to the the demise of Israel, as well as furthering military aid and trade with Israel. All in all, the MTAPAC mission to Washington was a huge a success on both the personal and political fronts.