access making waves gala december 8, 2009. access members travel around the world to enhance...
TRANSCRIPT
ACCESS Making Waves GALA
December 8, 2009
ACCESS members travel around the world to enhance understanding of Israel.
As I sat talking to the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, it dawned on me.
I am speaking on behalf of my people, my generation, and most importantly myself – and someone is listening.
ACCESS not only gave me a megaphone but put me in a position for my voice to be heard.
Jeff Gerson, ACCESS Board Member
Making Waves in ETHIOPIA…
ACCESS groups meet with the US Ambassador to Ethiopia and other high-level officials to help strengthen US-Ethiopian relations and contact with Israel.
Making Waves in HUMAN RIGHTS…
ACCESS discusses genocide prevention with a Rwandan survivor and young diplomats.
ACCESS has shown me the world, both literally and figuratively.
ACCESS members are a unique group of people who bring a great deal of diversity, perspective and open-mindedness to each engagement.
We are bonded in the mission to advance plurality, build interethnic partnerships and engage political leaders abroad, whether in Israel or Ethiopia.
Karen Imas, ACCESS Co-Chair
Making ENERGY Waves…
ACCESS’S Jewish Response to Energy Challenge conference brought energized innovative green leaders from around the world.
Making Waves in POLAND…
ACCESS group commemorates the Holocaust at Belzec, a memorial built by AJC and the Polish government.
We inherit the traditions of tikkun olam and pursuit of justice from visionary leaders and communities who changed the world with their words.
Daniel Pincus, ACCESS Co-Chair
The experience is a thrilling ride; as satisfying as it is vital, and as challenging as it is fun.
ACCESS is the place where together, we discover and develop the advocacy voice within ourselves - and then amplify it.
Making Waves in NEW ORLEANS…
ACCESS has taken six trips to New Orleans with partners since Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild human connections and infrastructure post-Katrina.
Making Waves in ETHIOPIA…
ACCESS members meet Abba Abune Paulos, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Addis Ababa.
Making Waves for ISRAEL…
ACCESS groups have traveled all over the world to enhance understanding of Israel among international decision makers.
The most exciting discovery was that ACCESS wanted me to be myself and to voice what mattered most to me as a young Jew, a profound reminder of the pluralistic nature of the ACCESS community.
Taylor Krauss, ACCESS member
Making Waves with MUSLIMS…
ACCESS engages in Muslim-Jewish dialogue in an effort to build bridges across ethnic and religious lines that broaden our understanding of each other and bolster forces of moderation.
Making Waves in a new BERLIN…
An ACCESS-Germany Close-Up trip attends the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht with Chancellor Merkel.
Last year I was struggling to identify a way to support Israel and the Jewish community from a strategic perspective and in a non-partisan way.
ACCESS has proven to be a diverse forum and platform from which to discuss, share, and advocate on behalf of the international Jewish community in a thoughtful and constructive manner.
Jason Rico, ACCESS board member
Making Waves in NEW YORK CITY…
ACCESS is partnering with African American and other ethnic and religious groups for hands-on community service.
Through my involvement with ACCESS, I have given back to my community by creating powerful relationships with diplomatic and intellectual leaders.
These have been profound and meaningful experiences, and exploring them with the friends I've developed, has distilled the essence of what being Jewish means to me.
Ed Loh, ACCESS board member
Making Waves in a new GERMANY…
Building German-Jewish ties that drive home lessons of the Shoah about the vital importance of strong democratic and tolerant societies.
Making Waves in COMMUNITIES…
ACCESS believes that hands-on service strengthens and empassions our policy work.
Making Waves in ETHIOPIA…
ACCESS brings together young professionals interested in making a difference.
ACCESS is my home away from home. It gives me the opportunities that I crave. From rural villages in Ethiopia to the halls of the United Nations in Geneva, ACCESS has allowed me to engage with Jews and non-Jews, with partners and opponents.
Naomi Reinharz, ACCESS board member
During each trip and at every event, I gain invaluable insight into an area of concern to ACCESS, teach others about our messages and our goals, bring new people on board to our mission, and hopefully move us one step closer to a better world.
Making Waves in BERLIN…
ACCESS members follow MP meetings with a visit to the top of the parliament building.
Making Waves in ETHIOPIA…
Giving access to others.
“ACCESS events have shown me the potential of free and open dialogue
among nations and people.”
Steven Kalifowitz, ACCESS board member
Making Waves AT HOME & ABROAD…
ACCESS leaders offer home hospitality to opinion leaders from Eastern Europe and India.
Making Waves at DURBAN II…
A 24-person strong ACCESS delegation from across the country spoke out for human rights with AJC’s UN Watch at the UN conference in Geneva.