Ambassador Programme

Alex Seftel, Year 13, explains what he has gained from taking part in this year’s Ambassador Programme.

Despite being engaged this term in the challenge of school work at A2 Level and holding important responsibilities as one of the Head Prefects, I was enthusiastic about becoming involved in the JNF Ambassador scheme, because I realised that the ability to stand up against any anti-Zionist challenges I might encounter at university is essential. I seized the opportunity to hone my advocacy skills for Israel and strengthen my grasp of areas surrounded by debate, including the part played by different wings of the Zionist movement and the history of the twentieth century Israeli-Arab conflict. I decided to take when I leaned that the programme was first and foremost a learning process and that success did not require encyclopaedic knowledge.

So far it has been an enjoyable and worthwhile educational experience. I believe our confidence as a team of ambassadors has grown significantly as a result of taking part in weekly tasks. These have included writing an article entitled, “Israel: A Country to be Proud Of”, with the winning piece being published in the Jewish News, and, perhaps the assignment which has stimulated me the most, teaching a class of Year 6 pupils at the Michael Sobell Sinai School about the development of the Negev desert. As I prepared the assignment I became eager to gain a deeper insight into the cultivation of land that has often been dismissed as arid, desert emptiness, as the name “Negev”, which roughly translates as “dry”, suggests. I became fascinated by the growth of communities, which are now growing their own vegetables in the sand, such as in the town of Halutzit, where many were forced to re-build their lives after leaving settlements in the Gaza strip. Their stories have undoubtedly inspired me. I found the lesson thoroughly satisfying to present. I was proud to be able to illustrate Israel’s status as the world leader in the field of enhancing agricultural technology, whilst enjoying the team challenge of passing a message about Israel to a younger, less intellectual audience. I found the trip to the House of Lords, where we met Lord Janner, who judged our debating techniques, enthralling. Journalism, teaching and debating, are three areas in which my skills have been enhanced by the Ambassador Project, a competition, which I would urge next year’s Immanuel Upper Sixth Form students to participate in.

To read Daniel Dangoor’s winning article on “Israel: A Country to be Proud Of” published in the 26th November edition of "The Jewish News”, please click here.