As I looked at the students and faculty in the LC hailing from 35 student organizations and departments, I felt a remarkable bond between us. Our differences were many but last Tuesday we joined to celebrate 60 years of the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who addressed the audience, has tirelessly worked to strengthen this unique American-Israeli relationship since her election to Congress in 1989. It was clear that Ros-Lehtinen genuinely cared about having this conversation. She highlighted how America and Israel share values of democracy and freedom and are strategically allied against terrorism. Ros-Lehtinen praised ShalomUM, the UM’s pro-Israel student organization, for helping Florida become the first state to divest state pension funds from Iran and Sudan.
When I first became involved in ShalomUM, I couldn’t have imagined we would inspire such solidarity among so many different students. As I presented Ros-Lehtinen with a letter thanking her for her actions supporting the American-Israeli relationship, a vision of unity, of shalom, gripped my heart and will not let go.
– Lila Chertman, Senior, Treasurer of ShalomUM