Workshops

JCCAT’s workshops offer participants the chance to learn the information they need to be effective advocates for Israel, as well as the skills to convey that information. Whether through the format of one-off workshops or longer courses, you can learn what you need to know from JCCAT.


1. Israel Advocacy

Skills

  • The Media and the Middle East
    Since most people know about the Middle East only through the media, we need to understand how it deals with the region before we can attempt to advocate for Israel. Looking beyond the obvious we show you how the general failings of the media are magnified and made dangerous in the context of the Middle East.
  • Basic Advocacy
    Understanding why what we intuitively tell people about Israel fails to convince; learning the techniques that work.
  • Advanced Advocacy
    If you have received advocacy training before (from us or anyone else) we can move you to the next level.
  • Running Campaigns
    When advocacy stops being a set of individual efforts and becomes a campaign, you need to know how to work with others, develop short and long-term messages, and persevere for the long term.
  • Hasbara 2.0
    Confronting the newest problem facing supporters of Israel: how to seize back the initiative in debate and inspire ourselves and others.

Content

Focusing on issues that are important to the Israel advocate but are not addressed by many other groups, we help you complete the picture that you need to see to understand the region.

  • The Apartheid Accusation
    The modern blood libel against the Jewish state needs to be understood before it can be refuted. In this seminar, we will show you how to do both.
  • International Law and the Arab-Israel Conflict
    Alleged “crimes” by Israel are common accusations. You can’t deal with them or refute them without a basic understanding of the law.
  • Jewish Rights to the Land of Israel
    Radical critiques of Israel, which include denial of the Jewish people’s rights, are increasingly entering the mainstream. Make sure you understand the issue and the most basic argument we need to make.
  • Laws of War
    Almost every act of an Israeli soldier seems to draw the accusation of “war crime.” As well as the facts of each case, you need to know the law.
  • Terrorism
    “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”? By exploring the issues, as well as the relevant laws, such facile assertions are revealed as meaningless.
  • PLO and Hamas Covenants
    Two major Palestinian Arab organizations have long made known their policies toward Jews and the Jewish state. Learn what they really want. See the differences and similarities between them.

Strategy and Tactics

Israel’s supporters are often good at tactics, but thoughtless when it comes to strategy. We will work with you to develop short, medium, and long-term advocacy goals as well as the plans to help you achieve them.

> back to top

2. Understanding Israel and the Modern Middle East

For the advocate, enthusiast or just those who want to understand, these in-depth classes take you beyond the headlines.

Zionism

A series of classes aimed at understanding the rise of the modern Zionist movement. We will show you its roots and branches as well as its achievements.

Islam

A complex system of thought can’t be summed up on one leg, but we can show you those elements of Muslim thought that are essential to understanding the roots of Israel’s conflict with her neighbors and the larger Muslim world.

Arab-Israel Conflict

Focusing on the Palestinian Arabs has led many to forget that they are only part of a larger conflict. A series of classes traces the history of the Arab-Israel Conflict and looks at the present and future.

Roots of Modern Israeli Politics

Modern Israeli politics can be confusing for the outsider. If you understand where the various ideological strands come from, it’s much easier to keep track of the players. What are the political camps, and what do they stand for?

> back to top

3. Antisemitism

The “longest hatred” has manifested itself in many different forms throughout history. These classes will give you an understanding of what it was, what it is and what it may be soon.

History of Antisemitism

An overview of Jew-hatred from classical times to the beginning of the modern era.

Modern Antisemitism and the Holocaust

The transition from religion-based hatred of Jews to racially motivated hatred. How theory became practice in the most horrifying crime in history.

Contemporary Antisemitism

In a post-Holocaust era, much of the world has seen hatred of individual Jews translate into hatred of the Jewish state of Israel. Understanding why most Arab and Muslim states countenance and often sponsor hatred of Jews, and how some elements of the Left have been subverted into a new form of antisemitism.

Holocaust Denial

If antisemitism was the motive for the crime of the Holocaust, then denying the reality of that crime can serve to rehabilitate Jew hatred. Who murders the truth and how and why they do it?

> back to top

4. Communications

For the advocate, the teacher or the community leader, one of the keys to success is the ability to communicate effectively. Classes and courses that are focused on practical skills will help you develop and sharpen your own abilities in the realm of communications.

Public Speaking

Learn the skills of effective public presentations, including: defining your aims, organizing your content, and successful delivery.

Persuasion

From Aristotle to David Ogilvy, some very clever people have developed practical tactics to make messages persuasive. We will show you how to succeed.

Media Relations

If a tree falls in the forest and CNN doesn’t cover it, has it happened? We will show you effective ways of using the media to convey your message to the audience you want to reach.
> back to top