Dr. Hagit Hacohen Wolf
The Sapir Center was asked by the Hillel Israel organization to examine the influence of a publicity campaign conducted by the Sapir Academic College. The campaign sought to raise the awareness of the college students about the Diaspora Jewry in general and American Jewry in particular.
The idea was to create a campaign made up of styled advertisements, roll-ups, electronic billboards, public transport placards etc. that would strengthen the consciousness on campus and convey basic knowledge about Diaspora Jewry and the importance of the solidarity between the two parts of the Jewish People.
The hope was to expose a new and broad group of Israeli students to the world of concepts related to Diaspora Jewry, to provide knowledge, arouse interest and concern and motivate to action. Hillel Israel hoped that this would all significantly expand the circle of involvement and action, helping to bridge the gap between the two parts of the People. The campaign is a project of Hillel Israel together with the “AmiUnity” initiative of the Jewish Agency and the New York Federation and was intended to be a pilot to examine its influence in the hope of subsequently expanding it to other campuses.
The Sapir Center study’s findings reveal that
that the campaign’s hoped-for influence was not achieved. Different interpretations were offered for these reports and recommendations for the Hillel Israel management included: refine the messages derived from the expected results, expanding the duration of the campaign, combining the campaign with other activity that makes waves on campus etc.