New Israel alumni chapter up and running

Last October, members of the new Emory Alumni Israel chapter held their inaugural event at the Liberty Bell Garden, Jerusalem's central city park. Created in 1976 in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial, the park holds a replica of Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. Left to right: Amanda Sue Niskar 95PH, Jackie Bitensky 90C, Ben Brewer 05C, Julie Nemirovsky 06B, Lauren Skiba 06C, and Richard Kanton 68C.

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One of the Emory Alumni Association’s (EAA) newest regional chapters is one of the furthest from campus: the Emory Alumni Chapter of Israel (EACI). EACI was established in fall 2006 with three founding members: chapter president Amanda Sue Niskar 95PH, social chair Ben Brewer 05C, and webmaster Jay L. Abramoff 92C.

To celebrate the chapter’s establishment, EACI hosted two fall events. Seven alumni plus family members attended the first event in Jerusalem on October 27, 2006. (There are about 60 Emory alumni in all of Israel, so this was an excellent percentage).
EACI met at the Liberty Bell Garden, Jerusalem's central city park and open-air community center. The garden was created in 1976 in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial, and a replica of Philadelphia's Liberty Bell is mounted at its center.

Despite drenching rain, the chapter’s event in Tel Aviv on November 14 was a well-attended mixer that included alumni from Emory and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Abe Schear 73B 76L, an attorney with the Atlanta law firm Arnall Golden Gregory, spoke on the theme, “Collaborations between Israel and Atlanta.”
           
“Nearly 20 turned out for this spirited event at a somewhat legendary bar,” said Schear, who was on a business trip for his firm and happily donated his time to EACI. “While everyone wanted to somehow reconnect to their Atlanta experience, there were numerous examples of how alumni could be helpful to one another, offering tips regarding careers, neighborhoods and language skills.”
           
“From our perspective and nearly 7,000 miles from campus, there was that sense of community that makes the university experience so valuable,” said Niskar who attended the event with alumnus Phil Skinner 78L and others. “Certainly, future Israel alumni events will continue to thrive.”
           
Niskar said the EACI founding members are very pleased with the spirited participation they have received from other alumni and friends of Emory living in and visiting Israel. The chapter hopes to build a sustainable network of alumni that continues to meet several times a year and will celebrate many anniversaries of the chapter’s establishment in the years to come.

Niskar said the goals of the chapter include:

• To network at social events with Emory alumni and friends living in Israel.
• To identify and coordinate opportunities to support Emory, such as creating summer internships in Israel for Emory students, motivating Israelis to apply to Emory for education, and fund-raising.
• To welcome Emory alumni and friends as visitors to Israel.
• To network with other U.S. university alumni chapters in Israel including the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

For more information on the EACI, visit its website,
www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/EMR/cpages/chapterpage.jsp?chapter=46&org=EMR

Emory alumni living in or visiting Israel are invited to contact the EACI at asniskar@gmail.com.—Eric Rangus