Touch the Sky-- El Al Pilots and Crew Presenting “The Israel We Know and Love”

El Al pilots and crew members have taken off on a new “flight plan” aimed at sharing their personal impressions and love of Israel with local residents of countries to which they fly. Rutgers University Hillel has been selected for the program’s campus launch in New Jersey.  The program, which is open to students and the public free of charge, is scheduled Monday, November 28 at 8pm in the Student Activities Center, Raritan River Lounge, 613 George Street.

The Ambassadors program, created by El Al CEO Eliezer Shkedy, is a joint effort of El Al Israel Airlines, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Stand With Us and Israel‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is headed by Alon Futterman, the Jewish Agency’s emissary development director.

The El Al crews, all of whom have volunteered and been specially trained to promote the spirit of Israelis, will be speaking at Jewish Community Centers, Federations and on university campuses during their layovers wherever El Al flies.

Andrew Getraer, Rutgers Hillel Executive Director, thanked Shkedy for selecting Rutgers University Hillel for the prestigious event and praised the dynamic Israel education activities of Tzvi Raviv, Director of the new Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement, and first-year Israel Fellow Lihi Rothshild, for their efforts in bringing the program to the Rutgers campus.

“This program offers a truly wonderful opportunity to discuss Israel, its people, its accomplishments and its uniqueness in an apolitical atmosphere,” said Getraer.  “The El Al crew members all come from different backgrounds and each has a personal story to share, much like all Israelis,” he explained.  “The view of Israel one gets from the news media is often skewed and absent of the human angle.  Israel’s accomplishments in the fields of science, business, agriculture, academia and the arts are monumental when one considers the country’s size and relative youth.  Israel is a ‘people’ story and the El Al Ambassadors are just the people to tell it.”

“I encourage everyone who has an interest in Israel to join with the students of Rutgers Hillel on November 28 for a truly unique experience,” Getraer said.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement at 732-545-2407 or Lihi Rothshild at Israelcenter@rutgershillel.org.