NEW YORK – Two students from Baruch College in New York were declared Monday to be the winners of the first annual Campus Pitch Competition, a joint initiative of the World Jewish Congress and the Israeli Consulate in New York. The competition was the culminating event of a semester-long campaign in which student groups from the Tristate region submitted proposals for events, initiatives and ideas to broaden the conversation about Israel and Jewish issues on campus.
Five student groups were selected from the dozens of participants to pitch their ideas to the judging panel at an official event at Manhattan’s WeWork Bryant Park. The live pitch competition was preceded by a happy hour and networking, attended by more than a hundred young professionals. Consul General of Israel in New York, Ambassador Ido Aharoni, delivered the opening remarks, saying, “Today we share with the world the story of Israel's creative spirit.”
World Jewish Congress CEO Robert Singer presented Amit Gutin and Orr Izkovich of Baruch College with $5,000 in funding to carry out their initiative. The group was also invited to participate in the WJC’s 2016 international conference in Europe.
“Campuses all over the country have been taken over by the dangerous initiatives of those seeking to boycott and delegitimize Israel and Jewish communities, movements that are gaining steam and popular support at alarming rates,” Singer said. “The World Jewish Congress fully stands behind the advocacy efforts to fight these anti-Israel anti-Jewish campaigns. Thanks to the courage and determination of these students, we can and we will change the conversation on campuses.”
The winning proposal was a project modeled after Humans of New York, to feature a walking gallery on campus with a photo series of Israelis from all across society, with live Israeli music and Israel-themed food stations at the gallery opening.
The four other competing groups – from New York University Law School, Connecticut College, Stony Brook College and Binghamton University - were each given funding of $2,500 to carry out their own projects.
The student groups worked with members of the WJC – Jewish Diplomatic Corps to perfect their proposals. The campus pitch initiative was launched by the Israeli Consulate and the World Jewish Congress in September 2015. In many ways, it can be seen as an initiative to counter-balance the rise of boycott movements across US campuses.
The esteemed panel of judges included Singer, Amir Sagie, Deputy Consul General of Israel in New York, Guy Franklin, founder of Israeli Mapped in New York, and Stephanie Weiner, Venture Capital Investor at Bain Capital.
