Pepperdine offers Israel-based internships

JERUSALEM —  When Courtney Bryant, a senior at Pepperdine University in Malibu, decided to participate in an Israel-based internship offered by her school’s Judaic studies program, she hoped to gain hands-on experience in broadcasting, her major.

To her delight, Bryant, a vivacious 19-year-old from Los Angeles, has spent the last couple of months researching and reporting stories for the Israel Broadcasting Authority News, Israel’s only English-language TV news show.

“I’ve gotten to do a lot of reporting,” Bryant said in late July over a dinner in Jerusalem with the program’s eight other interns. “I’ve worked on stories related to the fishing industry, the Syrian uprising, the Turkish elections.  This internship’s given me a much greater understanding of the Middle East, which is what I wanted.”

Pepperdine University, which describes itself as “a Christian university that is committed to Christian values,” launched the internship program last year.

Offered by the university’s Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies, the internship’s goal is to increase the student body’s exposure to, discussion of and awareness of Judaism, Jewish studies and Israel, according to the program’s Web site.

By working in Israel, Pepperdine students “get to know Israel not through tourism but through experiencing the life of an Israeli,” said Michael Helfand, the Glazer Institute’s associate director.

Prior to moving to Israel in late June, the interns underwent a “rigorous” interview process to nail down their professional goals and maximize their professional development, Helfand said.

Depending on their workplace, the participants live either in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv but have met frequently for joint activities.

Helfand emphasized that the internship program “has no political agenda” and that the interns work at a diverse range of institutions, from the politically right-of-center NGO Monitor to the left-of-center Peres Center for Peace. 

“They go home at night and talk about what they’re doing. It fosters great discussions.”

Thomas Bundy, a 39-year-old law student, discussed his work on behalf of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Bundy, from Los Angeles, spent his internship working for a prominent Israeli law firm, which asked him to draft an international law brief it will soon file before the Israeli Supreme Court.

“The brief calls on the Israeli government to cut off all tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority until Shalit is released,” Bundy explained.

In June, Bundy attended a meeting with Noam Shalit, Gilad’s father, and four U.S. Congressmen.

“It’s funny to think I may have peaked in my career the first summer after law school,” Bundy quipped, referring to his high-level Israeli internship.

Doug Tyson, a 26-year-old graduate student in public policy with an interest in international relations and economics, read hundreds of articles related to the Arab-Israeli conflict during his internship at NGO Monitor, an organization that scrutinizes pro-Palestinian nongovernmental organizations.

“I came here to learn about the conflict because I’m focusing on conflict zones,” the Wisconsin native said. “I’m now writing a Wikipedia page on the delegitimization of Israel.”

Like the other interns, Brittni Ping, who recently graduated from Pepperdine with a degree in international studies and French,  said her internship supervisors have given her much more responsibility than she expected.

“When I interned at Coca-Cola, every move I made had to go through my supervisor. Here I’m expected to work much more independently. There’s no hand-holding, and that’s given me a lot of confidence. I’m putting my international studies to use.”

For his internship at the Peres Center’s division of business and economic development, Odinakachi Anyanwu researched how the growth of tourism in Israel and the Palestinian territories could impact both.

Among other things, Anyanwu, an African-born 23-year-old graduate student in public policy, helped plan a workshop for Israeli and Palestinian professionals.

“One of the things I love is the cooperation I’ve seen in meetings every day between Israelis and Palestinians.  I haven’t seen any animosity. Instead, I’ve seen people who very much want to work together to encourage peace-building,” Anyanwu said.

Bobby Amiri, who is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration, said he feels close to his colleagues at Biological Signal Processing, a company that has developed technology to more accurately diagnose heart disease.

“The group is very tight-knit, and I feel like I’ve been challenged by my assignment, which is directly related to what I want to do with my career,” Amiri said.

Throughout his internship, Amiri, who is 29 and from Palo Alto, conducted market research and strategy. He reported directly to the CEO, “who brought out the best in me, who allowed me to take it a step further,” he said.

Amiri praised Israeli society’s emphasis on religion-based values and the importance of the family.

“I’ve grown so much socially and morally. I feel there’s an adherence to religious practices.”

He noted that on Shabbat, the cities “shut down and there’s time to reflect and spend time with family.”

Amiri, whose Muslim father was born in the Middle East, said the three hours he was scrutinized by Israeli border guards before being permitted to re-enter Israel from Jordan did not dampen his appreciation of Israel.

“It was unpleasant, but as far as the people here, I feel very welcome.”

By working with ordinary Israelis, visiting their homes and seeing the country, the participants said they now have an infinitely greater understanding of the headlines and life behind the headlines. 

By working with people from both sides, Anyanwu said he discovered “a lot more depth to the conflict” than what is presented by the news media. “I found a great diversity of viewpoints in Israel alone.”

Without this background, Anyanwu said, “It’s easy to take sides without having a full understanding of what’s happening.”