Who are we?

The Union of Progressive Zionists (UPZ) is a network of student activists organizing on campuses across North America for peace and social justice in Israel and Palestine. The UPZ was created to provide guidance, education and resources to students who seek to impart a progressive voice into the campus debate on Israel. Extremist voices pushing rigid “pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestinian” positions have come to dominate the discourse on many campuses across North America, obscuring the issues and alienating significant numbers of moderate students.  We are committed to creating an alternate approach to Israel advocacy that embraces open dialogue and constructive activism, and that warrants critical analysis of policies, be they Israeli, Palestinian, American or other.

What do we do?

For the last 4 years, the UPZ has been active on college campuses across North America, promoting our mission through sponsored speaking tours, cultural exhibits, advocacy and educational campaigns. We host annual conferences and are co-leaders of triannual “Peace, Pluralism & Social Justice” trips to Israel sponsored by Taglit Birthright Israel.

What are our goals?

The goal of the Union of Progressive Zionists is to influence the next generation of Jewish community members and leaders currently on campus with a new brand of pro-Israel advocacy.  We hope to:

• Create a channel for Jewish students to have a credible voice about Israel on campus and in the Jewish community while staying true to their Jewish roots
• Build support within the North American Jewish community for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, with peace and social justice for all inhabitants of the Holy Land
• Foster opportunities for conversation, debate and exploration of Israel among Jewish and non-Jewish students is an open and dispassionate manner
• Transform Israel education on campus to better reflect realities in Israel and emphasize the need for pro-active efforts to progress toward a two-state solution
• Create democratic and pluralistic Jewish institutions that encourage open debate about Israel, helping to build a future Jewish community with a nuanced understanding of the complexities of Israel’s past and present with an eye toward ensuring her future success
• Serve as a building block for a growing progressive Jewish movement in North America

What are our principles?

The UPZ’s vision for Israel is based on the following principles:

• A just and peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict
• The cessation of all terrorist activity and violence against civilians, Palestinians and Israelis alike
• An end to Israel’s military, civilian and economic occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
• A negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that recognizes the rights of self-determination for both peoples
• Social and economic parity for all citizens and residents of Israel
• The continued resolve of the U.S. and Canadian administrations and the North American Jewish community to hold Israel – and its advocates – to the values of democracy, social justice and pluralism

What have we accomplished?

During its first four years, the UPZ has made significant progress toward accomplishing our goals, reaching students on well over 100 campuses through groups in the UPZ network, UPZ programming, national campaigns as well as our triannual Taglit Birthright Israel trip.

• UPZ network of official campus groups has increased to 20 campuses and is growing (Fall 2008)
• UPZ programming (speaking engagements, educational events) has reached 43 campuses
• UPZ has launched 3 national campaigns, engaging nearly 3,000 students on over 80 campuses
• UPZ has organized 9 “Peace, Pluralism & Social Justice” Birthright Israel trips reaching 360 students
• UPZ has hosted four annual student conferences with a total of 185 attendees
• UPZ has organized 9 major speaking tours including: Daniel Levy and Rafi Dajani of the Geneva Initiative, Former Deputy Knesset Speaker Naomi Chazan, Hagit Ofran of Peace Now, Scott Lasensky of the United States Institute of Peace, Rabbi Arik Asherman of Rabbis for Human Rights as well as representatives of The Parents Circle Bereaved Family Forum, Israeli Labor Party, Breaking the Silence, The Peace Tent and Machsom Watch
• UPZ has been one of the 33 members of the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) since 2005
• UPZ has cultivated future Jewish leaders by advising the student leadership of campus groups, creating student leadership opportunities on the UPZ board and nominating UPZ student representatives to the Israel on Campus Coalition Student Leadership Council (ICC - SLC)
• UPZ affiliated groups have built positive partnerships with Arab and Muslim student groups, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom chapters and other student and community organizations
• UPZ has received regular media coverage in campus newspapers as well as national and international press such as The Forward, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Congressional Quarterly