Tribefest 2012

Tags: Israel Engagement, Diaspora

This time last week the IFF team headed back to DC both exhausted and elated after attending the Jewish Federations of North America's TribeFest in one of the most exciting cities in the world, Las Vegas! It was exhilarating to be a part of the incredible three days with close to 1,500 young professionals from all over North America and Israel.

Saturday Night Live's Rachel Dratch opened the festivies declaring: "I'm in the desert, I'm with the Tribe, & I am Home", reminding everyone in the room how important it is to do our part for our local Jewish communities and for Israel.

Amidst all the excitement of the casinos, Tribefesters did not lose sight of their mission, attending session after session where conversations were thoughtful and engaging. Topics ranged from “The Jewish Vote in Election 2012”, where Sheldon Adelson himself stood up and took control of the mic; and “How’s Your JDate Profile”, outlining the do’s and dont’s for successful online Jewish dating.

Appreciating trends in Social Media, all of #Tribefest was Twitter-friendly, with each session having its own #hashtag. "The Jewish Vote" had a large screen with the live twitter feed about the session so panelists were responding directly to tweets being posted by their audience. And according to published TribeFest analytics, @Isrl4evr was in the top 25 tweeters at the whole convention!!

At the Israel Forever Foundation, we recognize that people all over the world love Israel and want to see her safe and secure forever. While many people move to Israel every year, the truth is that it is not an option for everyone. We believe that if you love Israel in your heart you deserve the ability to declare yourself a  VIRTUAL CITIZEN OF ISRAEL  regardless of where your passport was issued.

We are very grateful to the TribeFest organizers for the chance to share the mission of Israel Forever Foundation and we thank the Las Vegas Jewish community for making us feel so at home. We were honored to share our booth with NU Campaign, and to watch the Israel causes tshirts mingling in the crowd. Most of all we welcome all our new Virtual Citizen's of Israel. We hope to serve as your connection to our Jewish Homeland as we help you celebrate and strengthen the pride and commitment that we all feel for Israel! Israel indeed is Forever with the vibrant spirit of Tribefesters on board!

Happy Pesach & Have a great Passover

NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!!!

L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim

!לשנה הבא בירושלים

Heidi Krizer Daroff &
Ariana Heideman