A special Israeli youth delegation, including Druze, Arabs, Jews, Ethiopian immigrants and representatives of the gay community, plans to leave next week on a unique public diplomacy campaign at leading US and Canadian universities. The delegation, entitled “Faces of Israel”, was formed at the initiative of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein, with the assistance of the Foreign Ministry, and is designed to have Israelis present Israel. All members of the delegation volunteered to undergo special training to present, and represent, abroad the true faces of Israeli society.

They will deal with a complex public diplomacy mission opposite young students like themselves and other organizations which, on campus, are promoting activities to incite against, and defame, Israel and are portraying it as an apartheid state, in the framework of a week of highlighted activities to be held next month.

The delegation’s activities will lead into a main event that will take place in New York on Sunday, March 6th, in which Minister Edelstein will speak on the importance of the struggle against the campaign to delegitimize Israel, MK Dalia Itzik will discuss women’s rights in Israel and MK Majallie Whbee will speak on equal opportunity in Israel. The event will also feature a performance of “Zionist hip-hop” by Hadag Nahash.