itrek Leader Spotlight: Peter Fishkind, Penn Law 2017

The itrek Team

April 24, 2019

Our itrek leaders are from some of the best MBA, Law, Policy, and STEM programs around the world. Each of the leaders has a passion for Israel that they want to share with their peers. We’re talking with some alumni leaders to learn how itrek made an impact on them, how they stay connected with friends from the trip, and where their path has take them.

Name: Peter Fishkind

Age: 26

School: University of Pennsylvania Law School

Current Location: Great Neck, New York

Job: Associate Attorney at Proskauer Rose LLP, Commercial litigation

Date of itrek: March 2016 & 2017

Why did you want to lead an itrek?

I served as one of the co-leaders of the first two itreks at Penn Law. I wanted to lead our itreks because I knew the real Israel and saw that most of my peers were only getting a partial picture of the country. I can’t point to a particular moment when I realized the extent of the disconnect, but one period that stands out is the time around Operation Protective Edge and viewing the way many were characterizing the conflict on social media. People were coming from a lack of information and in my mind, it was easier for me to say I have the utmost confidence that I can bring you to this place I know and you will get a more wholesome perspective if you come see it.

"People were coming from a lack of information and in my mind, it was easier for me to say I have the utmost confidence that I can bring you to this place I know and you will get a more wholesome perspective if you come see it."

What was your first year leading itrek like?

We did informational sessions and posted on social media to recruit for the trek. We also reached out to students that we felt had high leadership capacities. When it came time to evaluate the applications of those interested in attending, we prioritized both those leadership capabilities as well as filling our trip with a diverse group of participants to enhance our programming. In targeting those students, we felt we could show them Israel in a light that they would not have seen otherwise. In general, we were overwhelmed by the amount of interest in the program and received extremely positive feedback, with many students saying it was the best thing they did in law school.

"In general, we were overwhelmed by the amount of interest in the program and received extremely positive feedback, with many students saying it was the best thing they did in law school."

What did you learn after leading your first itrek?

We changed some of the political content. While we prioritized elected leadership from the right and left our first year to describe the country’s politics, we decided to move away from that theme in Year 2. Instead, we replaced that content with a meeting with Tal Becker from the Shalom Hartman Institute to give a more general overview of the country’s political scene as it relates to its foreign policy rather than the perspectives of overtly political actors.

What was something you felt was a must-see for your fellow students?

On our treks we wanted to prioritize content about Israel distinct from issues related to the conflict. Of course, that content was always a part of our trip, but it was crucial to show participants that Israel has much more to offer the world than what it most often gets into the news for. In our first year we had a productive meeting at Teva Pharmaceuticals, showing Israel’s impact on that industry. In our second year we met with Checkpoint Software, which served as an especially timely meeting after the hacking scandals surrounding the 2016 U.S. election. Our participants learned that Israel has the second largest amount of investment in cybersecurity of any country in the world, something that they would not have known before. This showed the value of investing and building ties with Israel both in your personal life, and in your political perspective for your country, because there are real gains to be had. If you’re directly working as a legal practitioner, as a businessperson, or in policy, it’s a crucial relationship.

"This showed the value of investing and building ties with Israel both in your personal life, and in your political perspective for your country, because there are real gains to be had. If you’re directly working as a legal practitioner, as a businessperson, or in policy, it’s a crucial relationship."

What were the core elements you felt should be included in the trip?

It’s always tough because you have a number of challenges ranging from a limited time period (one week), very different interests and also level of knowledge about Israel. So you can’t always have the most high level breakdown of the trip. If I went to a random country and I didn’t have so much interaction there, I’d be lost. For us it was more of an intro to Israel, which was very successful. Participants often then had follow up questions and asked me things about Israel to help further their understanding.

What was your favorite part of the trip?

My favorite part was being in the desert the night before we would go to Masada. I thought the contrast of being there right after being in Jerusalem was incredible. It made it feel very aligned with the history and modernity of Jerusalem. We’re in the 21st century and then we go to the desert and we see something truly remarkable that happened in history and I think that all participants were able to connect with that. They understood that modern day Israel marks a special moment in Jewish history.

What is something unique about itrek?

itrek brings to Israel education the point of view that if you just show people Israel, they’ll see the virtue in it. In my experience, that was completely true. I don’t think you can find a country that has such a strong national spirit, and that is what the treks allow participants to see. Participants would be dancing at night, to then go to Masada, to then go to the Golan Heights, and it really bonded the group in a special way. I think it comes out of what itrek is and how a student on the trip could see that they were getting a lot out of it. This is furthered by the fact that there isn’t any mandate to do certain activities.

In our two years we took groups of people, including some who held animosity towards Israel, and in each group we saw significant changes in the perspectives of our participants. Every participant certainly came out of his or her trek experience seeing that there is real good in Israel. And at the end of the day it works.

How are you involved with itrek and Israel today?

In New York I have maintained my pro-Israel activism, both with itrek and with other organizations like AIPAC, where I am a member of the group’s Young Leadership Council. With itrek, it has been a pleasure to stay active in the New York alumni community. I was at a fundraising event in February. I stay in touch with my Penn law trek participants. I attended the itrek leadership weekend both to offer assistance to leaders that were planning their trip in the real time and to help build out the alumni network. The organization has cultivated a group of people who are passionate about Israel and the US-Israel relationship but more so, have a willingness to take on a leadership role and to take on potential adversity head-on. There are plenty of people who are willing to just sit on their hands, but these people want to do something about it. It’s a remarkable organization, doing crucial work and bringing together a special group of people. I wholeheartedly agree with their mission and look forward to staying involved with itrek.