When traveling with his family to visit British relatives in London or even to the United States, the Tel Aviv resident said he's heard horrible things about Israel and disapproval when he mentioned where he's from. It bothered him so much he felt he had to do something about it.

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Merav Habte, 16, from Maaleh Adumim, whose parents were born in Ethiopia, wanted to learn about the rise of anti-Semitism in the world and how to counter it, as well as ways of expressing her own personal stories about Israel and her family's experiences to others.

That's why they signed up for an initiative, started in November by the pro-Israel organization StandWithUs, called Tevel ("universe" in Hebrew), which focuses on teaching Israeli high-schoolers about leadership and diplomacy – namely, how to present Israel accurately abroad.

The participants, all in 10th grade, meet weekly either in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv and hear from speakers – many of them StandWithUs alumni or team members – about Israel's history, development, economy and perception, among other topics.

Some of the subjects Green and Habte, along with other teens in the program, analyze include how to differentiate legitimate and illegitimate criticism about Israel; the image of Israel from an outside perspective; the goals of the BDS movement; complexities in Israeli society and how they appear outside of the country; Israel's history in an activist's perspective; minorities in Israel; debate skills and how to answer tough questions about Israel; how to speak in front of a camera; and the history of the United Nations, with its biases and often negative influences on Israel, and about its policies and military.

Muhammad Zuabi, an Arab Israeli IDF soldier, spoke to the students about his decision to defend his homeland, the eventual support he got from his parents – despite their initial shock and confusion – and also how the fight for Israel's right to exist is "not only a Jewish fight, but an Israeli fight," said Green.

"The goal of Tevel is to be an educational platform that gives young Israeli leaders a place to grow as leaders with a strong connection to their country," its director, Alon Sternberg, told JNS. "I want to teach the students about the challenges that Israel face in the global arena and how to respond. I want to find the young passionate students that won't have the chance to express themselves in school and give them a chance to blossom."

Currently, 40 students are enrolled in the program, half girls and half boys, with half from Tel Aviv and half from Jerusalem.

Field trips complement the lectures and in-class learning. During a recent visit to the Knesset, for example, they met with Giora Furdis, a spokesperson of the Israeli election committee who offered ideas about how to make the voting process easier.

Participants must also volunteer to boost their hands-on knowledge of Israel's culture, heritage, history and demographic composition to use in sharing personal stories and experiences abroad. Some students collect and donate food to those who can't afford meals; others work with Holocaust survivors, young children or those with special needs.

Green has been volunteering at a senior-care facility near Tel Aviv for a month now. He said he has been inspired by the residents, including one man who was 14 when he helped with the war effort in 1948, just as the state of Israel was established. "The incredible things that he did when he was 14 I can't imagine doing when I'm even 18," acknowledged Green. "I'm just generally in awe of the amazing stuff that they've done."

As for Habte, she and a friend are starting their own project, where a chef will teach Arab and Jewish children how to cook each other's cuisines in an effort to improve relations and stress commonalities of living in the Middle East.

Tevel participants attend different high schools in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and come from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, both religious and secular. What unites them is their passion for Israel and the desire to help tell Israel's story to the world. The students are encouraged to use English to communicate with non-Hebrew speakers when traveling outside of Israel.

During one session focused on "answering tough questions," students practiced (and then were coached on) how to respond to accusations against Israel, such as it being a racist country, an "apartheid state" and not a democracy.

Green remembers practicing in class how to respond to the claim that the West Bank is "the largest prison on earth," run by Israel.

He said students were taught why the security wall was erected in the first place – to help protect Israeli civilians against violence and terrorism encouraged by Palestinian leadership – and step-by-step techniques on countering such arguments to "get the message across in the most optimal way," including making sure that askers not feel attacked or offended, so they can really listen to responses.

"At first, we need to sympathize with them," said Habte. "Tell them, 'OK, this is a really good question' and try to get to know the person first. That's how we'll get people to listen to us."

The session on how to answer tough questions has been Habte's favorite in the program so far and also one of the most important things she has ever learned, she told JNS.

She recalled an instance in Chicago when someone told her that Israel does not exist – that it's really Palestine. Habte said, "To be honest, I had no idea what to say. I was just shocked and quiet. So this session really helped me know what I need to do. Now I have more confidence in myself that I know what to say and how to respond."

She also appreciated hearing from Charlotte Korchak, director of international student programs at StandWithUs, who compared the Jewish state's history with Israel's image around the world, and focused on the country's ancestral roots – topics not explored in a typical high-school history class, stressed Habte.

'Expressing personal stories from our point of view'

The program is also geared to emphasize and develop valuable life skills.

"Every other session deals with how to speak in front of people – whether it's debate skills, or body language and how to move yourself in space, and move your arms in order to get your message across in the most optimal way," explained Green. "We recently did a session about how to answer really tough questions about Israel and learned that sometimes you have to admit that you don't really know the answer, which is important. If you pretend you know the answer for everything when in fact you don't, it gives the wrong message across. That's a good thing to learn. Also how to be in front of a camera, give a speech or statement, and even this interview right now is highly effective by the skills that I acquired there."

He said his favorite part about Tevel is the open forum that leaves opportunity for a wide range of discussions – whether it's about minority groups in Israel or even the Australian bushfires – because it keeps the sessions interesting and "very stimulating."

"The program is not just about coming and listening to lectures every week. It's about expressing personal stories from our point of view," added Habte.

Sternberg said that young people "have to confront the issues that they see on social media, and they have questions. And in the educational system, they don't talk about these kinds of issues. They teach them things they need to know about [Israel's] history, but they don't talk about it from a strategic point of view or from an activist point of view."

"Some kids have an interest in being involved in politics one day, and they know a lot more than most grown-ups, and this program challenges them," he said. "It gives them a place to structure their own point of view for the future."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Speaking with ESPN, the head of the Qatari committee organizing the 2022 FIFA World Cup Hassan al-Thawadi, said his country will serve as host for all nationalities during the monthlong event. "Everyone is welcome. We do not mix sport and politics, but we would hope that Palestinians are able to make it too," he said Tuesday.

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Over the past several years Gulf states have allowed Israelis to use their airports for layovers and even granted visas for Israeli delegation members for various international conventions or sporting events, but if Israelis are allowed to enter Qatar at will, this will be unprecedented.

The FIFA Ethics Code prohibits host countries from discriminating fans based on their nationality during official sporting events.

The Israel advocacy group StandWithUs has repeatedly called on the international soccer governing body to ensure Israelis would be allowed to visit Qatar during the tournament in 2022.

The organization welcomed the apparent decision to let Israelis enter freely.

"[StandWithUs] cautiously welcomes comments by Hassan al-Thawadi," the NGO said. "StandWithUs has repeatedly called upon FIFA, the international football/soccer association, to ensure that the Qatari government will issue entry visas to Israeli fans wishing to attend the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar in 2022. To date, Israel is not included in Qatar's online list of nearly 250 nationalities and territories eligible for an entry visa."

The organization reiterated its call to make an official announcement on the matter.

"FIFA's Code of Ethics unambiguously forbid the banning of people based on their country of origin. Article 22 proscribes "offend[ing] the dignity or integrity of a country, private person or group of people through contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory words or actions on account of race, skin color, ethnicity, nationality, social origin, gender, disability, language, religion, political opinion or any other opinion, wealth, birth or any other status, sexual orientation or any other reason," it said. "We call upon FIFA to uphold their Code of Ethics, which is premised on protecting international football from 'illegal, immoral or unethical' practices. If Qatar is allowed to ban fans on the basis of national origin, this would be a clear violation of FIFA's guidelines," said Roz Rothstein CEO and Co-Founder of StandWithUs.

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Aboubakr, 30, defines himself as a Zionist. His sympathy for Israel forced him out of Egypt and in the last seven years he has been living in the United States. He moved to Los Angeles after getting a job with Stand With Us – a non-profit pro-Israel education and advocacy organization, seeking to bolster Israel's image among the American public.

Our interview is conducted in Hebrew, which Aboubakr speaks fluently and with a barely detectable accent.

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"There's a new generation today of Western Arabs who grew up in the US, speak English and understand how to take advantage of the system," he said. "They were brought up to honor the edicts of Islam even though they are completely secular. People like that are, in fact, the driving force behind BDS. They run an anti-Israel campaign in American academia, but they also have an anti-US campaign.

"They think I'm a traitor. They come to my lectures to heckle me. They won't hear of anti-Semitism in the Arab world and they accuse me of racism."

Touching on current affairs and the recent flare-up in southern Israel during which Islamic Jihad terrorists fired over 450 rockets at Israel in retaliation over the elimination of top Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata in his Gaza home, Aboubakr said, "It's hard for me to see Israelis undergo this annual rocket event. Usually, there is [security] escalation, then Hamas receives more money from Qatar, and uses most of it to increase its arsenal. Israel eliminated a terrorist, not a social worker."

'We were told Jews are evil'

Aboubakr was born and raised in Giza, a few miles from the pyramids. He has three brothers and a sister. His father, Ahmed, was a banker at one of the largest government banks in Egypt. His mother, Huda, is a housewife.

"We were a typical family when it came to religion," he said. "We would go to the mosque with my dad every Friday and fast during the holy month of Ramadan. But unlike many religious families, there was a television in the house, and at some point, there was even internet."

At the age of 11, Aboubakr became interested in religion.

"I delved into the Quran and became a devout Muslim. I also started hanging out with Salafists – they're like the haredim of the Muslim world – and that was steeped with anti-Semitism. There were stories about how the Jews tried to kill the Prophet Muhammad after what they did to Jesus.

"They called Jews 'traitors' and said they were 'evil,' and I believed that. At that time – it was post 9/11 – whenever you would turn on the TV you'd see the war in Afghanistan and later in Iraq. This was also the height of the Second Intifada in Israel. All we saw was how Muslims were getting killed everywhere. That tied into everything I heard at the mosque and I started to believe that Jews were the source of all evil."

At this point, he said, he decided to learn more about Jews so he could fight them more successfully.

"At the age of 14, I began studying the issue independently," he recalled. "I stopped going to the mosque and just searched the internet to read and understand more. Then I discovered that reality was totally different and that Israel has values such as tolerance and humanity.

"It was a difficult moment. I discovered the moral gap between my background and Western culture, especially with respect to Israel. All of a sudden, you realize that there is nothing to the stories that were drilled into you, that there's no one in Israel who gets up in the morning and thinks up ways to harm Egypt."

This was a defining moment for Aboubakr and the ensuing personal crisis was unavoidable.

"I completely lost my faith. We all want to believe that all religions are similar and impart values for human relationships but in reality, religious systems are archaic and so are their ideas – certainly Islam, which has caused so much harm in the world.

"I decided to keep the change I was going through a secret. It's not like I could tell the people around me that Israel is right and that there is no Palestine."

"All of a sudden, you realize that there is nothing to the stories that were drilled into you, that there's no one in Israel who gets up in the morning and thinks up ways to harm Egypt"

In college, Aboubakr began studying Hebrew, something he said was "very usual, because you can use it during your military service" – like Israel, Egypt has compulsory military service from men – "and after the service you can use it if you teach or work in the media, so it didn't raise suspicion.

"The Oriental languages Department, where I studied, was set up in the 1960s as part of the fight against Zionism. Like many other things in Egypt, these things began when [Egyptian President Gamal Abdel] Nasser came to power and are frozen in time. My professors didn't speak very good Hebrew."

Presumed guilty

The outdated material frustrated Aboubakr and in late 2009, he decided to visit the Israeli Academic Center in Cairo, established in the early 1980s after Egypt and Israel inked their peace treaty.

Many in Egypt believe the center actually houses secret Israeli espionage headquarters, he said.

"I was curious to visit there, to speak Hebrew," he explained. "The first time I only met the security guard, who spoke to me a little in Hebrew. On my second visit, I met the director of the center, Prof. Gabi Rosenbaum. After I left, Egyptian security personnel approached me on the street and started asking me questions, like why I was there. They also called my friends to gather information about me."

About a week later, the Egyptian National Security Agency contacted Aboubakr and ordered him not to set foot in the center again, as well as abandon his studies.

"I refused. I shared the story on my blog and eventually Israeli media picked it up," he said.

Three days later, he and his father were arrested.

"My father promised them that the family will handle it. Afterward, he and my uncles gave me a long talking-to, but I told them I no longer consider myself a Muslim. They were deeply offended. The men hit me. The women were sobbing. I left home that very day. It was the last time I saw them."

The disconnect lasted nearly a decade.

"My mother contacted me last April, she found me on Facebook," he said. "Lately, we've been talking on the phone every week. My younger brother got married recently and she sent me videos of the wedding. I have no contact with my father or anyone else from my family. Maybe in the future, but I'm not ready yet."

After leaving home, Aboubakr went to live with friends, first in Cairo and later in Alexandria. He also became a prolific blogger, writing about the anti-Semitism in Egypt.

And he was firmly on the Egyptian National Security Agency's radar.

"It became an absurd, repetitive situation. I would be taken in for questioning, they would ask me which Israelis I was in contact with and why I posted a certain text on the blog, I would apologize, and they would let me go," he said.

"At the end of 2010, I was supposed to enlist in the army. In Egypt, if you study for a degree you go into service after you graduate and every year they announce which degrees are relevant for conscription. Anyone with a degree in Hebrew is automatically enlisted because of the same Nasser-era mental fixation.

"Once I was drafted, instead of sending me to boot camp, I was taking in for questioning in an intelligence unit. They had pictures of any Israeli I ever spoke with, reports on every word I ever typed. They were sure I was some kind of spy."

Aboubakr was then jailed for two months.

"No formal charges were ever filed – all they had were suspicions that I was a 'Zionist agent.' I was put in solitary confinement and tortured. My family didn't even know I was there. They let me go after two months. I was also discharged from the army. The discharge papers cited, 'Poses a threat to the integrity of the Egyptian social fabric.'

"I didn't know what to do next. I went to my friends in Alexandria, but they didn't understand what I was going through. These things don't usually happen – most people are 'normal,' no one has run-ins with the authorities, and even if they do, it's usually over religion, not things like Israel.

"I never consider myself a political activist, just someone who expands his interests. I knew that I was neither an agent nor a spy, and I didn't understand what I was doing wrong that I was being interrogated that way."

And then came the Arab Spring.

Conspiracy theories

Tahrir Square in Cairo, where masses gathered, demanding the ouster of then-President Hosni Mubarak had ostensibly subversive ideas and demands for reforms but they, too, were very anti-Israel, he said.

"It was very strange. As much as they [protesters] came out against religion and tradition, when it came to Israel – it was still the enemy. This hatred is instilled from an early age.

"Once Mubarak was ousted and the Muslim Brotherhood came to power, anti-Semitism grew. The government-controlled media featured intimidating headlines saying that 'Israeli tanks are on their way to Sinai' and 'the Zionist army's ships are about to attack us.' They wanted to create a panic, to convince people that the revolution was an Israeli conspiracy. When new politicians were trying to win over voters, the strongest accusation you could throw at them was that they were 'in service of the Jews.'"

The anti-Semitism grew more intense until it erupted on Sept. 9, 2011, when thousands of Egyptian protesters rushed the Israeli Embassy in Giza, Greater Cairo, after breaking down a recently constructed wall built to protect the compound. Six members of the embassy's staff, who had been in a safe room, were extracted by Egyptian commandos, at the personal intervention of then-US President Barack Obama.

A few months after that, Aboubakr lost his job. He was arrested almost immediately and detained for a week.

"When they let me go, they made it clear that I would no longer be able to get a job, that this was it – I won't be released next time. At the time, protesters could turn to human rights organizations for help. I couldn't do that because they, too, saw me as an Israeli agent. I knew no one would save me."

After six months in hiding and with the help of some friends, Aboubakr was able to reach the American Embassy in Cairo where he sought – and received – asylum.

Two weeks later, he was able to leave Egypt and head to Los Angeles.

'Israel isn't perfect, but I love it'

During his first year in LA, Aboubakr was unable to find his place among the local Muslim community, which did not exactly welcome him with open arms.

Through his contacts in the Israeli academia, he was able to contact Dr. Nir Boms, a research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, who put him in touch with the local Jewish community.

He first worked at a warehouse and then managed to find work teaching Hebrew at an Orthodox Jewish high school in the Valley area. In 2013, he moved to the picturesque town of Monterey and enlisted in the US Army.

"I went through boot camp after which I was stationed at a base that has an educational center for language studies. I taught Hebrew to officers and US Army officials who work with Israel."

In 2018, he visited Israel for the first time, an experience that, given his extensive knowledge of all things Israel, he described as surreal.

"It was the first time I was in an environment that was very similar to the one I knew in Egypt. Israelis sometimes like to 'sell' themselves to the West in Western-looking photos of beautiful beaches and girls, but Israel is first and foremost a Middle Eastern country," he said.

"For the first time, I experienced the culture I came from – the food, the smells, the atmosphere, the noise, the mentality – with an atmosphere of freedom. It made me want to explain to the Arabs how it feels to live their life, only with freedom. Israel is what the Arab world can be but is unable to be."

The atmosphere in Jerusalem, he said, "is much more Middle Eastern than the one in Tel Aviv. When I walked through the streets it was clear to people that I was a foreigner, but they didn't know exactly where I was from, and I could feel the tension in the air. There are some problematic Middle East issues there, that I knew about from [living in] Egypt. But it's not violent. You can live with it."

Arriving in Israel and going through security at Ben-Gurion International Airport with the name Hussein Aboubakr was an "interesting experience," he said, smiling.

"It was after I became a US citizen and held an American passport, but it says I was born in Egypt. And I spoke Hebrew at passport control and they panicked. I was detained for questioning because they tried to understand how a guy named Hussein, who was born in Egypt, came to Israel from the US and speaks Hebrew. It took me a while to explain.

"Leaving Israel was more complicated. They [airport security] gave me the strictest security rating, six, which required full scrutiny of all my things and a comprehensive physical examination. So I was delayed and underwent a full body search, every inch, before I was allowed to board the plane. I visited Israel again a few months later and had to go through the same inspection. It wasn't a pleasant experience."

"I know Israel is not perfect, I'm friends with enough Israelis to know that, but I support it and I love it," he stated.

'I want to debunk Arab myths about Israel'

Aboubakr defines himself as "an Egyptian-American from a Muslim background. This may include a religious affiliation – I can't say I'm a practicing Muslim – but it also expresses a cultural-historical identity and affiliation. I'm a spiritual person and I believe in a higher power."

His life, he said, has taken a surreal twist.

"This is the last thing I expected my life to be. It's very strange, but it feels good. It feels right. I want people to understand that you don't have to become like someone else to understand them. You don't have to be Jewish to understand what anti-Semitism is. I'm not thinking about converting to prove it, because there is no need. I have Stars of David at home because I love Jewish art. Learning Hebrew changed my life."

But Aboubakr was less optimistic as to the possibility that Egypt will undergo a real liberal revolution.

"Egypt may like to boast that it is a modern and developed country in the heart of the Middle East, but in reality, as far back as the 1970s, it has been undergoing a gradual process of religification. I was born in 1989 into a secular home and within 10 years not one woman in my family walked around without a headdress.

"I am optimistic about the future of the Middle East, because the smartphone I, and an increasing number of people hold in our hands will change the world. Today there is access to everything, and Arab states are not sophisticated enough to systematically block and censor everything. This could be the beginning of something good."

When it comes to Arabs from "non-friendly" countries visiting Israel, like the Saudi blogger, Aboubakr said that while this was a welcome phenomenon, "There is still a very big psychological barrier. I hope to do something similar – to visit Israel, take photos and show Arabs what Israel is really like; to show that Muslims are not limited when it comes to observing their beliefs. I want to debunk these myths."

Aboubakr said he misses Egypt very much, but going back simply isn't an option.

"I can't go back there – I'll be arrested at the airport. It's no secret that I'm a Zionist, I work for a Zionist organization, and under Egyptian law that's grounds to have your citizenship revoked. They'll probably do that after I publish my book, A Minority of One. It's currently in the editing stage.

Asked if his life experiences have bred political aspirations, Aboubakr says the thought hasn't even crossed his mind.

"I want to be a teacher," he said. "I haven't pursued my academic studies to make it happen, because it costs a lot, and I don't have good grades from college [in Egypt] or recommendations from professors. I came from an anti-Semitic system, so [they] deliberately gave me low scores. My alternative is to study in Israel. Maybe I'll live there for a while."

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The organization made the plea after it was revealed that Israel was not included in the online list of countries from which foreigners can obtain an entry visa to the Arab state for the purpose of attending the soccer competition.

Qatar has no official relations with Israel and Israelis are generally not allowed to enter its territory. But the FIFA Ethics Code prohibits host countries from discriminating fans based on their nationality during official sporting events.

"We call upon FIFA not to score an own goal and to uphold their code of ethics, which is premised on protecting international football from 'illegal, immoral or unethical' practices. If Qatar is allowed to ban fans on the basis of national origin, this would be a clear violation of FIFA's guidelines," CEO and Co-Founder of StandWithUs Roz Rothstein said.

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In response to a request for clarification from the World Chess Federation, the organization issued a letter saying players from all countries, "without exception," are invited to participate in the tournament.

The World Chess Federation had demanded that the North African country confirm it would provide visas to all participants or else risk losing the right to host the competition, following a campaign by Israel advocacy group StandWithUs.

After Tunisia initially showed no signs that it intended to let European School Individual chess champion Liel Levitan in to Tunisia to play in the tournament, the group launched a campaign called "Let Liel Play" in which hundreds of Israel supporters signed a petition demanding that she be allowed entry. StandWithUs also wrote to World Chess Federation Administrative Manager Polina Tsedenova about the matter.

In a statement, StandWithUs representative Gilad Kabilo said Tunisia's decision to provide visas to all participants was "an unprecedented achievement, which shows that civil pressure by Israel supporters on international organizations works. We welcome the statement, and we will continue to act to defend the dignity of Israeli athletes."

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Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs launched a campaign to pressure the World Chess Federation to ensure European School Individual chess champion Liel Levitan is allowed to participate in the upcoming championships in Tunisia.

The North African country does not have diplomatic ties with Israel and does not allow Israelis to enter the country. As of yet, Tunisia has shown no signs it was willing to make an exception for Levitan.

After hundreds of letters were sent to the World Chess Federation demanding Levitan be allowed to compete, Administrative Manager Polina Tsedenova said the World Chess Federation was taking the "the necessary measures" to pressure Tunisia to allow entry to all competitors.

She said that "we have requested an urgent explanation from the Tunisian Chess Federation. We are also sending them a separate letter requesting written confirmation that the 2019 World Schools Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Tunisia, will provide visas to all participants. Only after that will the organization of the tournament be confirmed for them."

According to a report in The Jerusalem Post, StandWithUs spokesperson Gilad Kabilo said the federation's response was "unprecedented and represents a breakthrough in the accountability of international sports organizations regarding the mistreatment of Israeli athletes in world sporting events."

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