LAKELAND, Fla. (Jan. 26, 2007) — Four Florida Southern College students will make a presentation for the Polk County Chapter of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America. The program takes place Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. at Temple Emanuel in Lakeland. The students will address the topic "Answering the Call to Duty: Mandatory Service in Israel." Dr. Catherine R. Eskin, the Hadassah programming coordinator and an English professor at Florida Southern, explains, “Many of us are unaware of the implications of mandatory military service and the ways that service breeds both nationalism and civic responsibility in citizens.” The event costs $10, with proceeds going to Youth Aliyah, a Hadassah-affiliated organization that helps underprivileged youth in Israel. Please call the Temple Office (682-8616) by Feb. 7 to reserve a place.

All of the student participants were born in Israel and three of them have already done their mandatory service before enrolling at FSC. Refael Ishakov is a sophomore biology major from Kiryat Gat, Israel. Maoz Ishakov, a sophomore business administration major, and Liron Kirsh, a sophomore computer science/math major reside in Lakeland, Fla. Noa Sharf is a senior communication/advertising major from Kingston, Jamaica.

Refael Ishakov and Kirsh are both Weinstein scholars, a program that provides a full scholarship to FSC for Israeli citizens. Maoz Ishakov is on partial scholarship as a soccer player and Noa Sharf is the managing editor of the college’s yearbook, Interlachen.  “I am very proud of the way these students always come out for the Jewish community, and even more excited at the way they are taking it upon themselves to inform the larger Lakeland community about their country,” said Eskin. 

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 13:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor’s institutions and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.