On morning of March 3, four SHS students, senior Uliana Metalitskaya and juniors Grace Lefton, Abigail Lefton, and Daniel Polasky took a 7:00 a.m. flight to Washington D.C for the 2018 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference.

“AIPAC’s mission is to strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of Israel and the United States.

“Our staff and citizen activists educate decision-makers about the bonds that unite the United States and Israel and how it is in America’s best interest to help ensure that Israel is safe, strong and secure,” according to AIPAC.

The conference was held from March 4 to 6, during which participants had an opportunity sit in on speeches from well known politicians and Israeli entrepreneurs.

Q&A with juniors Daniel Polasky and Grace Lefton and senior Uliana Metalitskaya

Q: How was your first day?

Polasky: The first day was fantastic! I was expecting it to be very overwhelming, but AIPAC made everything very manageable. The havdallah service was great, and it was a great introduction to the weekend. I was very excited!

Lefton: With the weather on the east coast being dicey, I was a little  weary about boarding the plane, and the pilot expressed it would be a bumpy ride. To my excitement,  it was a smooth ride.

Metalitskaya: My first day of AIPAC was amazing. We went to the cool restaurant and national history museum. This trip gave me so many opportunities to meet many important people and lots of CEOs. I think this will help me build connections and relationships with many people in the future.