EVERY COLLEGE CAMPUS NEEDS ZIONIST ACTIVISTS

HOPKINS, U OF M STUDENTS FIGHT ANTI-ISRAEL SENTIMENT ON CAMPUS

By Maayan Jaffe
Baltimore Jewish Examiner

“It is very important to have people on campuses all across America that are willing to defend Israel rationally and when necessary,” said Brooke Katz, junior, the newly selected StandWithUs Emerson Fellow at Johns Hopkins.

Katz and Seth Finkelstein, a junior at the University of Maryland, are among the 38 college students chosen out of more than 120 by StandWithUs this year to educate about Israel on their campuses. The program is funded by philanthropists Rita and Steve Emerson.

Both Katz and Finkelstein have been involved with Israel activism for the past several years. Katz is a member of the Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel. Finkelstein is on the board of TERPAC, Maryland’s Israeli culture group. Katz said she sees Israel being attacked more often “than most people would care to admit.” She applied for the fellowship to make a difference.

Neither Maryland nor Hopkins have a reputation for virulent anti-Israel sentiment. Nonetheless, the students feel their role is essential. Finkelstein said that while there is a huge pro-Israel movement at U of M, there is also a big anti-Israel movement. Recently, a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine emerged. Last year, students participated in Palestine Solidarity Week. Finkelstein said his role is to show the Israeli side.

At Hopkins, the anti-Israel sentiment emerges more on a person-to-person scale, explained Katz. It’s quiet, but there’s an undertone.
“Last year we surveyed 500 students at Hopkins to find out how much they knew about Israel. … A handful of people responded in a very negative manner and those responses were terrifying,” she said.

Katz, originally from New York, also spoke about a “secret” Web site on campus where students can post anonymous messages.

“There have been incidents when kids published such anti-Israel and anti-Jewish things,” said Katz. “There needs to be a point person on campus to defend Israel in these instances.”

As part of the fellowship, Katz and Finkelstein were trained to run pro-Israel events on their campuses. They began by attending an August conference in Los Angeles, learning skills and facts to help them clarify Israel’s image. Throughout the year, they’ll be able to network with other fellows across the country.

Finkelstein, originally from Philadelphia, said one of his goals is to shine positive light on Israel, highlighting the country’s technological advances, robust cultural experience and superb level of human rights. He calls it “seeing Israel beyond the conflict” and plans to host speakers and run programs that will achieve this aim.

Katz already launched events to this effect. Earlier this year, she brought three participants of Israel’s “Kochav Nolad” (the popular TV series equivalent to “American Idol”).

“We brought kids on campus to this fun night to see who Israelis really are. People got a feel for how diverse Israel is,” she said, noting that the performers consisted of an Israeli named Moran, a Russian immigrant and an Ethiopian immigrant. “Israel needs to show its face and not just its military.”

At the end of the year, the students will be eligible to join StandWithUs' Taglit Birthright Israel trip or to be chosen to intern at the StandWithUs office in Israel.
"It's important to hear both sides," said Finkelstein. "I am trying to be an educated voice."