As a pro-Israel student government senator at UC Berkeley, Ariel Mizrahi has engaged in emotionally charged conversations about the Jewish state with fellow students. “I find myself at the heart of a historically complex environment, one that has often been challenging for Jewish and Israeli students,” she said.
However, instead of villainizing those who have different opinions than her, Mizrahi aims to engage in meaningful dialogue and hopefully make a positive change. “Navigating these waters has not been easy, but it has highlighted the urgent need for coalition building and engaging in uncomfortable conversations,” she said.
Mizrahi learned how to converse with those who have varying opinions on Israel through her involvement with Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC), an organization that empowers American college students to be pro-Israel on campus. Mizrahi is an ICC Geller International Fellow, a leadership cohort made up of 40 U.S. college students that culminates in a 10-day trip to Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, she recently attended ICC’s National Leadership Summit (NLS), which took place in early August in Washington, D.C.
At NLS, Mizrahi was part of a group of 400 college students that attended seminars led by pro-Israel influencers like Hen Mazzig, Jonah Platt and Daniella Rabbani, learned about topics like Zionism on social media and using AI for activism and discovered how to speak with impact. “The summit equipped me with the tools to approach conversations with empathy and facts, enabling me to share personal stories and perspectives that foster understanding,” Mizrahi said. “By applying the skills gained from the summit, I aim to facilitate discussions that challenge misconceptions and promote informed viewpoints.”
Jordan Eskew, who was also at NLS, goes to the University of San Diego and is majoring in International Relations and pre-law with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. She isn’t Jewish, but through ICC, she said she learned that “being a leader in the pro-Israel community does not look a specific way. Each individual has an incredibly complex and personal experience that have shaped them to be the person that they are today. I have learned how special this truly is, and the rawness of this conference is unlike anywhere else.”
Being part of NLS gave Eskew the information she needed to take back to her campus and stand up for Israel. “Debate is futile without accurate and current facts,” she said. “However, the more you can humanize a topic, the more the conversation becomes productive. The reality is that we are all people. We all want the same things: shelter, safety and protection for our kids, resources and security. We are all just fighting to find it. Being a pro-Israel student on campus just means humanizing the Israelis and the people who support Israel. It shouldn’t inherently be controversial.”
According to Jacob Baime, CEO of ICC, the summit is helping students combat the anti-Israel sentiments, as well as antisemitism, that are happening on and off campus. “We are witnessing a troubling trend where anti-Israel activists are no longer hiding behind a veneer of political criticism of Israel but are openly spewing antisemitism both online and in person,” he said.
Though there are well-funded and professional anti-Israel forces out there targeting the campus space, ICC’s student leaders are able to fight back against misinformation and pave the way for more understanding of Israel amongst their peers. “The National Leadership Summit is one step in ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students to engage in open and respectful dialogue and work together to combat antisemitism head-on,” Baime said. “Despite very real challenges, the summit gave me hope that by working together, we can foster understanding, counter false narratives and ensure a strong U.S.-Israel relationship endures for the next generation.”
