Jews under fire: Students brace for tough year

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For most students, the dog days of August are one final chance for summer traditions such as hitting the beach or visiting national parks with their families before heading back to campus. 

For dozens of pro-Israel college students, however, learning how to combat increasing anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activism on campus was their focus during summer’s final weeks.

Over 80 students from nearly 70 campuses attended a conference in Boston organized by CAMERA (the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America).

“Reports of intimidation on campus are becoming all too common across the globe,” said Aviva Slomich, CAMERA’s international campus director. “Unfortunately campus anti-Semitism seems to be on the rise, which explains why so many students are eager to learn the skills that are offered at CAMERA’s conference.”

Anti-Semitic activity was twice as likely to occur on campuses where BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign) was present, eight times more likely to occur on campuses with at least one active anti-Zionist student group such as SJP (Students for Justice in Palestine), and six times more likely to occur on campuses with one or more faculty boycotter, noted a report by the AMCHA Initiative.

The three-day CAMERA event, now in its sixth year, allows students to put the knowledge they gain from its seminars to practical use, such as learning techniques on how to talk with extreme anti-Israel activists and how to work within student government to fight BDS resolutions. These culminate in an impassioned mock BDS hearing on the last day, where students experience first-hand the challenges they may face during the school year.

Rezwan Ovo Haq, a University of Central Florida economics and political science student, told JNS.org that the CAMERA conference helped him set the foundation to combat anti-Israel activity on campus. Haq, however, is not your normal pro-Israel student. He shared his unique experience at the conference in session called “Why I left SJP and joined a CAMERA supported group.” 

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