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As part of its broader efforts to address rising antisemitism on North American college campuses, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) regularly hosts educational seminars for Hasbara Fellowships student delegations visiting Israel. Over the past year, CAM has organized four such seminars, with more than 100 students from 70 different schools participating.
The latest seminar was held on Thursday in Tel Aviv, with Nisell briefing students from 32 academic institutions on current global antisemitism trends and data, as well as CAM’s latest projects and programs to counter the global surge of antisemitism in the October 7th aftermath, with a particular focus on the campus front.
“This is the fourth Hasbara Fellowships group we’ve welcomed,” Nisell said. “Many students have told us that, even with all the organizations that are active, they still don’t have the tools to fight antisemitism on their campuses. So this is what we are providing them, including our new F.A.C.E. Action Plan, which we encourage them to bring home as CAM Fellows and initiate at their schools.”
“Beyond tools, we are further offering them a platform to interact with leading decisionmakers at CAM events and summits across North America,” Nisell added.
Thursday’s seminar also included presentations by Luai Ahmed, a Yemen-born social media influencer now a refugee based in Sweden, who shared his personal story and offered insights on the fight against online antisemitism, and CAM Senior Advisor Revital Yakin Krakovsky, a communications expert who outlined strategies to counter narratives propagated by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
“Since October 7th, Jewish students on campuses have been under brutal and violent attack,” Yakin Krakovsky said. “Despite this, they stand strong against hatred, proud of their Jewish identity and their deep connection to the State of Israel.”
“CAM recognizes the immense resilience required of them during this most difficult period for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, both in Israel and in the Diaspora,” she added. “We seek to strengthen them and provide them with the knowledge, tools, and connections to help them fight antisemitism on campus. I was filled with hope and pride to meet these students, and CAM will continue to assist them as needed.”
“CAM did a phenomenal job in providing a great afternoon leadership seminar with two highly impactful speakers and great content, knowledge, and real activist strategies to help the Hasbara Fellows succeed on campus,” said Israel Ambassadors Founder Michael Eglash. “We appreciate CAM for making this seminar happen and the top-level speakers and tools provided.”
Brandeis University student Belle Shatzkes noted, “Luai and Revital’s stories and sessions were informative, engaging, and extremely enjoyable. They inspired me to take action on my campus in a more vocal, compassionate way.”
David Leder, a student at Columbia University, said, “CAM provided us with necessary tools to combat antisemitism and the lies spewed about Israel across campuses. Most intriguing was a talk from Luai Ahmed, a Yemeni Muslim who grew up radicalized to hate Jews and today is an advocate for Israel. This gives me hope that the most indoctrinated university students can still have a change of heart about Israel. This is why we must continue to share the truth with our peers on campus.”
Romie Avivi Stuhl, from the University of Oregon, said, “CAM provided me with new inspiration for why the fight against antisemitism is so important. My biggest takeaway is that every conversation is important and nothing is impossible.”
