Grotesque displays of antisemitism, violent exchanges between protesters and counter-protesters, students and faculty thrown to the ground by police in inexcusable displays of brutality.
These were the scenes at college campuses across the country that plastered television screens and newspapers just months ago. But to cut through the noise – and media coverage – another reality was also taking hold. It was non-violent, it was powerful and it was being led by J Street U students.
You might not have seen the spaces students organized in the wake of October 7 to support each other and process the terrible tragedy. You might not have seen our students carrying protest signs calling for a hostage release and a ceasefire deal, or the memorial services our students held to mourn the Israeli and Palestinian victims of Hamas’ attack and the war in Gaza. You almost certainly didn’t come across any articles about our students educating their peers about antisemitism.
While these stories didn’t get the coverage they deserved, they were the nuanced and dignified actions that students so desperately needed.
The weight of October 7 and the ongoing war in Gaza were difficult enough for students to navigate over the last academic year. University administrators’ counterproductive decisions, heavy-handed police officers and bad-faith right-wing efforts to meddle on campuses did nothing to defuse the situation. These dynamics only served to turn up the temperature, drive chaos and intensify division among classmates, roommates and friends.
Despite the polarization, J Street U students found partners across their campuses, especially among their own Jewish community.
In the weeks and months following October 7, all of us at J Street U witnessed a dam break in Jewish spaces as young Jews struggled to grapple with the tragedies in Israel and Palestine – and the uncomfortable questions these events raised. And our student leaders responded by extending a supportive and empowering hand.
Jewish institutional spaces – which have largely avoided engaging students who asked difficult questions about the Israeli government, occupation, or the Jewish homeland’s relationship with Palestinians – faced a dilemma. They didn’t have the material or background to support their students confronting a new, and often twisted, narrative about Israel on campus.
At one school, I sat down with a Jewish community leader who had previously hesitated to co-sponsor or publicize events with the campus J Street U chapter over misplaced fears that criticizing Israel would inhibit his students’ relationship with the Jewish homeland. But now, the conversation struck a decidedly different tone. “We need your students to lead,” he said.
Soon enough, our students were filling rooms to capacity with their Jewish peers looking for an alternative to the alienating “Israel can do no wrong” crowd on the right and the polarizing left that dehumanized all Israelis and villainized all Zionists. Our student leaders who once felt alone on their campuses now had a crowd to gather, organize and build community with.
On any given day, I’d get on the phone to check in with a student leader who had just returned from deep dialogue with peers protesting on their university’s quad and demanding the administration divest from Israel. My next meeting might be with a student who had just finished grabbing coffee with a Jewish friend who, like them, is steadfast in their Zionism but unsure of how to confront the occupation or the crisis families in Gaza face.
More often than not, J Street U leaders told me that both sides agreed on one simple truth: Israelis and Palestinians deserve peace. While many of their peers retreated into “pro-Israel” or “pro-Palestine” corners, our students blazed an alternative route. “I choose the side of humanity,” one leader said.
And clearly, their message resonated.
The path that our students carved for their peers has become indispensable to their community members who, by and large, represent a mainstream middle ground that believes the Jewish people have a right to a homeland and the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians matter. This middle ground maintains that no form of hatred – including antisemitism – can be tolerated and that campuses must be a safe space for all students.
At a recent gathering where students were preparing to return to classes in the coming days, they said they’re ready to hit the ground running.
“I’m truly myself when I’m here,” one student told me. “We’ve all had such a difficult year, facing challenges none of us anticipated. But this weekend, we shared an experience that reminds us how powerful we are.”
“J Street U is the best thing that happened to me last year,” said another student, who turned to their campus chapter for community in the wake of October 7.
This fall, J Street U is returning to college campuses with more members, more chapters and more supporting staff than ever before. Not only is this a testament to the power of our courageous student leaders, but it’s a reflection of the overwhelming majority of students who value the humanity of Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Help us expand J Street U’s critical effort to cultivate the next generation of values-driven pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy leaders.