As students prepare to return to campus next month, the Israel-Hamas war rages on. So do the deep ideological divisions that ripped through campuses last spring and gave rise to protests and counter-protests filled with inflammatory rhetoric – and heavy-handed responses from college administrations. Meanwhile the upcoming 2024 election raises the stakes even higher, as Donald Trump seeks to inflame and exploit divisions as a cynical means to regain power.

J Street U President Daniel Wittenberg

As a senior at the University of Arizona and as President of J Street U, the campus organizing arm of J Street, a pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy political advocacy organization, I’ve gotten a first hand look at student organizing around Israel-Palestine on college campuses. What I’ve seen doesn’t fit the story that usually gets told.

Despite all the headlines spotlighting the most extreme positions espoused by some student activists, when I speak to many of my classmates, the overwhelming sentiment is that their voices are not being represented in the national narrative.

These students don’t buy into the idea that Israel is above all criticism, but they are also horrified by rhetoric that minimizes October 7. They feel agony at the intolerable number of civilians killed in Gaza and the terrible suffering of the hostages and their families. They understand that the only way to ensure security and safety for both peoples is to end this conflict diplomatically.

Despite a large majority of students opposing the extreme tactics and views of some student protesters, news story after news story highlights the most polarizing voices.

A major reason for this is that students who disagree are afraid to share their views. It’s not an easy time to say you have a deep connection to Israel and you want both a ceasefire and a hostage deal. These positions don’t win you many friends in the most vocal groups on campus.

Contrary to the tired story that college students adopt extreme positions because they’re uneducated or pampered, more often than not the problem isn’t that students are making bad choices, it’s that they’re presented with bad choices.

Look a little deeper than the headlines and you will see thousands of students earnestly trying to engage with this issue in a nuanced and empathetic way. But these students have been failed by existing organizations and institutions which present them with two bad choices: Blind allegiance to the Israeli government or total opposition to anything Israel represents.

Luckily, these are no longer the only two options.

I joined J Street U because it acknowledges the very real pain, humanity, and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. When I first joined, the initial reaction of many people to our mission was confusion. So many of us have internalized that its impossible to be both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine — but this is changing.

Today, I can proudly say that J Street U is not merely a voice on campus. From what I’ve observed, it has become the mainstream voice of reason on campus.

All across the country, J Street U chapters are becoming vital centers for student life. Last weekend, J Street U held a gathering of student leaders from around the country. Multiple students told me that J Street U is the only space on their campus where Jewish students feel comfortable engaging in open dialogue and asking questions about the conflict.

Members of Congress are increasingly seeking out J Street U students to get an honest perspective on the situation on campus — one that understands the profound grief animating both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine students. When so many other voices are overtly hostile, elected officials appreciate our nuanced and compassionate approach.

Despite this, on campuses across the US there continues to be concerted efforts to try to squelch any nuanced debate on this issue.

Just as far-right mega-donors have poured millions of dollars into Democratic primaries to silence any disagreements with the Israeli government, so too do they continue making huge investments on campus to shape Jewish life, and clamp down on dissent. Just as in politics, these ostensibly ‘pro-Israel’ donations have actually been extremely detrimental to pro-Israel causes. By attempting to silence those who disagree with any Israeli policy, they have only helped to push many on the left to take more extreme positions.

More personally, the influence of these donors is also narrowing the space for Jewish life on campus. They are making it harder for students to grapple with these issues and express their connection to Israel when it does not fit with their one-dimensional ideal of pro-Israel advocacy.

Nevertheless, it is becoming evident that the tide is turning. Just as an ever-growing number of diplomacy-first candidates and Members of Congress are refusing to bend to the dehumanizing rhetoric of those on the far-right or fringe-left, more and more students are finding the spaces and building the relationships needed to share their convictions without fear.

J Street U chapters across the country are excited to build on young voters’ enthusiasm for the Harris-Walz ticket’s pro-Israel, pro-peace, diplomacy-first platform that will aim to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages.

Chapters are planning phone banks and other get-out-the-vote efforts in every battleground state to make sure the Harris-Walz ticket wins. We are also excited to continue expanding our presence on campuses, knowing that so many students are still struggling to find a place on campus to represent their values.

In contrast with the polarizing narratives stoked by organizations and institutions that do not have students’ best interests at heart, the real story on campus is one of a growing consensus, not division.

All students have a right to question and criticize policies they disagree with — especially on college campuses where they are finding and learning how to raise their voices — and all students have a right to share their deep connection to a place and a people.

In this time of great darkness, I know our voices are more important than ever, and every day I hear more and more voices joining us, calling for common-sense solutions to this conflict, refusing to justify the deaths of either Israeli or Palestinian civilians, and committing to working towards a future where both peoples can live in peace.