CAMERA’s Fellow at SUNY Buffalo worked with the pro-Israel group to host a successful event with Izzy Ezagui. Izzy spoke about his experiences in the IDF and his journey to recovery after losing his arm in combat. The group hosted the event with a goal to provide students with real stories from IDF soldiers. CAMERA Fellow, Logan Woodard stated that, “We heard amazing feedback from those that attended including some newly engaged UBI members. For some, this was their first event, and they could not stop thanking us and Izzy for providing them with such useful information and such a moving personal story.”
The students worked hard to advertise for the event in order to gain a strong audience. Woodard said the group “hung up flyers and distributed quarter sheets and advertised on Facebook, email, and our new texting system.” These methods were extremely effective for the group! Woodard said he saw many new faces.
In addition to new pro-Israel students, members of Students for Justice in Palestine were also present at the event. They asked a number of questions and made multiple false claims and accusations about the IDF while Ezagui was speaking. Woodard thought Ezagui handled the situation very well. “Izzy was extremely calm and engaged in productive discourse, drawing from his personal experiences. A member of SJP even thanked Izzy for coming,” Woodard recalled.
We commend the pro-Israel advocates at the University at Buffalo for hosting Izzy Ezagui!