Contributed by CAMERA intern Lilia Gaufberg
On October 23rd 2015, Anat Berko was hosted at the University of California, Santa Barbara Hillel by Gauchos United for Israel, an EMET for Israel group. Anat presented her research on women and children who become suicide bombers, as well as those who recruit them. The goal of this event was to give participants an opportunity to try to understand the psyche of suicide bombers and how human beings end up being used as weapons of terror. 40 people attended this event; these people learned of the event through newsletters and announcements, which seemed to be effective methods of recruitment. The event was a smashing success, and the attendees expressed that they hoped to have more speakers like Anat Berko on campus in the future!
Questions were asked by audience members about specific details of investigations of suicide bombers, as well as about other logistical aspects of Anat’s research. Anat summed up her work in a clear, comprehensive way.
The following week, the group planned to host Itamar Marcus, founder of the Brand of Milk and Honey (BOMAH), and to send out a newsletter to new group members.