In honor of Mizrahi Heritage Month, CAMERA on Campus is thrilled to announce the start of the fourth installment of “Mizrahi Stories,” a human rights campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of the Jews hailing from North Africa and the Middle East. These communities faced extraordinary challenges during Israel’s fight for survival in May of 1948 when they were soon after absorbed into the fledgling Jewish state of Israel, following a mass expulsion and persecution orchestrated by the Arab and Muslim world.

Our campaign involves a collaborative partnership with prominent Mizrahi and Sephardic advocacy organizations, including JIMENA, American Sephardi Federation Institute of Jewish Experience, Harif, SAMi, and Sephardic Community Alliance.

Witnessing the horrors committed in southern Israel invoked in me the worst memories from the pages of Jewish history. Hamas’ heinous torture and slaughter of men, women and children in unimaginably cruel fashions could only be compared with the pogroms once endemic to Europe, which ultimately culminated in the Holocaust, thus destroying Europe as a center of Jewish life.

But today, I want to talk about a part of the Jewish world that most Americans have heard little about: the Jews of the Middle East.

First, some background: Historical, archaeological and DNA evidence all indicate that nearly all Jewish communities, including Ashkenazi (European) Jews, have their origins in the Levant. After the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and the subsequent Hadrianic persecutions in the second century C.E., thousands of Jews were killed, enslaved or exiled.

I have always been shy. Until I started college, I was never confident in myself as a leader and definitely not willing to speak up, even regarding issues I am passionate about. In elementary school, I was too nervous to talk in class. I had many friends, all sensitive to how “I wasn’t ready yet” and on my path to finding my voice.

Today, I am proud to declare that I am a Zionist. I stand with Israel.

On October 19, a mere 12 days after Hamas brutally attacked and infiltrated Israel, murdering, raping, and kidnapping thousands of Israelis, the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU) passed a resolution calling on Michigan State to “address the ongoing Palestinian crisis and support Palestinian students and all impacted students.”

The Arab Cultural Society (ACS), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Students United for Palestinian Rights (SUPR), Yemeni Student Association (YSA), Egyptian Student Association (ESA), Students Organize for Syria (SOS), and March for Our Lives (MFOL) introduced Bill 60-30.

While the title sounds empathetic, a strong one-sided bias is evident throughout the legislation.

I have been drafted into the war against misinformation. On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, ruthlessly murdering, as reported by NPR, upwards of 1400 people. Over 240 people were taken hostage, many of them children or Holocaust survivors.

This was filmed in real-time by Hamas on cell phones and GoPros. The Israeli government was forced to screen this collected footage to international journalists to counter the denial of atrocities.

Over the past weeks, I’ve watched my classmates, peers, and people I used to call friends call the most brutal pogrom since the Holocaust as “decolonization.” During UNC SJP’s rally on October 12th, they aligned themselves with Hamas terrorists and promoted terrorist imagery.

Student organizations, such as UNC ASO , have vowed to “support Palestinian existence and resistance in all spheres.” When “Palestinian resistance” includes burning children—I’m sorry, “settler-colonialists”—alive, as reported by Zaka volunteers and Israeli official Gilad Barat, statements, it leads Jewish and Israeli students to wonder about our own safety on college campuses.

One example at UNC: I can no longer study Hebrew, the language of my people, in person due to my Israeli professor’s safety concerns. While this doesn’t compare to the atrocities Israelis have experienced in the past few weeks, the fact that events taking place on the other side of the world make Jews in America feel unsafe is horrifying.

My peers claim to prioritize human rights yet justify the actions of a terrorist organization that states in their charter that their mission is to rid the world of Jews.

“This Is Zionism” is a CAMERA on Campus Instagram project that aims to show the world that Zionists come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse interests. We showcase different Zionists, their stories, their interests, and their beliefs.

CAMERA seeks a full-time Campus Advisor to join its growing team of young professionals providing support and guidance to students interested in Israel activism.

The Campus Advisor will oversee CAMERA Fellows on campuses in the United States. This includes helping them to organize educational events on campus and to write op-eds for various news outlets. Furthermore, they will help develop and implement effective measures to expand CAMERA’s presence on campuses. The position will be based in our Boston office.

Requirements for the position include:

• 1-3 years of relevant work experience
• Strong event planning skills
• Strong skills in communications, interpersonal relations, and organization
• Strong knowledge of history and politics as it relates to the Middle East, Israel, and the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Excellent writing/editing skills
• Fluency in English
• Social media experience is plus

Salary and Benefits: The salary is competitive and will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Applicants should send their CV, cover letter, and a writing sample to Hali Spiegel at hali@camera.org.

No phone calls please.