This November, CAMERA on Campus concluded an inspiring nationwide tour with Adiel Cohen, a prominent social media activist and storyteller. The tour highlighted Yemenite Jewish heritage, bringing Adiel’s personal family history to life through powerful narratives and engaging discussions.

Cohen, widely known for his vibrant online presence, boasting almost 200,000 followers across socials, captivated students at ten prestigious institutions: the University of Chicago, University of South Florida, University of Florida, University of Southern California, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of California, Davis, University of California, San Diego, Brandeis University, Northeastern University and McGill University. 

At each stop, Adiel shared the poignant story of his Safta’s (grandmother’s) childhood in Yemen and her extraordinary journey to Israel during Operation Magic Carpet, or as many Yemenite Jews referred to it, On Wings of Eagles, a rescue operation to bring the community to safety between June 1949 and September 1950. 

“This tour has been an incredible opportunity to connect with students and share the rich history of Yemenite Jews—a story of resilience and cultural pride,” said Cohen. “Hearing students’ reflections and questions reminded me of the power of storytelling to build bridges and inspire understanding.”

CAMERA on Campus students took to public spaces on campus to table for the Mizrahi Stories campaign, sharing the rich history and experiences of Mizrahi Jews. Equipped with CAMERA on Campus tabling materials and supported by dedicated staff, they engaged with peers, fostering meaningful conversations and raising awareness about this often-overlooked narrative.

CAMERA on Campus Managing Director Douglas Sandoval visited Oral Roberts University, where he engaged with students and faculty in a series of impactful talks.

In a World War II and Holocaust Studies class led by Dr. John Swails, Director of the Center for Israel and Middle East at ORU, Douglas spoke about the rise of campus antisemitism and led a thought-provoking discussion with Christian students.

He also met with students in classes taught by Dr. Ruby Libertus and Dr. Paul Okoruwa, sharing the mission of CAMERA on Campus to promote accurate, fact-based reporting on Israel and the Middle East across colleges and universities.

Nearly 13 months after October 7, 2023, and amid the ongoing Gaza war, I find myself increasingly concerned about the lack of open discourse, particularly among those who identify as anti-Zionist on our campuses.

Many of the people who oppose Israel’s existence simply don’t know or understand the history, and there is an urgent need for constructive conversation on campus and elsewhere.

One such incident occurred at the University of Exeter on February 7, 2023, notably before the events of October 7th, where Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli activist and a foremost advocate for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, was chased off campus with chants of “We don’t listen to racists” and “Apartheid off campus.”

This event has stuck with me in its utmost significance, since Haddad provides a nuanced and much-needed perspective, discrediting the accusation of Israeli apartheid and racism — since all citizens under Israeli law are treated equally, and all residents of Israel have a right to human dignity and freedom regardless of their religion or ethnicity.

Anti-Israel sentiment on UK university campuses is steadily growing, leading to a troubling trend of student radicalization. Pro-Palestinian student societies across the UK generally claim to promote social justice, but they often use emotionally charged messaging and historical distortions to manipulate impressionable new students into accepting radical narratives.

Having met many students who have never encountered a Jew or a Zionist, I’ve observed their unfamiliarity with our people and the situation in Israel.

These uninformed students are especially susceptible to narratives crafted by anti-Israel groups. Students eager to fit in are vulnerable to manipulation through misinformation and peer pressure. Early protests and statements by groups that hate Israel set the tone for the year. By appealing to students’ desires to belong, some pro-Palestinian groups create an environment where aligning with extreme anti-Israel and anti-Western views is marketed as normal.

One of the most concerning developments within student groups on campus is the glorification of violence; tragedies like October 7th are celebrated, while deaths of terrorists such as the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar are mourned. These groups frame violent acts as noble, giving students the perception that such acts are part of a greater cause. The student body lacks the historical context needed to critically evaluate these messages, making the anti-Israel campaign particularly effective.

As a Jewish student who supports Israel, I expected that my time on campus would include civilized debates, but never the level of hostility that I encountered.

Today’s university climate is rife with antisemitism, and UK campuses specifically saw double the number of incidents in 2024. These real-life instances of antisemitism weren’t just abstract or isolated; they were widespread, personal, and damaging, leaving me, and many others like me, feeling alienated.

One of the first instances of antisemitism I encountered on campus came just a couple of days after October 7, 2023, when a group of students saw that I was visibly Jewish and thought it was acceptable to shout slurs at me such as: “free Palestine”, “f****ing Zionist”, and “dirty Jew.”

These comments are damaging, and nobody should be targeted solely for their appearance. Such rhetoric fuels antisemitism and puts Jewish communities at risk. Just days later, right outside the university, I was told I “look German, so [I] must understand that Israel is the same as Hitler.”

A couple of weeks later, I had a meeting with the university staff to discuss the harassment.

I expected support, but instead, I was told that without CCTV footage, the university couldn’t investigate further. They advised me to report it to the police instead.

The lack of action left me feeling shaken and unsupported. Soon after, a Jewish Society poster advertising the society was vandalized with stickers reading “free Palestine” and “Zionists not here.”

This time, there was CCTV evidence, but the university’s response was limited to a mere warning for the perpetrator, with no apology given. The double standard was clear: harassment towards Jewish students was not taken seriously.

There has been an undeniable rise of antisemitism on UK college campuses since the October 7 massacre. The Community Security Trust (CST) recorded a 465% increase in university-related antisemitic incidents during the first half of 2024. This has been driven by anti-Israel student groups and networks that have coordinated campaigns advocating for the divestment of corporations associated with Israel while spreading distortions about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. While these groups claim to support human rights and the well-being of Palestinians, they do not. Instead, they call for the dissolution of the state of Israel, the world’s only Jewish state and bully Jews on university campuses.

The anti-Israel group at my university, UAL SJP, is no different. They recently published a document accusing the university of “erasing Palestinian culture” and enabling racism, alongside a list of outrageous demands that must be followed by the faculty in order to be freed from such accusations. For those unaware of the dishonest tactics utilised by these groups and the reality of the situation in the Middle East, this document might seem somewhat reasonable. However, the concerns raised by this document are merely disguised attempts to pressure the faculty into being complicit in the spread of antisemitism and jeopardising the safety of Jewish students.

It has become common knowledge that the atrocities committed by Palestinians in Gaza on October 7 2023 emboldened the already widespread antisemitism in the West. From the mainstream media refusing to call Hamas a terrorist organisation to university campuses that have become no-go-to zones for Jewish and Zionist students in the UK and US where encampments of anti-Israel activists have targeted pro-Israel and Jewish students for harassment and discrimination, it seems like there is no place for students like me to feel welcome.

This is alarming, considering that despite being a Muslim-majority nation near Iran my home country, Azerbaijan has not experienced these issues with its Jewish population. It is alarming to see how poorly these Western countries are handling such matters. So how did we get here?

The UK and Azerbaijan are strategic partners of the Jewish State. They cooperate on multiple levels that cover the areas of economy, tourism, intelligence, defence and culture. Both countries are multicultural societies that have a lot of Jewish history. However, the key difference between the two is that major UK universities have become hostile places for Zionist and Jewish students due to different pro-Islamist and Marxist Palestinian groups such as BDS and MSF who can roam around freely bullying Jewish and Zionist students.

The polls suggest that more than 70% of Jewish students in Britain feel unsafe to reveal their Jewish identity because of people who simply do not believe in Israel’s right to self-defence. Most British campuses where these students are enrolled are also riddled with groups that endorse the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah by standing in solidarity with Palestinians who committed one of the worst terrorist attacks in modern history.

• 1-3 years of relevant work experience.
• A willingness to relocate and work out of our Boston office.
• 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.
• Graphic design and video editing skills a plus.