Pro-Israel students build advocacy skills at CAMERA leadership course

More than 50 college students from across the United States, Canada, the UK and Israel attended the annual CAMERA International Student Leadership Course at Boston University from July 27-29, bringing together members of CAMERA's Campus Fellowship Program and broader CAMERA Coalition Program from institutions including the University of Michigan, Florida State University, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, University of Manitoba, University College London and Bar-Ilan University.

The three-day program featured sessions with media experts, social-media influencers, thought leaders and security experts designed to help participants communicate confidently, protect themselves and build stronger communities on their campuses as they prepare to return to environments often hostile to Israel.

Daily Wire reporter Kassy Akiva demonstrated the Socratic method as a tool for productive conversations about Israel, encouraging students to approach disagreements as investigations that uncover assumptions rather than debates to be won. "Elder of Ziyon," A blogger who remains publicly anonymous, discussed hidden frameworks behind anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric, teaching participants to identify underlying assumptions in arguments. Yoni Michanie, director of Israel education at Gann Academy, led a session on recognizing when to exit unproductive exchanges. Additional programming covered highlighting Israel's positive contributions, understanding legal rights and maintaining physical safety during unrest.

Students participated in recreational activities including bowling and a Boston Duck Tour.

Addison Stone, a CAMERA Fellow from the University of Michigan, said the conference connected her with "students from across the globe who are passionate about standing for the truth when it comes to the Middle East - an area of reporting that tends to become convoluted and prone to bias." She credited the speakers with providing "invaluable information on topics we deal with regularly on campus."

Akiva Mann-Wineberg, a University of Leeds CAMERA Fellow, described feeling strengthened by meeting others with similar commitments. "I really enjoyed meeting so many people at the conference who are just as passionate about Israel and Zionism as myself," He said. "Going into university, it gives me strength knowing that I am not alone in this fight and that I have so many incredible people to support me."

Hali Spiegel, CAMERA's director of education, highlighted the students' engagement. "Our speakers were exceptional, but what stood out most was how engaged the students were and how quickly they challenged themselves to think more clearly, ask better questions and communicate with greater confidence," She said.