A delegation of pro-Israel student leaders from leading North American universities arrived in Israel on Tuesday for a two-week educational mission aimed at deepening their understanding of the Jewish state during wartime and strengthening their ability to advocate for Israel on campus.
The delegation, organized by Hasbara Fellowships in partnership with IsraelAmbassadors.com, includes students from more than two dozen campuses, including the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Florida, Rutgers University, the University of Maryland and Ohio State University.
The May 26-June 7 trip comes as Israel continues to contend with the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the war with Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has included waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli civilians and infrastructure.
“These students are not coming despite the war; they are coming because of it,” said Michael Eglash, co-founder of IsraelAmbassadors.com. “At a time when misinformation, antisemitism and polarization are exploding across campuses and across America, they understand that real leadership means showing up, asking difficult questions and seeing the truth with their own eyes.”
The mission began in Tel Aviv with visits to sites damaged by recent Iranian missile attacks. Participants are expected to learn about civilian preparedness, emergency response systems, bomb shelters and the challenges of daily life under wartime conditions.
Meeting Rawan Osman
The students’ first speaker was Syrian-born German political activist and social media influencer Rawan Osman, who has become one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices in the Arab world. Osman recounted her personal journey from growing up in societies where support for the Palestinian cause was taken for granted to becoming one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices.
“I grew up on the words ‘Free Palestine,’” Osman posted on social media. “In Lebanon, most people around me wanted a free Palestine for a very practical reason—to send the Palestinian refugees back. In Damascus, where my father’s family lived, the sentiment was different but equally self-serving. Palestine must be returned to the Arabs, its rightful owners. No one asked follow-up questions. No one was expected to.”
Regarding pro-Palestinian protesters who chant “Free Palestine,” she said: “You are not chanting for liberation. You are chanting for colonialism—the Roman kind, repackaged for social media.”
When protesters say “Free Palestine,” she said, they were targeting Jews. “Free it from whom? From a people with a 3,000-year-old documented presence in that land, to restore the glory of a name coined by Roman colonizers, a name lifted from the Torah, a name that has no roots in Arabic, no mention in the Quran, and no history as a sovereign state?”
She added, “‘Free Palestine’ is not a cause. It is a colonial term, coined by invaders, recycled by the indoctrinated. The least you can do is have the intelligence to understand it and the decency to reflect on your position.”
One of the attendees said afterwards that Osman had delivered “a powerful message about courage, truth and moral leadership” during one of the most critical moments facing Israel and the region.
“Anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric has become an unfortunate reality on campus,” said Zachary Seaver, a student leader at Ohio State University. “My friends and I have been called ‘baby killers,’ ‘dirty Zionists,’ and other hateful terms simply for supporting Israel’s right to exist as the homeland of the Jewish people.”
He added, “I chose to join this trip to Israel because I want to strengthen my ability to advocate constructively and confidently on campus, and learn how to engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue with those willing to have honest conversations.”
Touring the country
Throughout the mission, participants will travel across Israel to gain a deeper understanding of the country’s security challenges and societal resilience, organizers said.
The travel itinerary began with a visit to communities along the Gaza border devastated during the Oct. 7 attacks, including Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on Wednesday, where they heard firsthand accounts from survivors, soldiers and families affected by the attacks.
The delegation is also scheduled to visit Israel’s northern frontier, where students will receive briefings on threats posed by Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups operating in Lebanon and Syria. Stops include the Golan Heights, Majdal Shams and Misgav Am, where military analysts and security experts will discuss the regional implications of the war with Iran and Israel’s evolving security challenges.
In addition to security briefings and site visits, participants will take part in leadership and advocacy workshops focused on combating antisemitism and misinformation. Sessions will address media literacy, social media strategy, coalition building and effective advocacy in what organizers described as an increasingly hostile campus environment.
The mission includes visits to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, Hebron and ancient Shiloh, where participants will explore the intersections of Jewish history, security, identity and geopolitics. The students are scheduled to meet journalists, Arab-Israeli and Druze leaders, entrepreneurs, military officers, social media influencers and members of Knesset to gain a broader understanding of Israeli society, according to a press release.
The delegation is set to conclude its visit with meetings at Israel’s Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem before returning to North America with what the organizers hope will be a deeper understanding of Israel’s challenges and a strengthened commitment to confronting antisemitism and supporting the Jewish state.
“This is one of the most consequential moments in Jewish history,” said Alan Levine, CEO of Hasbara Fellowships. “These student leaders understand they have a responsibility to return to their campuses and communities informed, empowered and prepared to speak the truth about what they witnessed in Israel.”
