08/06/2024
How One High School Program Helped College Students Combat Hate On Campus
When it launched some 20 years ago, no one could have predicted how desperately needed this program of @akiva High School – a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland – would be today.
Designed to help high school students in Jewish Cleveland deepen their connection to Israel and their peers living in our partnership community of Beit Shean and Valley of the Springs through education and hands-on experiences, icnext (Israel.Cleveland.Next) has proven to be a critical component of our community’s ongoing effort to combat hatred targeting Jews, while also building a lifelong connection to Israel among participants.
“The students are able to explore the history and political system of the country taught with an understanding of the intricacies of modern Israel,” said Amnon Ophir, @akiva director. “These young men and women discover they have a real purpose through this program and trip. It’s not just about Israel as a country, it’s a reflection of the past, present, and future.”
The positive impact that icnext has had on its participants has never been more clear than in the past year.
Since the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, we are experiencing a level of overt and unabashed antisemitism not seen in our country in decades. And college campuses have proven to be a primary epicenter of this hate – with encampments outside of student centers, protests outside of pro-Israel or Jewish administration/faculty residences, vandalism of Jewish property, acts of violence and intimidation targeting Jewish students, and more.
“I joined icnext as a freshman in high school and immediately felt a real connection to Israel,” said Eli, a rising senior at Miami University, who along with icnext has participated in the Birthright and Onward Israel programs through Federation.
“This program also gave me the knowledge to realize where we stand as Jews, and how to have civil conversations with people on campus and try raise awareness about what's happening in Israel,” added Eli. “I know people there, I lived there, I know those buildings. It just hit close to home. We had an Israeli flag hanging out of our fraternity house (Sigma Alpha Mu) right after October 7th. And as president of the fraternity, and as a Jew, I felt I needed to do more. I wrote a letter to the Dean of Miami University. I wanted to put into perspective how events on and around campus are related and we needed the administration’s support and we know we can go to them if we need them. I've seen the community become a lot stronger, but I felt I needed to do more.”
“Many students, like myself, wonder how this conflict has gone as far as the assaulting of Jewish students on college campuses all across the United States,” said Aaron, also a rising senior at The Ohio State University. “Because of icnext, and learning about Israel and Jewish culture, I’m able to have a more reasonable conversation with people. Every time I talk to someone here at Ohio State who thinks Israel shouldn't be there or something similar – I’m not just going to sit back and say nothing and do nothing, I’m going to do something about it. I have a right to defend the country and say something about it.”
While icnext is teaching students, this program is also important for their parents as well. “Eli has taken that leadership and is able to speak out against antisemitism,” said Shawna, Eli’s mother. “Along with living in Israel, his exposure from these programs allowed those skills to emerge and has helped him become a stronger voice for the Jewish people. I am eternally grateful for these opportunities supported by Federation, because without everyone's input, they wouldn't happen. And I personally have seen the impact that they provide.”
That message is echoed by the students who participate in this program. “The biggest thing I've learned from icnext is to be a proud Jew and that’s embedded into me,” said Aaron. “We’re proud to be Jewish and spreading that knowledge is incredible.”
Applications are now open for icnext2024; click here to apply.
For more information on icnext, contact Tina Keller @Akiva at tkeller@akivacleveland.org.
TOGETHER, we help save and change tens of thousands of lives in Cleveland, Israel, and around the world. Thank you!
