SSI Student Spotlight: Eli Rickles
Meet Eli Rickles, President of Students Supporting Israel at Kennesaw State University! He also serves as the president of Chabad at KSU. His connection to Israel is a huge motivating factor in his dedication to SSI.
“I’m a Jew, so it’s my cultural home. I have visited twice and hope to go back very soon! I have also taught myself Hebrew for many years and am conversationally fluent in the language. Israel is an integral and non-negotiable aspect of my identity.”
His journey of joining SSI began in Hebrew class. He explains,
“I met the former president and current SSI Director of Campus Programming, Rebekah Mann in Hebrew class at KSU. I was already very passionate about Israel and had a lot of knowledge of its culture and history. However, I felt ill-equipped to engage in discussions on some of the “tougher” issues, such as the various violent conflicts, BDS, and proposed solutions between Israelis and Palestinians. SSI has given me such a wealth of information I did not know before. I always supported Israel, but can now claim to be more grounded in my views because of SSI’s stellar educational resources.”
Eli has grown in his knowledge and ability to have conversations with students. SSI’s presence on campus and more specifically the Jewish community is necessary.
“Despite having 43,000+ students, Kennesaw State University’s Jewish community is rather small. It is quite a dedicated community, but one that also lacks vital Israel knowledge. SSI@KSU hopes to fill that gap.”
Additionally, the wider campus has been generally supportive of KSU’s Jewish community and SSI chapter.
“On our campus, it has not changed much. We are fortunate that the events of May 2021 did not bolster anti-Israel voices on our campus. Kennesaw’s Jewish and Israel communities continue to be accepted and supported by our university and most student groups.”
Eli Rickles stresses the importance of SSI’s role on campus. Education on Zionism is an integral part of KSU’s SSI chapter.
“Our SSI chapter is unequivocally Zionist. Since our campus is apathetic or not knowledgeable of Israel-related issues, we take an educational and promotional approach to Israel education. In other words, we are fortunate that we do not have too many battles to fight on our campus regarding Israel, Zionism, or antisemitism.”
SSI at KSU took a proactive approach by making coalitions with SGA, and he looks forward to future events and collaborations with other SSI chapters.
“We are very proud that we successfully passed the IHRA definition of antisemitism in our student government association last semester. This year, we have been seeking to build on that momentum as much as possible by co-sponsoring educational events on Israel, antisemitism, and Zionism. We hosted a Zionism and antisemitism virtual event with City College of New York in September. Additionally, we will be co-hosting an event with UGA’s SSI chapter and another with KSU’s Hillel in just a few weeks! We are confident there will be more to come!”
Looking towards Eli’s future, he wants to work in either public relations, university administration, corporate communications, or a related field. We are confident Israel and Hebrew will be incorporated into his life. He is grateful for all that he has gained from SSI. He adds, “Some of my closest friends at college have been made through SSI!”
Eli’s experience sums up what SSI is about: Israel education, making new friends, and creating a close community. If you have any questions about Israel education or Hebrew, talk to Eli Rickles!
