SSI: We are proud of you and here to stay
It feels like we live in a whole new world. More and more people display hatred towards us, the Jewish and Zionist community. October 8th, the day after the worst day in Jewish history since the Holocaust, SSI was the history maker in mobilizing over 10,000 students across North America to organize and execute rallies to stand strong for Israel. This was the time to show ourselves and the world that we are, in fact, what our name is: Students Supporting Israel.
SSI at American University led the first rally at the mall in DC, and this set the tone for SSI chapters all over North America to join in and ensure Israel knows we have their back. As the more and more shocking news of brutal murder, massacre, raping, beheading, burning, and those taken hostage unfolded, we united more and more. It was game time. We barely had time to tie our shoes, and did not have any time to warm up, we had to simply show up. Our adrenaline was going strong, and in a time of fight or flight, SSI was FIGHT. The more time that went on, the more pro-Hamas students came out to support October 7th. This showed up in the form of protests, vigils for Hamas terrorists, tearing down flyers of hostages, and the disgusting rise in antisemitism from students, administration, and community members finding their way on college campuses. We became more and more alone, yet more and more united.
How is it possible to carry this new found trauma, and stay committed to fighting for Israel on campus? How is it possible to have this resolve amidst universities making statements of silence or statements in support of Hamas? How is it possible to have this resolve when pro-Hamas students are yelling at us calling us “genocide supporters, baby killers, etc.” How is it possible to have this resolve when Jewish and Israeli women are not believed to have been raped, even though there are videos to show the proof? How is it possible to have this resolve when we are gas lit by our friends that October 7th was not that bad, or worse, it didn’t happen, or we shouldn’t be concerned about the rise in antisemitism? How is it possible to have this resolve when we are trying to process this collective trauma?
How and why? Our family is fighting Hamas in Gaza, our family members have been killed in this war, our friends are losing loved ones, our cousins are putting their lives on the line and sacrificing their lives so that Jewish people survive as a people and country. At the beginning of this war, we said “there will be a war on campus.” This statement became a reality. Fast forward to 7 months into this war and the spring semester, and we saw the pro-Hamas encampments all over North America. We saw our own SSI President get assaulted at UC Berkeley. We saw Jewish students not being able to get to their own classes and libraries because pro-Hamas supporters blocked them off. At Columbia University’s graduation, an overwhelming sea of graduates were pro-Hamas students wearing keffiyehs. We have seen Jewish clubs vandalized, and pro-Hamas students have broken the glass of buildings in universities. SSI has been saying for years now that anti-Zionism is antisemitism. In past years, SSI has handed out the Hamas charter, warning students of Hamas’ goals. SSI has a mock bomb shelter, to explain the realities of rockets. SSI also has a program called, “Make Hummus Not Hamas.”
We have been around since 2012, and just like the Jewish state, we are here to stay. We are not going anywhere. We are committed to being a clear and confident pro-Israel voice on college campuses and supporting students in grassroots pro-Israel advocacy. SSI National has some words for the SSI students.
We are so proud of you. Every action since October 7th is history. We are living history right now. Everytime we are visible on campus by setting up a table with the SSI banner, we are living history. Everytime we host a rally, we are living history. Everytime we post on social media, “bring them home now,” we are living history. Everytime we raise our hand that we are Zionist, we are living history.
Right now it may be a moment, but tomorrow it will be history. Where do you stand? Are you an SSI student leader? Are you an SSI supporter? Are you supporting Israel right now? Will your name be in the history book? If you answered in the affirmative to any of these, the answer to that question is “yes.”
We are united. We are proud. We are unified. We are strong. We are Students Supporting Israel. And we are here to stay. Am Yisrael Chai.
