Student Spotlight: Josh Goldrich
Meet Josh Goldrich, president of Students Supporting Israel at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign! Josh has had a deep connection with Israel since he was a child.
“My connection to Israel was established at a very young age. I grew up in a fervently Zionist home in which I recall often hearing about my extended family in Israel who had served or were in the process of serving, in the IDF. We would frequently take trips to visit this extended family and during these trips, we would also visit the various holy sites in Jerusalem, Hebron, Shilo, etc.”
Josh has unwavering support for Israel. He continues,
“I support Israel because history has shown time and time again that not only do the Jewish people need Israel, but Israel needs the Jewish people. In just 73 years, the Jewish people turned Israel into an agricultural, technological, and military superpower, something that could not be accomplished by any of the peoples who inhabited the land in the 2,000 years that the Jews were in exile. This simple fact makes it clear to me that the Land of Israel is the eternal home of the Jewish people and so we need to fight for it with every fiber of our being.”
Josh describes his campus as apathetic, which can be frustrating at times, but he continues to stand strong for Israel.
“Historically, the vast majority of students at UIUC are very apathetic when it comes to Israel so it’s difficult to get students beyond the Jewish/pro-Israel community to be involved and engaged in our activity. We need to continue to find new and creative ways to engage students of all backgrounds.”
There is not only apathy, but SJP is also present at UIUC.
“Last year, SJP tried passing a BDS resolution in the student senate and a few months ago, SJP held a large rally on the main quad in which they called out all Zionists and even the Chabad and Hillel on campus. So, the anti-Israel/SJP voice on campus is still very much present and we need to continue to combat it.”
Looking towards the spring semester, Josh has a variety of plans to bring Israel education to campus and to combat the anti-Israel voices. He shares,
“For the upcoming spring semester, on top of our Illini Students Discussing Israel course and a few speakers we plan to bring to campus, we’re also planning on, among other things, hosting an Israeli market-themed social event, Hebrew liberation week, and the Jerusalem Campaign from SSI National. The goal behind some of these events is to try to engage students by enabling them to experience the rich history and brotherhood that one often feels when in Israel.”
It is clear that Josh has a strong connection to Israel. He explains the reason he joined Students Supporting Israel.
“Given the deep connection that I’ve had with Israel from a very young age when I came to college, I wanted to find a way to channel that connection as much as possible so I joined SSI.”
He is thankful for the network of students that he communicates with across the United States, Canada, and Argentina. Josh also understands that Students Supporting Israel is a place for students of all backgrounds to come and support Israel. The key component in Josh’s activism is Zionism. He further explains,
“Zionism definitely plays a fundamental role in my activism. As a religious Jew, it’s important for me to make it clear to students on our campus that one need not be religious nor a Jew in order to be Zionist. One can be a Christian Zionist, Muslim Zionist, or secular Zionist. The one thing we all share in common is that we firmly believe in and support the re-establishment and development of the State of Israel.”
We look forward to the spring semester with Josh at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign!
