Student Spotlight: Yael Berkovich
Meet Yael Berkovich, president and founder of Students Supporting Israel at the University of Calgary! Her Israeli identity has been woven deep into her life. Yael shares the story of her relationship with Israel, and how complicated it has been in the past to share her identity with those around her.
“I was born in Israel and moved to Canada when I was very young. My whole family is originally from Belarus, and they moved to Israel to escape communism and all the antisemitism they were facing there. My mom always says that when they moved to Israel, they finally felt at home. They were finally accepted and didn’t have to hide who they were.”
Even through the second intifada, Yael said that “you can always hear the Israeli news playing in the background of my house to this day.”
From a very young age, Yael has been proud of her connection to Israel, but unfortunately had an experience where she was told to be “cautious” about her Israeli identity.
“I remember a specific instance in grade 4 where I had to do a project about myself and I wrote that I was originally from Israel. I was so proud of this, I had no reason not to be, yet I could tell mom was nervous I had written Israel so boldly on my poster paper. I couldn’t understand why, it was exciting to me that I had something that made me unique from my classmates, and it was something I loved to talk about. Why was something we so proudly, openly, and loudly loved at home something I needed to be so careful and cautious about? This is when I learned the concept of antisemitism. For reasons I couldn’t — and still can’t — understand, some people view me differently just because I was Jewish, just because I was born in Israel.”
This experience affected how she spoke about her identity. She continues her story,
“I resorted to telling only close friends I was from Israel, but otherwise would vaguely tell people I spoke Russian or that my parents were from there, which would lead them to believe that must be the origin of my name. But even then, I couldn’t understand why. Why were people able to proudly talk about being from anywhere else, yet I was just as proud but had to be so cautious? It wasn’t until my last year of high school when I realized just how passionate I was about Israel advocacy after ranting to a close friend over and over about all the bias I was seeing in the media.”
Yael did not let her experiences growing up deter her from being a strong Zionist leader on campus. She decided to find out if there was an Israel club on campus to get as involved as possible. Even though she describes this experience as “WAY out of my comfort zone” she eventually became a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, the Israel Chair in Hillel, and she joined the Rimon Movement first as a student and then as a mentor, and now she is their current Webinar Director! It was not until her senior year, this year, that Yael got connected to SSI. She expresses,
“Just recently with a close friend and with the outpouring support of the SSI community, I was able to open the University of Calgary’s very first Students Supporting Israel chapter! I’m still cautious and very careful, but I’m also tired of being told to be quiet, of waiting for things to pass without doing anything about it. I was equipped with the tools I needed to educate, to have meaningful discussions with those who are willing to be open-minded and to be able to express my love of Israel.”
Yael and her SSI team have already been incredible on social media and have exciting plans lined up!
“For our first official event, we are working on a social media campaign based on Simon Sinek’s Start with WHY. We believe this will be central to creating the community we want on campus through helping people discover their Israel story and WHY they are a part of SSI.”
They have also started the process of passing the IHRA working definition of antisemitism on campus. According to Yael,
“With starting up this SSI chapter, both myself and — the other co-founder of the SSI UCalgary chapter- Michelle, want to create a community. We aim to create a community filled with passionate people from all different backgrounds and beliefs who are all connected by one thing: their love of Israel. The UCalgary community in addition to the backing of the whole SSI family allows people to be loud and proud of who they are. I don’t want people to be scared to say they support Israel. And what better way to do that than to know you have a whole family who not only believes that too but who has your back no matter what.”
Yael and Michelle take the lead in their support for Israel. Yael explains the reasons for her support.
“I support Israel because it’s my home. I support it because I know my parents weren’t alone when they returned to Israel and felt like they were finally home even though it was their first time stepping foot there. I support Israel because I see all the media bias overshadowing all the good and all the things there are to celebrate about the people, the cultures, the accomplishments, and so much more. We’re a people with an incredibly rich, fascinating, and inspiring story. I support Israel because no one should be afraid to say they are from Israel, no one should be afraid to say they are Jewish.”
Students Supporting Israel is one big, happy family and Yael greatly appreciates that!
“I’m so excited to be a part of the SSI family, and for all that we’re going to accomplish :)”
As it was said earlier, SSI Calgary’s social media is already amazing. If you would like to see their project of “WHY students are part of SSI” follow them @ssiucalgary!
