For me, Israel was always portrayed as the
best, the country with the best food, the
place where my friends and families lived.
There was no question in my mind, Israel is
a great Jewish state and as a Jew, I was so
lucky to have it.
However, though I loved Israel I was completely
unaware of other perspectives, of stories
from ‘the other side’.
When I decided to go to a University that
wasn’t a Jewniversity, my comfort zone and
the Jewish bubble I was raised in would soon
be popped and my relationship with Israel
– and Zionism would never be the same.
At the University freshers fair, where thousands
of students just like me are eager to meet
new people, societies and join different communities
on campus, my eyes drew me to one sign that
stood out from all the rest.
“Ask me the truth about Israel and Palestine”.
Excited, I approached the stall in expectation
that they would be sharing about the beautiful
diversity of Tel Aviv or the life changing
medical advances in cancer research that Israel
was impacting the world with, or at least;
how the Dead Sea was great for your skin.
“Tell me the truths about Israel and Palestine”,
I asked.
The person at the stall responded, “The
IDF kill roughly 300 babies and women a year”.
I was completely lost for words.
My first encounter at University was one of
hatred to the country I knew and loved but
I didn’t know what to do.
As a new student, I feared isolating new friends
I had made if I shared with them my perspectives
on Israel.
And now, I felt conflicted, confused – could
this claim be true?
Could the murder of 300 babies and women a
year really be the Israel I knew all along?
I needed to know the facts for myself.
My renewed determination to learn more about
Israel led me on a Birthright trip.
Against all expectations it was in Israel
that I came to truly understand the challenges
Israels faces in the spreading of misinformation
and lies – and the need to counter it.
On the first shabbat our group were at the
Western Wall – soaking in the incredible
atmosphere.
It was a very special evening as my passion
and love for Israel had been reignited in
that moment and in my mind it was a cause
for a celebration.
My friends and I were drinking, singing and
dancing with all of these complete strangers…
but I never felt more comfortable, we were
all having the time of our lives, it felt
like a kosher glasto.
When suddenly a commotion erupted around us.
An ambulance had driven in and people were
panicking.
What had happened was three terrorists had
attacked Israeli police officers, with one
officer, Hadas Malka stabbed to death.
As you can imagine, the harsh reality that
Israeli’s live really struck me and put
into perspective how complicated this middle
eastern conflict is.
The shock that I felt in that moment was nothing
compared to what I saw the next day, however.
The BBC media had published “Israeli police
shot dead three Palestinians outside the Old
City of Jerusalem”.
I was stunned.
How could the truth be manipulated like this?
How could it be that when Israelis were the
victims of terror attacks that the media would
not just turn a blind eye but invert the truth
and mislead the world about reality that Israel
faces?
It was then that my mind took me back to that
lie I had first encountered on my first day
at University.
“The IDF kills roughly 300 babies and women
a year”.
I knew then that the challenge I was confronted
with, was a challenge that Israel faces every
day – nothing less than the distortion of
the truth – in the media, on campus.
And only hatred and prejudice wins.
Upon my return I knew that I had to do something.
I could not stand by and allow lies to be
spread against the nation I loved.
Growing up I had taken Israel for granted
and I knew that it was only through education
that I myself would become more confident
in my Zionism and feel able to correct the
lies that were so pervasive on campus.
Alongside other Jewish students in the Brighton
and Sussex Jewish Society we took the prerogative
to educate our peers.
And now, as a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow,
I am working even harder to promote education
and dialogue, confident that countering misinformation
with facts will not only help Israel but help
the possibility for peace in my lifetime.
in my lifetime.
