The Last Word: Recent Episodes
SSI Movement
Students Supporting Israel is a rapidly growing pro-Israel international campus movement that supports the State of Israel. Founded at the University of Minnesota in early 2012 by Ilan Sinelnikov and Valeria Chazin, it currently has multiple chapters across the United States and Canada.
The SSI team covers a complex topic which has recently come to a turning point. The Arab and Israel foreign relations have been enduring the normalization process for quite some time, and most recently with the groundbreaking Abraham Accords between the UAE and Israel. We will discuss the history and challenges of normalization between the Arab states and Israel, giving examples of successes and challenges in approaching and reaching normalized relations with insight from special guest speakers!
Though campus life may not be kicked into full gear this semester, SSI is still going full force! We have launched our campus coordinator program for next semester, we've begun our virtual learning through the SSI-U series, we've added 3 new chapters in the USA, 11 Argentinian schools and 1 in Mexico! With campus restrictions still underway, we’ve been very active online, hosting 22 webinars (access on our youtube channel and website), with more to come, and rapid growth on our social media presence! It's a good time to be an SSI-er!
What has SSI been doing all semester? From the largest National Conference ever, to the Eyal Dror Tour, UNDENIED program, GROW Israel campaign, our Lecture series, Bomb Shelters, and MORE! SSI has had the busiest semester yet, and we invite you to join us in a summary of the nonstop work on our campuses!
Do you ever wonder HOW these anti-Israel groups are relative to the causes they latch on to? Do the progressive movements have equality in their oppressions, or have the anti-Israel activists manipulated these topics to further their own agenda? SSI goes over the idea of intersectionality, and why anti-Israel groups have hijacked the narratives of oppressed minorities for their own advantage
It seems as though anti-Israel activists are always stuck in their ways. We see students trying tirelessly to convince them that Israel is not the antagonizer, but the epitome of diversity and democracy. In this episode, SSI hears from a former anti-Israel account, Abe Haak, who has dedicated his new pro-Israel outlook as his life mission, noting that in some cases a change of perspective IS possible. There are endless reasons why EVERYONE should support Israel, and SSI lays it all out for you in this episode.
As the topic of Israel heats up on campuses, decision makers in student government hold key positions in determining the campus climate towards the Jewish state. In this episode SSI discusses accounts of severe bias against Israel in student governments, actions to be taken on the offense and defense of Israel within it, and SSI’s vital role in electing active representatives to these institutions, supporting and encouraging students in their advocacy efforts both in and out of student government.
Increasingly on campuses we hear about professors expressing their personal anti-Israel views in class, making bias statements, using bias teaching materials, or even openly confronting pro-Israel students. In this episode we review some examples, including personal encounters of bias by Ilan Sinelnikov, the co-founder of SSI, and two student leaders from our movement, Eden Litvin and Shira Elovic. We also discuss potential responses and what actions students can take when encountering such bias.
A unique project of our movement is the Van Campaign, where a team of SSI activists travels between college campuses, some of which are famous for having an anti-Israel atmosphere. We engage in conversations about difficult topics, such as the Palestinian Authority payment of salaries to terrorists, that anti-Zionism is a form of Anti-Semitism, and more. We encounter a wide range of responses, often challenging freedom of speech in leading academic institutions.
Introducing Aliyah: the process of immigrating to Israel and becoming a citizen. In this episode we discuss the history of law of return and the many immigration waves to Israel, operations the Israeli Government carried out to bring endangered Jewish communities into the country, and SSI's campus speaking tour: The Immigration Nation that id developed to address the topic!
In this episodes hosts Ilan and Elan review the Israeli governmental system, discuss how it is different from the American system, why Israel is having 3(!) elections in a single calendar year, and review all the different Israeli political parties. The episode also includes an update on SSI's 5th National conference at Columbia University, and the speaking tour with Eyal Dror, head of IDF's Operation Good Neighbor where Israel provided medical treatment to thousands of Syrian civilians.
In this episode we welcome the new SSI national Director of Outreach and Development, Sophia Witt, and discuss the topic of support for Israel outside of the Jewish community. As SSI is not a Jewish organization, our events are not held in Jewish spaces on campuses, and many of our student activists are not Jewish, we talk about the reasons individuals can support Israel that are on top of the known theological justifications.
This is the second of two episodes discussing the BDS movement. What seems to be an innocent grassroots initiative is actually a cover for terror groups to get their propaganda shared on campuses and in the community. Should we then be surprised that pro-Israel college students feel unsafe on campus? In SSI, will not let these well-organized intimidation efforts to scare us away from supporting Israel and be proud and vocal about it.
The movement that calls to boycott Israel says it stands for justice and equality, but is that really so? Join us for this first of two episodes where we will be discussing the true face of the BDS movement. Today, you will learn about the connections between BDS and organizations promoting terror, we will discuss foreign Middle Eastern funding of American universities, and give specific examples of how the movement influences and discriminates pro-Israel students on campuses.
The term "Um-Shmum" is well known among Israelis. Coined by David Ben-Gurion in 1955, it expresses the feeling of worthless for the institutional-political bias of UN's policies towards Israel. Since not much has changed since 1955, in this episode we interview Naor Bitton, one of SSI national founders who interned with the Isralei mission to the UN to tell us more about the complex situation inside this international body.
The Israel Defense Forces are often portrayed on campuses by anti-Israel groups as a violator of human rights, but is that so? In this episode we interview three SSI alumni who are IDF veterans, discuss the IDF's code of ethics, look at the measures it takes to save civilian lives and help in disaster zones, and more. While in Israel 18 year-olds serve the country by drafting to the IDF, in North America SSI students fight on the academic battlegrounds for the Jewish state. Spoiler alert: which SSI alumnus didn't have his parachute ready to open?
How important is social media for a grassroots movement, and how SSI uses it to customize our messages and meet the students at where they are at? From posting about our work and upcoming events to sharing our message, in this episode we interview Romi Rockin, Social Media Chair from the SSI Chapter at Columbia University, discussing strategies for growing our reach online.
The SSI movement was founded by Israeli-American students, and this episode is dedicated to the special role of Israeli activists within SSI. We discuss the added value these students bring due to their unique first-hand experience of living in the country, and why they cannot stand on the side lines watching the growing anti-Israel sentiment in academic settings around the country. The hosts interview Israeli presidents of 3 SSI chapters: 4:30 - Ron Khirman, University of Arizona 13:10 - Ofir Dayan, Columbia University 23:10 - Ofri Avgil, University of California Riverside
In this episode we interview 3 students, each from a different part of the country and in a different stage of involvement with the movement. The students share their thoughts on why they got involved with SSI and what is the situation like on their campuses when it comes to Israel and Zionism.
In this episode: we go over the 13 most common questions that the movements is asked, from who can join and to what is the movement’s position on issues in the Middle East. For any additional questions, contact us at www.ssimovement.org
Hosts Elan "Junior" Chargo and Ilan "Senior" Sinelnikov provide a preview of why they are starting this podcast and what to expect; discuss the history, mission, and values of Students Supporting Israel.