JEWISH WORLD

26 JEWISH WORLD • JUNE 14-20, 2024 continued from page 13 /adassah =aleria Chaain is a campus ad]ocate and I+F ]eteran who tries to inspire students to be ]isibly pro Israel on campus. With Oct. 7 in mind, Hadassah leaders met with Pramila Patten (Cen- ter), UN Chair of The Office of the Special Representive of the Secre- tary General on Sexual Violence Conflict. Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz delivers Hadas- sah’s End The Silence petition to the United Nations. en’s Day (March 8), Hadassah held 189 End The Silence rallies and other events in 23 cities in 17 coun- tries. Valeria Chazin’s work as a campus advocate for Israel landed her a spot on Hadassah’s 2024 list. The organi- zation Chazin founded 12 years ago while a senior in college, Students Supporting Israel, now has over 200 chapters worldwide. “Twelve years ago, we already saw that there was a major problem with propaganda and an anti-Israel atmosphere on campuses, and Zion- ist students were afraid to speak their minds,” Chazin said. “At first, we were a local initiative on our campus in Minnesota. But we quickly real- ized that students everywhere need this support.” Chazin, who was born in Kiev but moved to Israel and served in the Is- rael Defense Forces, said she tries to inspire students to be visibly pro-Is- rael on campus. The pro-Israel events her organization holds often take place in the center of campus, and she encourages Zionist students to get into student government in order to increase their impact. “It’s important that we are not just on the defensive and fighting BDS but actually bringing resolutions that call for more collaboration with Is- raeli academic institutions,” Chazin said. Having been involved in pro-Israel activism on campus for over a de- cade, Chazin said she hasn’t been surprised by the proliferation of an- ti-Israel messages on campus. “But what has been absolutely shocking is the intensity of it, the hate, the number of people joining, and the openly antisemitic messag- es displayed on campuses,” she said. “It’s absolutely horrific.” Since Oct. 7, Students Support- ing Israel has mobilized more than 30,000 students across NorthAmer- ica for pro-Israel rallies, vigils and demonstrations. They bring in Is- raeli speakers, put up Israeli flags and hang posters across campuses with photos of Israel’s hostages in Gaza. D iana Diner is Hadassah’s Israel and Zionism educator — and one of the 18 women on the 2024 Hadassah list. “I spend 20 hours a day talking about Israel,” said Diner, who came up with the idea of the annual list a few years ago. “So many people don’t know what Zionism is and they think of it as negative.” The Ha- dassah list, she said, tries “to reframe that by showing multiple viewpoints about what it means to be a Zionist, and sharing them with the world.” Ricardo, an award-winning Black Jewish poet, social media content creator and Oakland’s 2015 youth poet laureate, embodies the diversity of what it means to be a Zionist. The child of an interfaith family, Ricardo says she often spends hours a day talking about Jewish identity, her love for Israel, antisemitism, Jewish pride, diversity, and what it means to be Black and Jewish. Since Oct. 7, she has shifted her content to focus on the very real fears that Jews are experiencing, she said. “Even Jews who weren’t as in- volved or aware before are now seeking out community in my space, seeking out others, seeking com- fort,” Ricardo said. “I want my work to help people who are struggling in any given moment, who need uplift- ing in their Jewish story.” Also on the list are LA-based writ- er Eve Barlow, whose social media posts about antisemitism and an- ti-Zionism reach over 1.5 million people; law student Adela Co- jab-Moadeb, who filed a successful federal civil rights lawsuit against New York University for failing to protect Jews on campus from ha- rassment; former Hungarian diplo- mat Virag Gulyas, a non-Jew who writes the popular blog The Almost Jewish; director of Israel engage- ment for the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Jenn Handel; Aviva Klompas, CEO of Boundless, which addresses the challenges in- volved in working to combat an- tisemitism; Hadassah volunteer leader and Israel advocate Luisa Narins; Michelle Rojas-Tal, a trail- blazer in helping young Jews navi- gate difficult conversations about Zionism and Israel; international speaker Ashira Solomon, who ad- vocates for a secure future for Israel and speaks out against antisemitism in the African-American communi- ty; and scholar Samantha von Ende, an expert in modern antisemitism, Zionism and the Israeli political system. “Each and every one of these women is on the list because they are wonderful role models for the community,” Chazin said. “It’s very humbling to be part of that list. This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with Hadassah, The Women’s Zion- ist Organization of America. This article was produced by JTA’s na- tivecontentteam.Elana Maryles Sz- tokman is an American sociologist, writer, and Jewish feminist activist. A Conservative, Egalitarian Congregation 490 Northville Turnpike at Ostrander Ave. P.O. Box 1531, Riverhead, NY 11901 (631) 727-3191 TempleIsraelRH@optonline.net www.TempleIsraelRiverhead.org Temple Israel of Riverhead ** Temple Israel is Handicap Accessible ** Michael Rascoe, Rabbi Affiliated with METNY/USCJ Weekly Shabbat Services: Friday 7:00 p.m ., Saturday 9:30 a.m., followed by Kiddush lunch. Starting on July 5, 2024, in person Friday night services will be held once a month on the dates listed above. On the other Friday nights, services will be via Zoom only. Coming Soon…. 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