Students stand strong at rally

Students Sani Meena and Evan Cohen  spoke as proud Americans, proud Jews, and proud Zionists. Meena is a pre-med human biology student at UC San Diego and chair of Hillel International’s Israel Leadership Network; Cohen is a computer science major and a French minor at the University of Michigan.

Shani Meena

Over the last year, professors and students have attempted to rewrite history and redefine our identities.

Since my freshman year at UCSD, we’ve listened to our student government debate resolutions holding Israel to a double standard. We’ve seen Students for Justice in Palestine build their apartheid wall in the center of our campus and plaster it with blood libels. And days after Oct. 7, still reeling in tragedy, we heard fellow students chanting for the annihilation of the only Jewish state.

But I stand up to them. When they chant from the river to the sea, I ask, you mean the genocide of the Jewish people? Our greatest threat to those who wish us harm is our unshakable pride. They try to silence us with fear and uncertainty, but we respond defiantly by being loud and proud.

Evan Cohen

I was fortunate not to experience antisemitism growing up, but I knew it was out there. Then, as I was about to graduate high school, there was the 2021 Gaza war. It was the first time I truly experienced antisemitism and anti-Zionism.

Just days after committing to study at the University of Michigan, my soon-to-be student government released a one sided anti-Israel statement. I reached out to the Israel club on campus, and I asked them, how can I help? They said, We need you to come to Michigan, and we need you to get involved. That’s exactly what I did.

Since Oct. 7, I’ve helped organize pro-Israel events on the Michigan campus, with thousands of students attending these events. Despite political or religious differences, we know that we’re stronger together. Our shared history and values mean that we have more in common than what might divide us.

What matters is that we stand united. What matters is that we stand strong. What matters is that we stand for Israel and for the Jewish people.