Israelis on campus provide students access to rapport, anecdotes, and experiences that build strong connections to Israel in ways that news stories and websites cannot.

These Israelis empower students to build a deeper connection with the Jewish homeland. The Israel Fellows program is a collaboration of Hillel International and the Jewish Agency for Israel, placing outstanding young Israelis on key North American campuses to serve as peer ambassadors to the campus community. JUF’s Israel Education Center (IEC) funds four Israel Fellows in Illinois.

“IEC invested in doubling the number of Israel Fellows this year,” said Emily Briskman, executive director of JUF’s Israel Education Center, “because they are a key component to Hillel’s Israel strategy. When students get to know Israelis first hand they develop a deeper more meaningful connection to the land and people.”

The Israel Fellows are trained Hillel staff who engage students, develop and mentor student leaders, and have dramatically increased the quality and volume on Israel programming on Illinois campuses. The Israel Fellows are a key part of the Israel Education Center’s comprehensive strategy to engage, educate, and convene students around Israel and train them to lead.

Simcha Masala, a 26-year-old Israel Fellow at Northwestern University, is from Yavne. Her parents made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) from Ethiopia in Operation Moses in 1984. After serving in the IDF Education Corps, Masala joined a delegation of seven students sent to South Africa for Israel Apartheid Week and “made the case for Israel.” At Northwestern, Simcha has created a discussion series on minority Israeli holiday celebrations beginning with Sigd, an Ethiopian Jewish holiday that celebrates the time when God first revealed Himself to Moses.

“Having Simcha [here] has provided the Northwestern campus community a unique opportunity to engage with Israel in a genuine manner despite being thousands of miles away,” said Nathan Bennett, a Northwestern student. “Our Israel Fellow has also engaged herself in the campus climate while simultaneously offering the perspective of an outsider. Having her at Northwestern has made it easier for students to connect to Israel in a variety of ways that certainly would have been otherwise impossible… Simcha’s presence on campus [has helped] in navigating Israel-related issues that come up at Northwestern.”

Eyal Ben Zeev, the Israel Fellow at Metro Chicago Hillel, holds a BA in Middle Eastern History from Tel Aviv University. After graduation, Zeev taught Arabic and Middle Eastern History in several high schools. His comprehensive education background has served him well on campus, where he’s developed Key Words , a series of classes in which students learn about and discuss the nuances of “buzz” words used around Israel. His Key Words program is now being implemented across the country.

Mor Catran came to the University of Chicago after serving in the Israel Defense Forces as an analyst and then a commander in an intelligence unit. She served in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an analyst at the Center for Policy Research, as a guide for the Democracy and Civic division, and in the development department at the Movement for Quality Government. At the University of Chicago, she created Israel 101 , a basic introduction to Israel’s culture and people.

Asaf Weiss was born and raised in Jerusalem and is currently at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He graduated in 2014 from Hebrew University with a degree in International Relations, Journalism, and Communications. This year at U of I, Weiss partnered with the Dance department on campus to bring professional Israeli dancers to the school for a cultural event and discussion, and hosted a conversation about the LGBTQ community in Israel. Both programs offered the opportunity for Hillel students to work with peers beyond the Jewish community and build cross campus coalitions.

These outstanding individuals are the face of Israel on Illinois campuses. They elevate conversations around the Jewish homeland, and encourage open thought and civil discourse at a time when our campuses have been divided by Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns. The Israel Fellows supervise and mentor Israel interns on campus, create programs that reach across ideological bounders to build connections and coalitions around mutual interests, and empower students to learn more about Israel and its people.

Karen Martin is the director of the Lewis Summer Internship Program and Development Manager for the Hillels of Illinois.