By Shira Gould | eJP | April 28, 2025
“Persistence” was the first big word that my father taught me. When faced with challenges big or small, my parents would say: “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
That word also encapsulates the Jewish story: A small, 3,000-year-strong people who, through joy and tragedy, have maintained their traditions, values and connection to each other; who despite persecution and threats of annihilation have never stopped contributing to the betterment of the world. Our survival, in short, is rooted in our persistence.
Today, through my position at StandWithUs, I work with Jewish college students across the country whose stories are being hijacked by extremist movements. Some feel that educating about Israel and the Jewish people is a lost cause, and I get that. It’s incredibly hard to be a Jewish student when campuses are the targets of a vicious campaign of antisemitism, denial of Jewish history and support for terrorism. Yet I am reminded that the position we are in now is largely due to the persistence of our adversaries.
This anti-Israel movement did not appear out of nowhere. They spent decades promoting pro-Hamas propaganda through hateful campaigns with repetitive and consistent messaging, and when faced with our opposition, they simply doubled down. At the University of Michigan (UM), for instance, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE), the UM chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), began introducing boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) votes in Central Student Government (CSG) in 2002. They lost 11 before their first victory in 2017.
This perfectly captures the broader anti-Israel strategy, which is focused on long-term change in public opinion rather than short term wins. In 1993, the FBI intercepted a Hamas meeting where leaders discussed preventing “the growing generation [of Muslims] in America [from] surrendering to peace with Jews.” They also discussed infiltrating U.S. academia and media to win the war of public opinion. As Francis Boyle, former Palestine Liberation Organization advisor and architect of many anti-Israel campus tactics, once said: “Sign nothing and let Israel collapse.” Their strategy is simple: outlast us.
Unluckily for them, we have survived and thrived for over 3,000 years because of our resilience and persistence. While it may feel like momentum is against us, the pendulum can and will swing back when we don’t give up. In the fall of 2024, for instance, after an anti-Israel coalition swept student government elections at UM and pushed extreme policies, students rallied their peers, worked hard and won back key seats in the following election. It was a powerful reminder that refusing to disengage can yield results. That same tenacity can also help people better understand the core issues at stake — not just about student government, but about Israel, Zionism and the deeper values that connect us all.
On Oct. 8, 2023, I called my parents in tears, paralyzed by the horrors of Hamas’ massacre and dreading what I knew was to come. My parents sat on the phone with me and said, “Just keep going.” That is what I tell students I work with today.
We are facing challenges that echo those our ancestors endured — only today in the Diaspora, and especially in the United States, they are playing out most visibly on college campuses. Persistence must be part of the student response, but it cannot be their burden alone.
When students ask “Why should I bother showing up to the student government meeting? They won’t listen,” Jewish professionals must step up with clarity, encouragement and courage. Because we are in a war for public opinion — one we lose by default when we disengage or deflect.
Too often, well-intentioned professionals instruct students to dodge hard conversations about the conflict, opting for “safe” talking points. When preparing for debates about BDS, for instance, some choose to focus on how divestment would negatively impact university finances or create legal risks. While those points are sometimes relevant, they do not help us with the long-term fight for public opinion. When we refuse to argue the merits of the issue, we lose vital opportunities to educate about the moral depravity of BDS and other anti-Israel campaigns, which are built on lies, directly linked to terrorist groups including Hamas and will only cause more human suffering. Ultimately, this leaves a dangerous vacuum that our opponents are eager to fill with propaganda.
We need to model productive engagement and debate even when it’s hard, and even when we are likely to lose. Real education takes time, and every anti-Israel campaign is an opportunity to reach new audiences. If we lose a student government vote but educate one new person about Israel and the Jewish story, that is a win. And if we keep showing up for those small wins, they will turn into big ones. As the Jewish adage says, one person constitutes an entire world.
We have inherited a legacy of persistence. It is our privilege and responsibility to build on that — not just to protect our students, but to help them carry it forward. We have a powerful story to tell, rooted in facts, moral clarity and a genuine desire for peace. We should tell it with pride.
And to the students: When you get discouraged, or when it feels too big, give me a call. My colleagues and I are ready to “keep going” together. After all, with our track record, I would never bet against the Jewish people.
Shira Gould is the associate director of campus strategy at StandWithUs.
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