Five college students are Emerson Campus Fellows, active at DU, CU Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, CSU and Colorado College.

Three are Kenneth Leventhal High School Interns at Cherry Creek, South and Denver Jewish Day School.

Both programs are supported by professional staff. For the interns, Gabe Ivker is the southwest regional manager; for the fellows,  and Josh Arbital is southern region manager.

Over the first week of August, 2025, the student leaders attended a week-long kickoff training conference in Los Angeles. People from across the US and Canada attended.

According to StandWithUs, this year’s cohort is dedicated to the memories of Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim and Karen Diamond, all of whom were murdered this year for their support of Israel.

Supported by the families of the victims, SWU believes that its youth leadership programs “has the power to save lives. Never underestimate the impact of a conversation, an educational event or anything you do to educate the people around you.”

Taking up the reigns at DJDS is senior Isaac Nieder, who recently shared his thoughts on the program with the IJN.

IJN: You have visited Israel. Did something surprise you?

Isaac Nieder: I went on an Israel trip with my extended family during the summer of 2023. We got to explore a lot of the country, visit family and see many historical sites. I was surprised at how vibrant and interconnected the social life seemed.

From what I saw, Arabs and Jews live side by side and it looked to me like people generally got along.

In the shuk, I heard a plethora of languages and people connecting in positive ways.

We also went to a restaurant in Jaffa and the Arabs who worked there were very nice.

I think a stigma exists that there is always social division between Jews and Arabs in Israel, but to me, everyone seemed happy to live there together.

I haven’t visited since Oct. 7, so I haven’t seen how this social dynamic has changed, but my experience really opened my eyes to how cohesive Israeli society can be, even with all of the political and social division that exist and are described in the news.

Have you personally encountered anti-Semitism?

I have personally never been a direct target of an anti-Semitic attack, but I’ve definitely seen and experienced it. For example, I attended the JNF conference held in Denver, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, 2023, and protesters banged on windows and made threats aimed at me and my community.

I’ve also seen anti-Semitic and Hamas propaganda and vandalism at college campuses when touring schools. And, like everyone else, I’ve seen loads of misinformation, propaganda and anti-Semitism all over social media.

Ahead of becoming a Leventhal Intern, did you feel you were knowledgeable about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

I felt that I had a good understanding of Israel’s history and the conflict. Because I go to a Jewish day school, we take many Judaic and Israel-based classes that have done a good job at explaining things. I think there’s always more to learn and there will always be more information to find.

At the StandWithUs August conference, I learned even more, but there are still many gaps in my knowledge that I hope to fill to the best of my ability.

Why did you feel it was important for you to join this internship program?

First, to deepen my knowledge of Israeli history and current events. I think it’s super important for people to learn as much as they can in order to have productive conversations in an effective manner.

Second, to further connect with the Jewish community from around the world. It’s very important for Jews — especially young Jews — to be connected in today’s climate. If we aren’t together to defend each other, no one else will be.

Third, and what I believe is the most important to me, to learn how to have productive conversations and dialogue with people who have different beliefs than me.

In today’s messed up world, people have very loud egos and they aren’t willing to ever listen to other ideas.

I think this trend is very dangerous because it results in a more divided country that can’t make any progress. Furthermore, it can and has resulted in violence and domestic terrorism.

I think the most important thing my generation can do is hear each other out. Even if you don’t believe in other ideas, it’s super important to understand where others come from and listen to what they have to say. So many people are misinformed and the only way to seek truth is if individuals are open to alternative perspectives and accurate facts.

What are some of the gaps in your knowledge or skillset you aim to address during this fellowship?

I want to deepen my knowledge of Israel’s history because there are so many important events that contribute to how the region’s history has unfolded. I know that a year-long internship isn’t enough to fully verse me on every detail, but I also know that the StandWithUs staff is very knowledgeable.

I’ve already learned a lot from them, and I believe I’ll be able to learn a lot more in the future.

What did it feel like to spend a week with people from all over the country who care about this topic as much as you do? 

It felt reassuring to know that I’m not alone. There are so many people in the StandWithUs community who will help keep the world sane. Not only did I have the chance to build connections and make friendships with other advocates, I also realized how many like-minded individuals there are who have my back.

Do you have any activities planned yet for your school and community? 

I am releasing a news article for my school with information about the anti-Semitic hostilities encountered by Jewish and pro-Israel students on college campuses.

I interviewed various DJDS alumni to offer advice to incoming students and to gain other perspectives of anti-Semitism at colleges. Other events I am planning in the Jewish community are in the works.

Whatever I end up doing activity-wise, I hope to make a difference in my community and help others learn more and take that information to others.

Miri Kornfeld, director of StandWithUs Colorado is “inspired that the number of Colorado Emersons and Leventhal interns keeps growing each year. We look forward to shifting the tide as we portray Israel in a positive light and continue our fight against anti-Semitism. These students are truly our leaders of tomorrow.”

It’s no surprise that these programs speak to Kornfeld. After experiencing anti-Semitism as a college student at UCLA, the Denverite founded StandWithUs’ high school department in 2012, following graduation.

She founded the first-of-its-kind national high school internship to train students to be leaders in their current communities and on their future college campuses.

“I never wanted a high school student to be caught off-guard and unprepared on how to respond like I was the first time I saw anti-Israel activity on my campus,” she said.

Read the full article here.