A BDS demonstration outside the School of Oriental and African Studies in London in 2017. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – More than 80 students from nearly 70 campuses will be in Boston from July 29 to Aug. 1 for a high-level training conference on how to successfully respond to campus antisemitism and anti-Israel activism.

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) is hosting the conference. The organization is providing all the students with a free trip to Boston to attend four full days of lectures, discussions and workshops.

“Students are coming from as far away as the UK, Ireland and Canada to strengthen their Israel activism with us,” said Aviva Rosenschein, CAMERA’s international campus director. “Hatred directed at students who support Israel is, unfortunately a global issue, and we are working hard to help as many students across the world as we can.”

“Last year multiple professors on our campus were exposed for their antisemitic or anti-Israel views,” said Joshua Gannon, a CAMERA Fellow at Rutgers University. “We’re at CAMERA’s conference to learn skills, build confidence, and strengthen our community to address this effectively.”

“We’re seeing Jewish-led anti-Israel groups such as IfNotNow working hard to infiltrate campuses, summer camps and Israel trips,” said Hali Haber, CAMERA’s director of campus programming. “The rise of these groups brings new challenges for students, and we’re here to ensure that they are prepared and informed ahead of their return to campus this fall.”

This year, Zioness Movement co-founder Amanda Berman, and TV personality and Israel Defense Forces’ veteran Shai Deluca-Tamasi will address students, bringing their unique perspectives and insights into effective activism.

“The fact that this is our eighth Student Leadership Conference, with one of the highest attendance records to date, means that students who support Israel are still plagued by hatred-filled anti-Zionist campaigns on campus,”said Rosenschein.

“Sadly, these campaigns target students just for believing in Israel’s right to exist or simply just because they are Jewish,” she said. “While we can’t cure their hatred, we [can] provide practical techniques, lots of resources and strategies for handling discrimination and also the moral case for standing up for the Jewish state.”

CAMERA’s conference will host noted speakers, breakout sessions, interactive workshops and presentations throughout the four days. Attendees will also meet other Israel supporters from around the world, all while fulfilling their passion of standing up for the Jewish state.

CAMERA on Campus is a department of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.