Robert P. George, Princeton University professor of jurisprudence and one of America's most formidable public intellectuals, brought bracing moral clarity to campuses struggling to confront antisemitism. A scholar of constitutional law and natural law theory, George refused the evasions that too often passed for leadership, arguing plainly that protecting Jewish students is not a political calculation but a moral and legal obligation rooted in equal protection and human dignity. While university presidents parsed language and hedged commitments, George spoke with conviction about courage, institutional responsibility, and the duty to defend truth over intimidation.

In 2025, Eli David, an Israeli computer scientist and entrepreneur specializing in artificial intelligence, emerged as a sharp and technically grounded defender of Israel in the global information arena. As war and online misinformation collided, David used his expertise in data science and machine learning to challenge viral falsehoods and dissect misleading claims circulating about Israel and the conflict. With a large digital following, he translated complex technical issues into accessible arguments, reminding audiences that algorithms shape perception and that truth in the digital age requires active defense. In a year when narratives moved faster than facts, David brought analytical rigor to the battle over public understanding.

Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern is a clinical psychologist and trauma researcher whose work focuses on Traumatic Invalidation in the Jewish community, the psychological harm that can occur when individuals’ experiences of trauma are dismissed or minimized. In the aftermath of October 7, she applied this framework to the Jewish experience, helping to articulate and give language to a phenomenon many Jews were struggling to describe as expressions of grief, fear, and vulnerability were often denied or politicized. Her widely circulated article on this topic helped bring the concept into broader clinical and public discourse and has been used by clinicians, educators, community organizations, and legal professionals seeking evidence-based ways to understand and respond to the psychological impact of antisemitism and identity-based trauma. In addition to her academic work, she has been active in public advocacy, including providing testimony at the state and local level on the mental health impact of antisemitism and the importance of trauma-informed responses in schools and communities. She also serves in a leadership role with Parents for Peace, where she works at the intersection of trauma, prevention, and disengagement from violent extremism, helping develop trauma-informed approaches for families, communities, and professionals.

Eugene Kandel, an economist and former chair of Israel's National Economic Council, contributed in 2025 to high-level discussions about how Israel sustains economic strength during extended conflict. Throughout the year, Kandel analyzed the interaction between military mobilization, labor shortages, government spending, and Israel's innovation-driven growth model, with particular attention to the resilience of the tech sector under wartime conditions. His work helped inform conversations among policymakers, business leaders, and philanthropic donors concerned with Israel's medium- and long-term economic capacity, offering a sober, data-driven counterweight to alarmist or purely political narratives often coming from political opponents of Israel.

Victor Davis Hanson, a classicist and military historian, was one of the most widely read and cited historical commentators in 2025 as Israel's war forced renewed attention on the realities of deterrence, asymmetric conflict, and moral judgment in war. Through a steady stream of essays and interviews, Hanson brought ancient and modern history to bear on contemporary events, explaining why democratic societies repeatedly face the same strategic dilemmas when confronting enemies who reject the laws of war. His work stood out for its clarity and reach, helping large audiences place Israel's actions within enduring patterns of conflict rather than the news cycle of the moment.

Andrew Roberts, the British historian and biographer of wartime leaders, contributed in 2025 to debates over Israel's conflict with Hamas through historically informed commentary on contemporary policy proposals. In a widely read essay defending the historical logic behind President Trump's Gaza plan, Roberts argued that past examples of unprovoked aggression followed by defeat provide important context for understanding the political and territorial consequences of the Oct. 7 attack and Israel's subsequent operations. By linking the current situation to patterns in the Boer War, World War II, and other decisive conflicts, Roberts helped audiences frame modern policy in historical precedent — a lens that resonated with donors and policymakers seeking clarity amid polarized discussion.

Niall Ferguson, a historian known for applying long historical perspective to current geopolitics, played a prominent role in 2025 clarifying how Israel's war fits into a rapidly deteriorating global order. In essays and extended conversations, including a widely read dialogue with Bari Weiss, Ferguson argued that Oct. 7 and its aftermath exposed the weakness of international institutions, the erosion of deterrence, and the reemergence of ideological conflict between liberal democracies and authoritarian or theocratic regimes. He emphasized Iran's central role in coordinating proxy warfare, the strategic vacuum left by inconsistent Western leadership, and the dangers of treating Israel's conflict as isolated rather than as part of a broader confrontation reshaping global security. His work helped donors, policymakers, and informed readers understand that Israel is not a peripheral case — but an early test of how the West responds to sustained, ideologically driven aggression.

Glenn Cohen, the former chief psychologist of the Mossad, became an unexpected but significant voice in 2025 by leading Israel's Hostage Debrief Team, following the release of hundreds of hostages taken on Oct. 7. Drafted into the effort given his expertise in trauma, psychology, and ethical practice, Cohen helped devise and implement protocols for processing, supporting, and debriefing returning hostages — balancing humanitarian care with the collection of life-saving intelligence. His approach, grounded in both ethical rigor and practical care, was covered widely in Jewish and international media and brought sustained attention to what it means to support survivors while upholding moral and legal standards in crisis response.

Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a prominent public intellectual and writer, was especially influential in 2025 for his sustained analysis of Iran's role in the war against Israel and the broader regional realignment it has accelerated. Throughout the year, Sadjadpour's writing and commentary focused on the Islamic Republic's brutal repression of its own citizens, its strategic use of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other proxies, as well as the regime's internal weaknesses and ideological rigidity. By combining close attention to Iranian political culture with real-time geopolitical analysis, his work helped policymakers, journalists, and Jewish audiences better understand not only Tehran's tactics but also the long-term nature of the threat it poses to Israel, regional stability, and its own people.

Einat Wilf, an Israeli author and former member of the Knesset, continued to be a powerful voice in 2025 for sharpening how Israel's advocates think and talk about the conflict. Building on her influential 2024 SAPIR Journal essay that exposed how propaganda twists key terms like "refugee," "return," and "genocide," Wilf spent 2025 turning ideas into action. In December, she launched a new political party called Oz (Hebrew for "strength") and announced her return to Israeli politics after more than a decade away. Her writing appeared in major outlets, and she participated in podcasts and speaking events that brought her razor-sharp analysis to audiences eager for clarity. What makes Wilf special is her journey — she came of age on the Israeli left, deeply committed to peace, but let experience change her mind about what actually drives the conflict. In 2025, she offered Israel's supporters something rare: a thoughtful framework for understanding why this isn't about territory or settlements, but about acceptance of Jewish sovereignty itself. For those searching for intellectual ammunition and moral clarity, Wilf delivered both.

Ben Sasse, who served as president of the University of Florida from early 2023 through mid-2024, brought moral clarity to the national conversation about campus disorder during the height of anti-Israel protests. As encampments spread across American universities, Sasse argued forcefully that institutions could protect free speech while still enforcing reasonable rules on time, place, and manner — and that universities must never negotiate policy with "the smallest, angriest group" simply because it shouts the loudest. His insistence that disruption and intimidation should not become the price of admission to campus debate made UF a model for those seeking principled leadership during a moment of institutional confusion. For many in the Jewish community, Sasse's activity represents a model of moral courage and decency as he defended both order and speech without allowing intimidation or chaos to become the governing principle of campus life. In December, Sasse announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.