ZIONICA.com

Non-Jews voice more support for Israel on campus than Jews

Think North American campus activism for Israel and chances are you won’t think of a Hispanic Catholic organizing pro-Israel events.

Or, of an African American Catholic at a historically black college telling not just her fellow students, but also a Jewish youth group, why she supports Israel.

Yet, Stanley Gonzalez-Martinez and Alexis Crews are among thousands of non-Jewish students at North American colleges and universities who wear their love for Israel on their sleeves.

That shouldn’t be a surprise, says Stephen Kuperberg, the Israel on Campus Coalition’s executive director. “Non-Jewish students vastly outnumber the number of Jewish activists motivated to support Israel,” he says.

“On campus, just as it is in the rest of the United States, if the only support Israel has comes from Jews, we would be in very bad shape.”

Christians United for Israel has 98 campus chapters — created at the behest of students, CUFI’s executive director, David Brog, says. “I didn’t anticipate doing a campus program,” he says. “We started getting approached by campus Christians, telling us, ‘Israel is really under assault; no one is defending Israel… They wanted our help.”