Empowering students to speak up and amplify their voices

Koret Foundation: How has ICC helped you find your voice and leverage your advocacy?

Aidan: ICC shows us how and when to improve the climate on campus. When there is a 200-plus person protest to worry about, you can’t easily initiate meaningful conversations about international policy, humanitarian aid, and US policy. Currently, the action has subsided on my campus, and it’s a good time to engage with faculty and the student body on the conflict, to lay a foundation of understanding—based on facts about the region. So, when the next crisis comes along, we have provided context for what’s happening. Timeliness of disseminating information is critical, but so is taking advantage of at least the quieter times on college campuses. 

Danielle: I carry with me lessons and relationships shaped by my time at ICC.  Through ICC, I have a network of mentors, allies, and—I hope—lifelong friends. Many of them have become my closest confidants. Their support and shared passion continue to inspire me. Advocacy isn’t just about grand stages; it’s about the everyday moments of strengthening Jewish identity and community. Whether it’s hosting cocktail hours for Jewish colleagues or fostering connections at my job, I am committed to building community wherever I go. ICC taught me that leadership isn’t just about speaking up—it’s about bringing others in.

Daniel: ICC gave me the confidence, resources, and network to truly find my voice and turn it into advocacy. In my final year, I was overwhelmed with classwork—taking 21 units and graduating a year early. ICC was always there to support my strong desire to keep speaking up for what was right—from PR training and rapid-fire help with editing statements and speeches, to being the first people I’d call whenever something crazy happened on campus. I honestly don’t know how I would have managed that last year without their support.

Supporting students confronted with antisemitism and anti-Israel protests

KF: How did ICC support you as you experienced antisemitism on campus?

Danielle: Witnessing the rise of antisemitism in America over the past two years has been especially heartbreaking. It wasn’t just something I observed—it was something I lived—and I realized that many of my so-called ‘friends’ couldn’t care less about the real struggles I was facing. I stepped away from several campus clubs and organizations, finding that I couldn’t bring my whole self—my Jewish self—to the table. ICC was a bedrock of support for me—both in navigating campus challenges and in moments of personal difficulty. They stood up for Jewish students at Berkeley, unwavering in their commitment to having our backs.

Aidan: Last academic year (2023–2024), anti-Israel sentiment and, by and large, antisemitism ran rampant through USC, from swastikas spray-painted on campus to multiple antisemitic encampments. Frequently, our student groups were confronted with such divisive rhetoric. What didn’t make the headlines but was the most disturbing for me were the frequent online attacks. Our accounts and personal email addresses received vile threats of violence. ICC was an organization we could trust and with whom we wanted to increase our collaboration. They provided micro-grants to sponsor our on-campus events, and booked me on News Nation to discuss the climate on USC’s campus.

Daniel: I was very involved in Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish fraternity, from the beginning of my time at Berkeley. At ICC’s National Leadership Summit in Washington, DC, I learned about the meaning of Zionism, its direct connection to Jewish beliefs and history, and how it is often weaponized on campus to target Jewish students. Later, the antisemitism I experienced took the form of unhinged counter-protests towards the Israel education events I hosted. In one instance, the UCPD officers were unable to secure the building we were in, and Jewish students were physically assaulted. Thanks to ICC, I spoke on Fox News about this episode, which led to a media opportunity on CNN. I’ve come to realize that Jewish life—meaning life as a Jew—in America is fundamentally different from that of non-Jews. 

Convening cohorts to travel to Israel and the UAE

KF: Please tell us a bit about your various trips to Israel, particularly those with ICC.

Aidan: I’ve been blessed to have been to Israel four times. In December 2024, when I went to Israel and the UAE with ICC, I saw the power of peace in action, the fruits of really intensive negotiations— both countries coming together with a similar goal and similar mission. I got to speak with Israelis who are working on public diplomacy on behalf of the State of Israel, and to speak with Palestinian Arabs who have a completely different perspective, to listen to what they have to say, and not rationalize it. Bringing all the narratives together, to start developing your own viewpoints—I think that is really crucial.

Danielle: On my first visit to Israel, from the moment we landed, I felt the effortless existence of Jewish life. Hearing Hebrew everywhere, not as something foreign or academic, but as the sound of everyday life. Seeing mezuzahs on every door, soldiers with Magen Davids around their necks, little kids playing in the park without a second thought that their identity might make them a target. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t explaining. I wasn’t the other. I was home. And that realization cracked something open in me—this deep, aching love for a place that, despite all its complexity, had always been waiting for me.

Daniel: I was in the first ICC cohort that went to the UAE, which was January 2023, the winter before October 7. The people we met in the UAE used the phrase ‘tolerance and coexistence,’ which really is the crux of it all—after so many years of hate. The experience was incredible. One afternoon, we walked around the old market, like a shuk. Vendors called out Shalom, and went on to speak with us in Hebrew. This coming summer, I will be going back to Israel for a few months and one of my main goals will be to improve my Hebrew. Down the road, I will want my kids to be able to speak Hebrew. I want that to be a big part of my life.

Aidan: I’d like to add that ICC does an incredible job of connecting us to experts in the field. And I learned a ton about the topic from my peers, 42 other students ICC assembled specifically for our group. Even the discussions at breakfast challenged my previously held beliefs, and informed beliefs that I was making in real time.

Daniel: Our group got to meet with the UAE Ambassador to Israel for a very interesting conversation. The Middle East is going to feel the brunt of climate changes first, and Israel has been such a big innovator in water and agriculture. Fast forward a year and a half, and I met an American Jew at a Food and Ag networking event who recently made Aliyah [emigrated] to Israel. He’s working with a venture capital fund whose investors are predominantly Israelis and Emiratis focusing on ways to turn the arid region into innovation hubs. 

Inspiring tomorrow’s leaders to invest in Jewish peoplehood and Israel’s future

KF: At this point, what gives you cause for optimism?

Danielle: We have to focus on what we can do, and that begins with choosing hope. We need to educate ourselves, to be resources on campus and beyond, and call out hate whenever and wherever we see it. We also need to invest in the next generation, ensuring that Jewish pride and resilience aren’t just values for today, but for the future. We must certainly be optimistic—to choose to see the glass as half full and find ways to pour until it overflows. Just like in Kiddush, our cup isn’t merely filled—it brims over, ensuring we have not just enough, but an abundance to share.

Daniel:  On campus post October 7th, the Jewish community came together like never before. ICC—and Chabad, AEPi, and Hillel—helped give Jewish students a sense of belonging and resilience. What’s come out of that is something really powerful—new friendships and connections, and also a shared determination to ensure that the next generation of Jews grows up with a stronger, more secure Jewish identity. There’s a new level of pride, awareness, and urgency in our community, and that gives me a lot of hope. Some of my peers have expressed concern over whether they should include their Jewish- or Israel-related leadership roles on their resumes, fearing that someone who dislikes Jews or Israel might reject their application. While I understand that fear, I believe the opposite approach is more powerful. To build a career—and a life—that you are proud of and find meaning in, it’s crucial to lean into your values and identity. 

Aidan: I continue to think about—and write about—my trip back in December to the UAE and Israel.  Our group met Emirati elites who are very supportive of the State of Israel, but I’d say that for the common man or woman in the UAE, the Abraham Accords don’t represent ‘peace’ as much as diplomatic and economic cooperation. For Israelis overall, I think the Abraham Accords represent the ‘prospects for peace,’ which is a different—and to me, fascinating—framing of the situation. I still believe that inviting people to travel to Israel and see it for themselves can be the most influential experience of all.