“Knowledge is Power” is a slogan I have often heard, but never really took to heart. That is, not until the past year. Its relevance to my life has grown simultaneously to my relationship with Israel growing.

Before the last couple of years, I knew of Israel as just a country on a map. As a daughter of Jewish immigrants who escaped Soviet persecution, I grew up proudly Jewish: celebrating Jewish holidays, having close Jewish friends, and wearing a Magen David. I knew that I was Jewish, and I knew that alone held importance. Yet it wasn’t until a friend encouraged me to join a Zionist youth group that Israel became central to my identity.

It was Fall 2022 when I joined Club Z, an organization dedicated to empowering Jewish teens to be proud Zionists and leaders within the Jewish community. I didn’t have any expectations, as it didn’t seem like a big commitment. The group met every other Sunday for 3 hours, during which we had breakfast, discussed current events, recognized the presence of antisemitism in the news and learned different chapters of Israel’s history. I started absorbing all this knowledge about Jewish and Israeli history, yet I felt like it was sitting dormant. I knew the information had a purpose, I just hadn’t had a chance to put it to use. And then October 7th came.

October 7th was a wake-up call for me as it was for many others. That day, my Instagram feed was flooded with horrific videos of Hamas terrorists celebrating the heinous acts they were committing against Israelis. One view after another, little by little chipping away at my heart. I wished that it was just all a nightmare. How could these people have such hatred in their hearts to be committing all these acts in 2023? It just did not make any sense. But while I was shocked at viewing footage of these crimes, I wasn’t prepared for what would follow: people who I knew – classmates, friends, peers – started justifying them.

How could the same people who were my friends indirectly share their strong hatred for the Jewish people so casually? It was so easy for them to repost propaganda images on their social medias about “the genocide committed by the occupation” or the “bombing and killing of innocent Gaza civilians” without having any knowledge about the history or current situation. They were simply doing it due to peer pressure: because it seemed like everyone else was for a “Free Palestine,” and they didn’t even think twice about it. And when I asked them about what they were supporting, all they would say was that “Palestine should be free.” Bizarrely, they offered me what they may have thought was reassurance: “I love Jews, but hate Zionists.” I didn’t know if they were knowingly deceiving me, or they were just that ignorant and naive.

Going to one of the biggest high schools in the country and having to uphold the reputation of being a specialized high school, it truly surprised me to see how little the school does to stop the rapid spread of antisemitism. During a fire drill, a group was holding up posters reading “Look how easy it is to ignore genocide” and “60,000+ innocent Gaza women and children murdered by the illegal occupation.” An average person walking past this group would most likely not question the information they are being fed, and that is where the true issue lies.

There have been endless flyers hung in the stairwells of my school spreading misinformation, an example being one that read “No matter who you are or where you’re from, the colonization and genocide of Palestinian people affects all of us. You don’t need to be an expert to understand why we need a free Palestine.” These posters are targeted towards students who have no knowledge about the conflict nor the history of the land that is supposedly being “colonized”. Yet, the school sat back and allowed it to happen.
It felt like a slap to the face, and a strong jolt to reality when I was truly able to see for myself how deep Israel hatred had infected and spread to the same people I trusted and thought knew better. I continued asking basic questions of my misguided peers. I challenged their slogans and warped views of Israel. Not only was my engagement with my peers not changing their minds, it seemed to further enrage them. Yet my failed outreach wasn’t a failure at all. My outreach to my peers wouldn’t have happened without the knowledge and confidence I gained from my Club Z experience. Both the lessons and the relationships I formed with fellow Jewish teens brought me out of my shell, and to a place where I felt comfortable being vocal on Israel, in other words – an activist.

It also provided a supportive space where I could share these terrible experiences and discuss the best ways to engage others. Throughout the past year, I was frequently exposed to a slogan shared by Israel haters, and discussed during my Sundays at Club Z: “History didn’t start October 7.” I agree. The history of the war against Israel goes back to even before 1948, when Israel’s neighbors waged a war against it they’re still fighting today. I’m grateful to have not just learned this history, but also how to discuss it.

There will never be a point where you have enough knowledge to change everyone’s mind. Still, there is value in acquiring the knowledge itself. And there will always be opportunities to use that knowledge to move people who are willing to be moved. The search for knowledge is never done. Every Jew is on the front lines whether they realize it or not. But fighting for what I believe in, and for the Jewish people as a whole, gives my life purpose as it should for every Jew. The Jewish people are more unified now than ever. Fighting for what we believe in and fighting for the rights we are born with will help keep us grounded, not taking for granted our ancestors’ struggles. I’ve only just begun this journey, and I expect to keep fighting and keep learning with Club Z by my side.