(JNS.org) The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) recently held its second annual student conference “to instill courage and empower the students to be strong, pro-Israel activists,” according to the media monitoring group.
Activities for about 40 students at the August 19-21 Student Leadership and Advocacy Training Conference at Boston University Hillel included discussions on the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and event-planning strategies to be implemented on college campuses, as well as writing and role-playing workshops.
“No longer do any of us feel alone in the fight,” said conference participant Yoni Kaplan, president of the CAMERA-supported Campus Activist Project (CCAP) at Tulane University. “We have met our allies in Boston, we know that CAMERA has our backs, we have met the non-Jews who believe in us and are willing to fight by our side.”
Rita Usher — who attended the conference from Alabama State University, where she was told that “this isn’t your fight” when writing in support of Israel for her campus newspaper — said she gained encouragement for her cause from CAMERA’s training. CAMERA, in its 30th year, has 65,000 members.