A voice for Israel: An American University student’s unlikely journey

Each year, hundreds of Diaspora students spend their summer in Israel through Masa programs, engaging in internships that provide professional and cultural experiences. Among them this year is 20-year-old Anushka Naik, an American University student whose unwavering support for Israel sets her apart, given that she is not Jewish.

A different path to advocacy

On a Saturday afternoon in early July, Naik sat in a conference room in Jerusalem, surrounded by peers, ready to discuss the ongoing conflict. They were participating in a Shabbaton (Sabbath program) designed to foster meaningful dialogue about geopolitics. When it was Naik’s turn to speak, she shared her experiences regarding the tensions on her campus. Before beginning, she acknowledged that she wasn’t Jewish and mentioned that the program had made an exception for her to attend. The others responded with applause.

Naik is originally from San Jose, the largest city in California’s Silicon Valley. She is the child of Indian immigrants. Although her family wasn’t religious, they kept aspects of Hinduism in their home.

“We just kind of go along with it for the culture,” Naik said. “That’s something I’ve noticed is really similar between American Hindus and American Jews.”

Naik’s journey to becoming a staunch Zionist began during her childhood, surrounded by Israeli family friends whom her father met in the hi-tech industry. She recalls that he often traveled to Israel for business trips.

Her connection to Israel deepened, especially after a trip to the Promised Land with her father at the age of 14. She remembers it as the best trip of her life, only paling in comparison to her trip this summer.

For the past two months, Naik has been on a Masa program called Onward, interning at Tel Aviv University doing legal research. Onward is a subsidized program that helps bring young Jews to Israel for internships. Despite her not being Jewish, the organization made an exception for her to come due to her pro-Israel campus advocacy and with the help of an Israeli family friend connection.

“I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am that this exception was made,” Naik said. “I think that there should be more long programs like this for non-Jewish students who are supportive of Israel because it has completely changed my life. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I have to leave. I can’t think about it actually.”

Wake-up call 

Naik is studying international relations, with a focus on Middle Eastern studies.

On Oct. 7, Naik was in the south of France, studying at Sciences Po, a university known for its Middle Eastern studies program. She describes the environment there as “super antisemitic.”

She noted that the small school of 300 students was 65% international, and many of them were from the Middle East.

“When the Hamas massacre happened, there was a group chat of 300 people – that’s the entire school – and there were people celebrating in the group chat,” she recalled. “That was kind of my wake-up call.”

The tragic events of Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, served as a turning point for Naik.

After returning to Washington, she joined her school’s chapter of Students Supporting Israel (SSI) and threw herself into advocacy. She spent countless hours tabling and speaking out for Israel.

At American University, pro-Palestinian demonstrations were intense, and students passed a resolution calling for the school to divest from any investments related to Israel, including study-abroad programs at Tel Aviv University, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Naik said her school’s student government announced the vote on the resolution insidiously during the Shabbat before Passover. She said there were efforts in the student government to keep Jewish students uninformed about the vote.

“I have screen-shotted text messages of people in our student government saying, ‘Don’t tell SSI; don’t tell Hillel. They’re going to oppose this, and we don’t want them to get a heads-up about it,’” Naik said. “Which I mean, SSI, whatever, but saying, ‘Don’t tell anyone in Hillel’? That’s very clearly discrimination that is a violation of so many policies at the school.”

Although Naik has spoken eloquently, she believes she isn’t much of a public speaker. Still, she found it necessary to attend the vote on the resolution and speak out. Her SSI chapter’s Instagram page, @ssi_au, featured a video of her comments from the meeting.

Although the resolution passed in the student government, American University did not implement it.

“It is AU’s longstanding position to oppose boycotts, divestment from Israel, and other related actions known as BDS,” said American University President Sylvia Burwell. “Such actions threaten academic freedom, the respectful free expression of ideas and views, and the values of inclusion and belonging that are central to our community.”

Fierce determination

Naik plans to continue her work with SSI as the club’s vice president when she returns to campus this fall. The hate she faces online and in person has not diminished her resolve. Her commitment to Israel has only grown stronger.

“We were told that we look like we rape women,” Naik said of the online harassment. “The social media harassment is exhausting.”

Often, she hears people whispering about her as she walks by. In one instance, someone took a photo of her and posted it on social media with a caption saying she supports genocide.

Her parents and Israeli family friends have told her to be careful when speaking out in support of Israel. They fear it puts a target on her back.

Despite her loved ones’ concerns, Naik believes her public support for Israel is crucial.

“As a non-Jewish person, it’s important for me to show my support publicly,” she said.

Her visible activism has made her a recognizable figure on campus, often the target of whispers and social media posts accusing her of supporting genocide.

“I don’t really care,” Naik stated. “At the same time, it’s definitely distressing to know that the people I go to school with, who have access to me all the time, have so much hate in their hearts for me.”

Finding strength in Israel

“When I landed in Israel this summer, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Naik said. “I feel like I’m finally around people who I don’t have to constantly be on edge with.”

Naik’s internship in Tel Aviv has been a transformative experience. She feels a sense of belonging and relief, away from the hostility she faced in the United States.

“I did lose quite a few friends because I’m openly Zionist… which, on one hand, sucks, but on the other hand, I’m glad that the people I have around me now are people whose values I can support,” she said.

In one instance, a friend of hers sent her a message online saying that anything she posts while in Israel is “taunting the dead and dying.”

Naik found that statement “incredible” because she is “pro-hostage deal” and “pro-ending the war.”

“But people will see that I support Israel’s right to exist, and unfortunately, they don’t listen to what I’m saying,” she said.

As Naik prepares to return to American University, she remains undaunted. She will serve as a co-president of her school’s SSI, along with fellow student Ethan Kassar.

“It is inspiring to be working alongside Anushka,” Kassar said. “Knowing that we have an ally who is pro-Israel not because it is part of her religion but because she has learned the facts and has chosen to help teach others is incredible.”

Looking back, Naik wishes she had gotten involved in Israel advocacy before Oct. 7, seeing now how important it is.

“I think it shouldn’t take a massacre in order for you to realize that,” she reflected. “I wish I had done it earlier.”■