“We Want it to Come from Us.”
Kelly Shapiro, a student at Rutgers University, founded Students Stand With Israel after October 7th. She tells us about the instances of intimidation, joy, and pride that followed.
This past July, What Came After sat down with Kelly Shapiro, an engineering student at Rutgers University who founded the club Students Stand With Israel in the aftermath of October 7th. Kelly discusses her path into student government as antizionism and antisemitism surged on campus, and she reflects on the fear many Jewish students feel about speaking up—often out of concern that they lack an encyclopedic grasp of the conflict. She also shares her own experiences with intimidation since becoming the public face of her organization.
In our conversation, Kelly talks about both the burdens and the pride that come with taking on this work as a college student. She also describes how genuine dialogue—not protests or slogans—has helped foster unexpected moments of mutual understanding between her and some peers who identify as anti-Israel.
Credits:
Host and Creator: Manya Marcus
Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod
Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick
Editor 2: Eli Akselrod
Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar
Outro Music: “Light” – Ilana Chava
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