Leaders Call for Continued Support for Israel at 51st ALEC Annual Meeting

During the ALEC 51st Annual Meeting in Denver, speakers highlighted the work by ALEC and other groups supporting Israel and Jewish Americans across the United States. The discussion, led by former U.S. Special Envoy for Economic Normalization Aryeh Lightstone, focused on countering the hostility brought about by extremists who have voiced support for the terrorist group Hamas.

Lightstone set the tone by contrasting the safety he felt walking the streets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the hostility he experiences at American universities.

“Anti-Semitism is at a record high across the West, including the United States,” he noted. “Today, it is safer for me to walk the streets of Riyadh than to go speak at a lecture at Columbia University.”

The panel, which included Harvard graduate Shabbos Kestenbaum, Florida State Representative Randy Fine, and ALEC Board Member, Texas State Senator Phil King, shared personal experiences and legislative efforts aimed at combating recent hostilities and supporting Israel.

Kestenbaum offered a sobering account of the atmosphere on campus at Harvard.

“I could tell you all about how a Jewish student at Harvard was spat on. I could tell you how a staff member challenged me to debate him as to whether Jews were behind 911 and then taunted me with a machete.”

Kestenbaum’s experiences are not isolated. He described an environment where Jewish students are routinely targeted, and where the leadership of prestigious universities like Harvard appears either unwilling or unable to address the problem.

“Harvard purports to train the next generation of American leaders… If these are the classmates, if these are the students who will be America’s future leaders, I can assure you, we are in serious, serious danger,” he warned.

Representative Fine, a Harvard alumnus, echoed Kestenbaum’s concerns and shared his own disillusionment with his alma mater. Once proud to consider Harvard as a potential future for his sons, Fine now questions whether he wants them to attend college at all.

Fine also highlighted the legislative measures he has championed the cause in Florida. In 2019, Florida passed a law defining anti-Semitism and mandating that it be treated with the same seriousness as other forms of discrimination.

Senator King, who has been a leading advocate for Israel in Texas, shared his efforts to strengthen ties between his state and Israel. He called for more states to follow Texas’ example in fostering economic and cultural exchanges with Israel, stressing the importance of supporting the Jewish state not only through words but through concrete actions.

Lightstone posed a critical question at the close: Can Harvard and other Ivy League schools be saved? Kestenbaum, who has filed a lawsuit against Harvard for its failure to protect Jewish students, was blunt in his assessment.

“The only way that Harvard will ever change is if there is sustained public pressure and sustained political pressure,” he said.

The panelists agreed that while change is possible, it will require a concerted effort from legislators, donors, and the public to hold universities accountable.

There is a growing sense of urgency among policy makers to address the rising tide of hostility in America. As Lightstone aptly put it, this is not just a Jewish issue, but an American issue—one that strikes at the heart of the values that define the nation. The question now is whether those in positions of power will rise to the challenge and take meaningful action to protect future generations.