A beacon of light in the heart of darkness

She is not your common pro Israel advocate. She is not Jewish, she is not Israeli and she is very young. Her name is Chloe Simone Valdary, an African American and a student of international relations at the university of New Orleans where she has set up “Allies of Israel,” a pro-Israel student group on campus.

Chloe, a native of New Orleans, was raised in a Christian home. Her parents instilled in her a love for the Jewish people and their Torah from a very early age. They also kept some of the commandments such as observing Shabbat and keeping Kashroot in accordance with Torah

But it was not only her love for Jews and Judaism that guided Chloe in her ‘Good Fight’ for Israel. It was her strong sense of justice, her honesty, search for the truth as well as courage and ability to speak it that have pushed her to take on a more active role in pro Israel advocacy at the University of New Orleans campus

Anyone who is slightly familiar with today’s reality on US university campuses knows that advocates for Israel are facing an uphill battle. These campuses have become hornet nests where both members of the staff and student body, financed by the well oiled Arab/Palestinian propaganda machine, bash Israel, spread disinformation about the Jewish state and toil incessantly to bring its demise

Chloe and her ten members staff at “Allies for Israel” know it. Though they have not yet faced much of this phenomenon at the University of New Orleans campus, their colleagues at Tulane University have. “Allies of Israel,” sponsored by CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America), a pro-Israel organization in the United States, works closely with other pro Israel Advocacy groups, such as Hillel, on other campuses to avert such trends. In addition to her pro Israel campaign, Chloe is also involved in efforts to eradicate all forms of bigotry and racial hatred and was ,recently, featured on Sun News TV with Ezra Levant to discuss anti-Semitism in America

CAMERA also sponsored Chloe’s second trip to Israel. Her first was with AIPAC .She has since visited Israel once more and hopes to visit the country again soon. Chloe’s most memorable impression of her first visit to the Jewish state, as she shared with me, was walking its streets seeing and realizing how open and democratic its society is. “I compared what I read about the middle east and Israel’s neighbors to what I experienced when I visited the country and met with people from all walks of life. I was left speechless

Allies of Israel” has also set as one of its goals to educate students, Jewish and non Jewish, about Israel and its culture. Towards that end, it also organizes various events on the University campus. It recently orchestrated the largest ever led event at the University of New Orleans , a festival entitled “Declare your freedom, a celebration of Zionism.” It also invites world renowned speakers to some of their functions. Its members distribute leaflets and flyers about Israel, lobby politicians and gather signatures for petitions as they did when they tried to enlist support against letting Iran pursue its nuclear ambitions. They have weekly meetings, engage in recruiting freshmen to join “Allies of Israel” and provide video training for their members

Chloe’s dream is to spend a year in Israel following her graduation. During that year she hope to contribute to the advocacy efforts of the Jewish state and “learn to be a Zionist.” Chloe would also hope to see more pro Israeli advocacy groups emerge on U.S. university campuses as the need for those is long overdue

Many of us are very proud of Chloe and grateful to her for her wonderful endeavors. We wish her the best of luck with her future plans and the fulfillment of her aspirations.