Inside AIPAC: What Critics Don’t See

I’m a rising senior in college, a summer intern in Washington, DC – and apparently, a monster.

I grew up in America, where playgrounds were places to climb monkey bars, race down metal slides, and disappear into pirate ships without a care in the world. My cousins in Israel grew up on playgrounds remarkably similar, except many included reinforced concrete shelters, built for something far too sinister for a playground.

When I was younger, thousands of miles separated me from a reality that was difficult to comprehend: while I saw a playground as a safe place to laugh and play, my family in Israel had to learn the quickest path to safety. Often under one of those reinforced structures that doubled as a bomb shelter.

I have more than 20 cousins in Israel. My mother comes from a Yemenite Israeli family, and my father comes from an American family. Both sides of my heritage shape who I am. America is my home, and Israel is where so many of the people I love are building their homes. For me, Israel has never been a distant place. When sirens sound, I do not think about politics or headlines. I think about whether my family is safe.

That is my story, and it’s the story I carried with me to Washington DC this summer when I accepted an internship with AIPAC. Strong American support for Israel helps ensure Israel has the resources, partnerships, and security it needs to defend its people. A strong US-Israel relationship helps protect the people I love.

That is why, as a 21-year-old college student, I walk through AIPAC’s doors every day deeply committed to strengthening the US-Israel relationship. Each day of my internship at AIPAC has only made the stakes clearer and made my commitment stronger.

Within the first week of my AIPAC internship, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly referred to AIPAC — people like me — as “monsters.” 

I carry those words with me every morning, because the people I encounter bear no resemblance to that caricature. Instead, I see people motivated by a desire to educate others, embrace bipartisan relationships, and strengthen one of America’s most indispensable partnerships. I think about the Democrats and Republicans who work side by side, and the young interns from different backgrounds and political perspectives who share a belief that this relationship is worth protecting.

The AIPAC I know is a space full of genuine bipartisanship at a time when our country desperately needs more of it.

I see young people given a seat at the table and the chance to engage our nation’s leaders. I see students learning that advocacy is not just posting an opinion online – it is showing up, building relationships, and turning values into action.

This summer, I had the opportunity to phone bank, canvass, and participate directly in the democratic process. I had the opportunity to work with Jews and Christians, Democrats and Republicans, people of all different backgrounds and beliefs, standing together to protect the enduring bond between the United States and Israel.

That is what makes AIPAC extraordinary: at a time when division defines so much of American politics, it proves that common ground is still possible.

That is the AIPAC I know. That is the AIPAC I have experienced. 

And I could not be prouder to walk through its doors.