The Making of an Advocate
The Making of an Advocate
It’s been a rough time on campus, and there’s no sign of things letting up. The 2025-2026 academic year is a little over a week old, and already, we’ve seen shocking incidents of antisemitism: people in a passing car shouting “Free Palestine” at a student wearing items that marked him as visibly Jewish; open letters calling on the government to act against Canadian citizens who served in the IDF and who are arriving on campuses; and a University of Toronto professor openly praising the PFLP, a designated terrorist organization.
In the face of all this, there are student exemplars of courage – both Jewish and not – who stand up on behalf of Jewish students and their rights, fighting to ensure that university and college policies are upheld and that Jews are given the same treatment and resources as anyone else. Those of us who are Jewish campus professionals have the privilege of knowing and supporting these students as we work alongside them every day.
Student advocacy inspires us and makes us proud, and we can point to some of the more apparent hallmarks of a good student advocate. Whether in online spaces or on the university lawn, zealousness, passion, a sense of daring, and thick skin are both critical and on display, and advocates’ enthusiasm comes through in their actions and dedication.
What’s less obvious is what goes on behind the scenes once the Instagram reel has looped around. There are a number of less visible factors in driving good and effective student advocacy, and the following are the additional attributes and skills necessary if you want to be a strong advocate:
Jewish and Zionist identity
You don’t have to be Jewish to be a good advocate, but you do need a strong connection of some kind to Judaism, Jewishness, Israel, and the Jewish people, one that places you squarely in the arc of Jewish history as the heir to a millennia-old tradition. Figure out how you embody klal Yisrael, a belief in the unity and shared destiny of the Jewish people, and put it into action. If you can tap into this spirit and have a sense of both who you are and why you are who you are, you’re a lot less likely to get knocked off your feet.
Community
To paraphrase John Donne, no advocate is an island. Having a warm and supportive community – one that nourishes you as an advocate, where you can recharge when you’re bruised and exhausted, where you can laugh and celebrate and remind yourself of all the amazing and wonderful things Jewishness is – is critical. It also connects you to the very people who need their support and whom you need to fight for, making sure they know you and can rely on you and your skills.
Knowledge
Knowledge is power, and good advocates know their subject inside and out. As examples, you have to be familiar with the ins and outs of IHRA, the years 1897, 1948, and 1967 have to ring a bell, and you’ll have to be immersed in your campus culture so you’re aware of local levers to make change. Your mindset always pushes you to want to learn more, but it’s not just self-reinforcing, echo-chamber information you seek out. On a regular basis, you go out of your way to read something that challenges you, pushes you to think a little differently, and maybe even makes you want to throw your phone across the room.
Debating skills
Once you have knowledge, you need to know how to put it into a coherent argument, one that’s convincing and clear. When I practiced law, I saw repeatedly how colleagues with the facts of the case on their side would flounder in court because they couldn’t articulate why they were right. You need to be able to put what you know together in a logical and rational way that speaks to your specific audience, recognizing your own argument’s weaknesses and how to best compensate for them.
Strategic thinking
One-off interventions are great; when they’re part of an overarching strategy, they’re even better. Good things happen when you come up with specific goals, plan for the short- and long-term, and keep your eye on the ball. As a general rule, if you always come back to the question, “How will this benefit Jewish students on campus?”, you can’t go wrong.
Relationship building
As Toba Hellerstein recently wrote, feelings don’t care about your facts. More than in a simple fight between truth and fiction, today’s advocacy skirmishes, battles, and wars are typically won on the basis of who persuadables know and trust. You can be as cogent as all get up – and you should be – but without an ability to also build relationships, listen to others, and see them as whole human beings, you’ll likely be out of luck.
Combine these with the gusto, audacity, and courage you already have, and you’ll be an amazing advocate for Jewish students. Campus communities are in desperate need of leaders and heroes right now, and wherever you choose to sign up and make your mark will be lucky to have you.
