'Israeli women, I see you. I want to be your soldier in the United States'

Yasmeen Ohebsion is only 23 years old but is already making an impact. She founded 'Campus' – an app that allows students to report antisemitism, and following her testimony in Congress, her university was forced to provide security for Jewish students at events

In collaboration with: Gesher Leadership Institute, Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, and AMI Directorate
Yasmeen Ohebsion, a 23-year-old single woman, lives in Los Angeles, USA. She is a recent graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans.
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Yasmin Ohav Zion
Yasmin Ohav Zion
Yasmeen Ohebsion
(Photo: Israel Bonds)
The meaning of Israel: "For me, Israel has always been the safe haven for Jews worldwide. I believe that Jews need the State of Israel to exist, which is why I think that every Jew, whether living in Israel or the Diaspora, must fight for it. In other words, if a Jew born in Israel is obligated to enlist in the IDF, then a Jew born in the Diaspora is obligated to fight for Israel, at the very least ideologically. In my view, there are two parallel battles: one on the ground and one in the heart and mind. When we hear chants like ‘Death to Israel’ across the United States, it is our duty to fight back."
"An anti-Israel woman in a hijab chased me on campus, shouting, ‘Burn in hell, Jew.’"
Connection to Israel: "My mother was born in Israel to a family that immigrated from Iran and moved to the United States at the age of 17, where she met my father, who was born in Iran and arrived in the U.S. at the age of eight. I have many relatives living in Israel, including cousins currently serving in combat roles in the IDF. Since I was born, I have visited Israel almost every summer. I feel deeply connected to the country and hope to move there one day."
"We gathered data showing that before October 7, 15% of Jewish students reported antisemitism—after the massacre, that number skyrocketed to 86%."
Fighting for Israel: "Even before October 7, I noticed that antisemitism was changing its face. Today, it is more commonly framed as ‘anti-Zionism’. When I enrolled in university, I became aware that campuses across the U.S. have a program called DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which requires every student to learn about different groups that suffer from hatred or discrimination. The program covers many communities, including racism against Black and Latino people, Islamophobia, homophobia, and even fatphobia. But the only thing it does not include is antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
In my opinion, there are several reasons for this, the main one being that Qatar donates billions of dollars to American universities and, in return, ensures the narrative that Israel is a colonialist state and that the Palestinian people are victims. In 2022, after Kanye West praised Hitler, many students at my university supported him and even wrote essays claiming that Jews are Nazis and that the world needs a second Holocaust.
Along with other Jewish students, I approached the university dean and requested that antisemitism be included in the DEI curriculum. Unfortunately, we were denied, with the argument that there was no real evidence that Jewish students were experiencing hatred on campus.
After October 7, antisemitism on campus escalated dramatically: students celebrated the massacre, held protests where they chanted ‘Death to Israel,’ and physically attacked Jewish students who demonstrated in support of Israel.
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Yasmin Ohav Zion
Yasmin Ohav Zion
Yasmeen Ohebsion
(Photo: Avigail Uzi)
Some were even hospitalized due to these assaults. This time, we gathered data from over 300 Jewish students at the university and found that while before October 7, 15% of them reported experiencing antisemitism, after the massacre, the number had risen to 86%. We met again with the dean and told him, ‘Do you need more proof than this?’ While he assured us that antisemitism would be included in the program, in practice, nothing changed.
"On my campus, students celebrated the massacre of October 7 and chanted ‘Death to Israel’—some Jewish students were even hospitalized after being attacked."
All of this ultimately led me to testify before Congress against him and the university. As a result of my testimony, a federal investigation was launched against Tulane, and at the same time, the university was forced to provide security for Jewish students at events."
The "Campus" app: "Its goal is to help Jewish students across the United States. For example, if a student becomes a victim of harassment or bullying because they are Jewish, they can report the incident through the app, and we have lawyers available to provide immediate legal assistance.
Additionally, the app outlines all the arguments made by pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel students and explains why these arguments are flawed. By doing so, we equip Jewish students with the tools they need to stand up for Israel’s rights."
The fight for the hostages: "I believe that as Jewish women, we must fight for the women who are still being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. We know that many women on October 7 were raped and sexually assaulted, as were those who were taken captive.
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As women in the Diaspora, we live in a Western society that supposedly opposes sexual violence. Yet when it comes to the women who were harmed on October 7, people deny it or even claim that they ‘deserved it because they were dancing on stolen land.’
We have an obligation to shine a spotlight on the fact that these sexual assaults and rapes happened—and are still happening."
October 7: "I remember watching the news and being in shock. At first, I was horrified by the rising number of victims and hostages, by the horrifying videos Hamas filmed and spread online. Then, I was shocked by what happened on my own campus—how quickly students here celebrated the massacre.
It was heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time. But it also made me realize that now, more than ever, we must wake up and take a stand."
"As Jewish women, we must fight for the female hostages in Gaza—because the world is denying the sexual violence they endured."
Antisemitism: "One day on campus, an anti-Israel woman wearing a hijab chased after me while shouting, ‘Burn in hell, Jew.’
Many times, I had to walk around wearing a hat because students called me a ‘baby killer.’
I also received death threats online—horrific messages on social media urging me to kill myself. Some even sent me images of bodies in Gaza, claiming that I had personally killed 160,000 Palestinians."
A message to Israeli women: "I see you. I see your contribution to Israel, and you inspire me tremendously.
I want to be your soldier in the United States—to fight for Israel and its right to exist.
I see us as sisters, as part of the same family, all fighting for the same values."
In collaboration with: Gesher Leadership Institute, Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, and AMI Directorate
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