'Zionist Not Allowed'

The year before everything changed for Jews on American campuses, Tessa Veksler ran for student body president of University of California, Santa Barbara — doing her best to avoid having her campaign become a referendum on Israel. And she won.

But by October 8, 2023, at the beginning of her senior year, the hate came pouring in — online from unknown actors, but also at school, from classmates, other members of the student body, government, and even fellow Jews.

Hate signs went up: "Zionist Not Allowed," "Tessa Veklser Supports Genocide," "You Can Run But You Can't Hide Tessa Veklser."

And a vote to recall Tessa's presidency was held and narrowly failed.

I asked Tessa to join me on the podcast to give us a sense of what the younger generation is up against — but also to show us the incredible leadership that's coming up the ranks...

I hope you'll tune in to hear this important conversation wherever you get your podcasts.