Israel on Campus Coalition

The organization has issued an annual “campus trends” report about antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct on college campuses. ² It holds an annual National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. that draws hundreds of college students. ^{3 4}

In 2016, the group was found to be funding Facebook pages of non-existent student organizations in opposition to a Palestinian-American activist. Facebook removed the pages. Israel on Campus Coalition has also reportedly coordinated with an Israeli government agency. ⁵

Background

The Israel on Campus Coalition is an advocacy group that provides campus services, educational tools, and resources to ensure that Jewish and pro-Israel college students feel safe and prepared to confront antisemitism and anti-Israel activity on college campuses. The organization also provides resources and education on Israel to faculty members working to help protect academic freedom and free speech on university and college campuses. ¹

The organization says it wants to unite pro-Israel groups to operate on campuses across the United States to coordinate strategies, collaborate resources and provide expertise to strengthen support for Israel. ^{1 6}

Programs and Initiatives

The Israel on Campus Coalition’s programs include the ICC Community Impact Fellowship or Geller International Fellowship for student leaders, education for students, faculty, campus professionals, as well as consultations for students facing anti-Israel activities. ⁷

In August 2024, the Israel on Campus Coalition National Leadership Summit was held in Washington, D.C. and drew 500 students from 153 campuses. The theme was “Take Back the Campus” after antisemitism on campus. ³ The previous year about 400 students attended. ⁴

In March 2024, the Israel on Campus Coalition conducted a survey by Schoen Cooperman Research finding 73 percent of Jewish college students felt less safe on campus after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The survey was based on interviews with 400 Jewish college students. Further, 65 percent of Jewish college students said the boycott, divest and sanction movement (BDS) poses a threat to Jewish students, while 81 percent said it was important for them to use their voice to stand up for the Jewish community on campus. Another 66 percent said it was important to use their voice to stand with Israel. ⁸

The group’s National Operations Center provided support for students and professionals seeking to educate their campus communities about Israel. ¹

Israel on Campus Coalition offers a $250 grant for college students to attend a Washington D.C. Israel rally sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. ⁹

In January 2024, Israel on Campus held its Geller Fellowship Retreat in New York City. The event featured talks with actress Debra Messing, social media influencer Lizzy Savetsky, executive director of UN Watch Hillel Neuer, activists Hen Mazzig and Sarah Idan, author Dan Senor and Boundless Israel Founder Aviva Klompas. ¹⁰

The organization has issued an annual “campus trends” report about antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct on college campuses. ²

Funding

The Marcus Foundation donated $1.5 million to the Israel on Campus Coalition in 2022. ¹

The Koum Family Foundation donated $1.25 million to the group in 2022. ¹

The Jewish National Fund donated $1 million to the organization in 2023. ¹

Some of the financing for the organization has come from Adam Milstein. ^{11 12}

The board includes members who worked for some of the largest Jewish charitable foundations, which include the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. ¹²

Leadership

Jacob Baime has been the CEO of the Israel on Campus Coalition since 2013. Previously, he was the national field director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. He was also an area director in AIPAC’s New England Region, and was a political aide to the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. ¹³

Dorothy Tananbaum is the chair of the board of the Israel on Campus Coalition. She is on the board of governors for the Jewish Agency for Israel and a member of the Jewish Funders Network and Facing History and Ourselves boards of directors. She is the co-chair of Project People Foundation. ¹⁴

Ian Hersh is chief operating officer of the Israel on Campus Coalition. Previously, he worked for AIPAC and on Capitol Hill. ¹⁵

Miriam Elman is the executive director of Israel on Campus. ¹⁶

Controversies

Israel on Campus Coalition has been accused by left-of-center sources of links with the Israeli government. ProPublica and the left-wing Jewish magazine The Forward reported that the group had been found to be funding Facebook pages of non-existent student organizations in opposition to Palestinian-American poet Remi Kanazi. Facebook eventually removed the pages for violating policies against misrepresentation. ⁵

The ProPublica/Forward report also noted undercover video footage of Israel on Campus Coalition CEO Jacob Baime saying that the group’s staff would “coordinate” or “communicate” with Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs. ¹⁷

In late 2023, the left-wing The Nation magazine alleged the Israel on Campus Coalition had “links to both Israeli intelligence and AIPAC,” the acronym for American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The article accused the organization of collecting information on campuses and sending it back to the Israeli government and sharing information with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a left-of-center Jewish interest group.” ¹¹

The Nation article cited an undercover story from a documentary on Qatari state-backed media outlet Al Jazeera in which Baime was secretly recorded saying, “We built up this massive national political campaign to crush them,” referring to pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel protesters on college campuses. ¹¹