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The David Project has long been known as one of the most aggressive, acrimonious pro-Israel voices on campus. But their new report, “A Burning Campus” Rethinking Israel Advocacy at America’s Universities and Colleges,” is starting to change that reputation. Full of new strategies for combating what they see as destructive efforts to delegitimize Israel on campus, they hope the report will form the basis for a new unifying strategy for all on-campus Israel advocacy organizations. At its core is a complete 180: the idea that vigorously attacking “anti-Israelism” on campus is counterproductive.

David Bernstein was hired as the executive director of the David Project two years ago. I spoke with Bernstein yesterday. We went beyond the new report and touch on everything from the definition of pro-Israel to the upcoming Israeli Apartheid Week — and Bernstein talked about correcting common misconceptions about what Jewish campus life is like today.

Wilensky: After working at the American Jewish Committee for several years, what drew you to the David Project?

Bernstein: I started out as a pro-Israel student activist in college. I was the head of the pro-Israel student group at [Ohio State University], an activist in the Soviet Jewry movement and I was on the national Hillel student executive committee. I’ve always felt a special kinship to the campus scene.

On a typical Friday morning, most college students would sleep in if they had the opportunity. Not in the nation’s capital, where some students don blazers and pantsuits to lobby on Capitol Hill.

For many years, students from American University, George Washington University, Georgetown University and the University of Maryland have set out in person for lawmakers’ offices to lobby on behalf of Israel. All four schools coordinated to send a total of more than 60 students to 31 senators’ offices on a lobbying day last month.