eJP: Are We Talking About 1948, 1967 or Oct. 7, 2023: Understanding Campus Conversations About Israel
Originally published on July 25, 2025 in eJewish Philanthropy, “Are We Talking About 1948, 1967 or Oct. 7, 2023: Understanding Campus Conversations About Israel,” sorts Israel-related conversation on campus into three distinct types. Written by Vice President of Hillel International’s Israel Action and Addressing Antisemitism Program Jon Falk, this piece offers a new framework for understanding dialogues about Israel. Read on for selected excerpts:
“On college campuses across the country, conversations about Israel are louder and more emotionally charged than ever. And amid the protests, student government resolutions and classroom disputes, it may be easy to miss a fundamental disconnect: Not everyone is having the same conversation.
In fact, I believe there are three different conversations about Israel playing out in parallel and unless we name them clearly, we risk misunderstanding each other entirely.
The first is what I call ‘the 1948 conversation.’ This is not a debate about borders or policies; it’s a debate about Israel’s existence. It centers on the very legitimacy of a Jewish state, and whether Israel should have been created in the first place. This discussion is rooted in the events surrounding Israel’s founding and it’s where many of the most hostile anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric manifests. Here, false and offensive terms like ‘settler-colonialism,’ ‘globalize the intifada,’ and ‘genocide’ replace facts and nuance. The conversation is not about how to achieve peace; it’s about denying the right of the Jewish people to self-determination
The second is ‘the 1967 conversation.’ This is where most American Jews and most people committed to peace tend to focus. It’s a conversation about what a lasting resolution to today’s conflict could look like, acknowledging the Jewish people’s right to a homeland and affirming the Palestinian people’s right to one too. Students and faculty engaged in this topic ask hard questions about borders, security, and coexistence. This conversation is informed by decades of peace negotiations, from the Oslo Accords to Annapolis. It’s a conversation about how to move forward, not whether Israel should exist…
For much of the last two decades, the debate on campus oscillated between 1967 and 1948, between questions of policy and questions of legitimacy. But since Oct. 7, 2023, a third conversation has emerged. I call this one ‘the 10/7 conversation.’
This is not a conversation about Israel’s borders or even its existence. It is about American Jews being targeted because of their real or perceived connection to Israel. It’s a conversation rooted in blame, in guilt by association, in the dangerous idea that Jews anywhere are responsible for the actions of Israel’s government or military. And it has led to an alarming rise in hate: Jewish students blocked from going to class, faculty using classroom power to shame Jewish identity and synagogues and Jewish institutions under threat…
Naming the 1948, 1967 and now 10/7 conversations for what they are can help all of us better support college students and ensure we’re equipping them with the insight and resilience they need.
Not every discussion about Israel is the same. Some are about how to build a better future. Others are about the existence of the Jewish state. And some are about whether Jews anywhere are safe at all. As we prepare to support students navigating these questions in the new school year, let’s be clear about which conversation we’re having, and why it matters.”
Jon Falk is the vice president of Hillel International’s Israel Action and Addressing Antisemitism Program. He leads teams that support campus Hillels in navigating and responding to antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel activity as well as celebrating, advocating for, and educating about Israel.