Dear AHS Campus Chapter Leaders,
One year ago, Iran-backed Hamas terrorists launched an invasion of Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapping hundreds. This attack was the most brutal assault on Jews since the Holocaust and the largest terrorist attack against Americans since 9/11. Today, Israel is fighting a war on multiple fronts against enemies that have also murdered scores of Americans. We all hope for our ally's victory. Israel has both the right and duty to ensure such an atrocity never happens again. May its resilience and determination serve as a model for the United States.
What does this have to do with you?
First, you are coming of age in perhaps the most dangerous world since the time of your great-grandparents. Medieval regimes are gaining power in the modern age. The world was shocked by Hamas's attack, just as many were by Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Yet, both did exactly what they said they would. History has taught us that we must take our enemies at their word. When the Chinese Communist Party says it will take Taiwan by force if necessary, we should believe it, not dismiss it as rhetoric.
Second, the war on, and for, our universities has become undeniable. Many of you, especially Jewish and Israeli students, have been excluded, intimidated, harassed, and even physically attacked on campuses. Many of your stories—most of which go unreported—of censorship and self-censorship due to fear of retribution or ostracization highlight the erosion of free expression at universities. This is unacceptable, even if it has become the norm.
This culture has become a feature embedded in many institutions. Even as Israel was still repelling Hamas forces inside civilian communities, hundreds of American student groups released statements blaming Israel for the attack. University presidents, particularly at elite schools, have often been weak, hesitant, or even sympathetic to these views. One after another failed to speak and act with the moral clarity that is supposed to define good leadership. Instead of demonstrating leadership, their failure to take a stand allowed some of the worst behavior on campuses since the 1960s.
A year later, universities still haven’t grasped the full extent of their failures. While commissions on anti-Semitism and free speech, as well as policies of institutional neutrality, are welcome changes, they are treating the symptoms, not the disease. Hamas is explicitly committed to killing all Jews, which encompasses hundreds of thousands of current Jewish students, faculty, and staff. Hezbollah and Iran have murdered scores of Americans around the world. No university has critically examined its admissions, faculty hiring, or curriculum, the root causes of the intellectual environment that enables radicalization rather than reason. Until universities confront why so many students arrive with or develop such dangerous views and illiberal behavior, change will remain elusive.
Third, despite these challenges, you have excelled in this annus horribilis. Your leadership is a bright spot. Since October 7th, you and your fellow chapter leaders have hosted over 50 events, with more planned, on topics such as the October 7th attacks, Iran’s role in the region, and U.S. policy toward the Middle East. You’ve demonstrated that it’s possible to bring serious, civil, and educational programming to campuses without descending into chaos. At a time when many on campuses are seeking to silence or threaten those who believe in American exceptionalism, you are lighting the way forward.
AHS has experienced unprecedented growth over the past year, thanks to your work. The number of chapters, events, and student participation has surged. This success is because of your efforts and example.
If we are to rebuild our intellectual institutions, it will be because you have led the charge. You have raised your voices, written op-eds, spoken before Congress, and become advocates for reform. Some of you have even transferred schools or sacrificed your own education to ensure future students have the opportunity for true learning. You are fighting a battle that should not be yours, but without you, it would not be fought at all.
For the past year, your role as student leaders has been more vital than ever. Throughout this time, you have consistently exemplified the core values of critical inquiry and debate that AHS has long championed at universities. More than that, you have upheld our shared belief in the exceptional nature of our country and its unique role in shaping the world. Today, both of these ideals are under attack. Yet, I am confident that, together, we can continue to inspire and lead a better way forward—not just for us, but for all civilized nations.
To the pursuit of knowledge, strength, and leadership,
Gabe