Two students who have recently worked with Young America’s Foundation to counter the pro-Hamas left on their college campuses testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government Wednesday afternoon.
Shabbos Kestenbaum, a graduate student at Harvard University, worked with YAF earlier this month to plant more than 1,200 Israeli and American flags in honor of the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack. Although the flag display was vandalized within 24 hours of it being set-up, Shabbos and fellow Jewish students quickly repaired the display, which stood until the end of the school’s pro-Hamas encampment on Tuesday.
Eyal Yakoby, an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, is spearheading a national activism initiative in response to pro-Hamas students tearing down and stealing American flags: “For every American flag taken down, we’ll raise two more,” he said. Young America’s Foundation is working to connect him with our extensive network of student activists throughout the country.
“Members of this committee, I appear before you with an urgent warning,” Kestenbaum remarked. “The treatment of Jewish Americans on college campuses across this country and in particular, Harvard University, is nothing short of a national emergency. It is blatantly antisemitic, it is frighteningly discriminatory, and it is deeply un-American.”
Harvard student @ShabbosK testifies before @JudiciaryGOP:
— YAF (@yaf) May 15, 2024
"While the antisemitic encampment was ongoing, a few brave patriots and I decided to plant 1200 Israeli and American flags in memory of the 1200...slaughtered on October 7th. Harvard responded by calling the police on me.… pic.twitter.com/8PKZ5SHQo6
He also referenced the irony of the university’s response to his participation in YAF’s Stand With Israel flag project while simultaneously allowing pro-Hamas leftists to take over the school: “Harvard responded by calling the police on me.”
Throughout the hearing, several leftists with red-painted hands were in the audience mumbling antisemitic comments about the students and trying to get attention. However, their immature protest did not detract from the powerful testimonies delivered by Yakoby and Kestenbaum.
Low energy terrorist-sympathizers today—do you think they recognize they’re losing?@JudiciaryGOP @yaf pic.twitter.com/xN4j5gORVg
— Gabrielle Dankanich (@gndankanich) May 15, 2024
Young America’s Foundation looks forward to continuing to support these students, along with many others nationwide, in their efforts to stand with Israel in the upcoming fall semester.
