Attacked Jewish students in Chicago speak out about 'war on college campuses'

Max Long was one of the Israeli soldiers who responded to the massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. He remained in combat long enough to be part of the force that entered Rafah at the southern end of the Gaza Strip. 

He transitioned from active duty to reserves and in March came to the U.S. to attend school at Chicago's DePaul University.

Now a student, Long witnessed the anti-Israel protests, not just at DePaul, but at college campuses across the nation. He realized that he had left Israel but had not left the war. "There is another front to this war and it’s back here. It’s the war on college campuses," Long said. He was talking about the fight for the narrative, who is the aggressor and who is defending themselves.

Dedicated to the belief that Israel is on the moral high ground and needs to continue fighting at least until the remaining hostages are freed, Long and fellow Jewish student Michael Kaminsky launched their own campus advocacy. They stood on the sidewalk near the student union with a sign that read "Come talk about Israel with an IDF Soldier."

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"The goal of these conversations was to de-escalate. It was never to enrage or add fuel to the fire," Long said.

Last Wednesday, Long and Kaminsky said a young man in a white T-shirt, wearing a black mask approached. Their video shows that they shook hands and had a contentious, but civil, conversation.

"And out of nowhere, from behind, y’know, mid-conversation. I just get completely knocked out," said Long, "by an accomplice that came from behind me."

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Kaminsky added, "I see him fall down on the ground, I go and try and lift him up… His body is just weak, it’s limp." He said the man in the mask pulled him into the fight. There were initial reports that antisemitic comments were made during the attack. Kaminsky said he was fending off an attack and cannot confirm specific comments. "It was really like I had tunnel vision. I can’t really recall anything that was said."

The attackers fled. Chicago Police said they are looking for a couple of men in their 20s. One has a beard and is about 5 feet, 11 inches tall. The other is about 6 feet tall. The camera never got a good look at his face because he was wearing a balaclava.

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Long said he suffered a concussion. Kaminsky’s wrist was broken.

Josh Weiner, co-founder of the Chicago Jewish alliance, said in light of the Jewish man who was just shot in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, all the campus protests and the attack on the Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam, he is not surprised that Jewish advocates were attacked at DePaul. "We as a society have framed Jews and Israelis as oppressors and it has created a permission structure for violence against Jews," said Weiner.

Kaminsky and Long said the attack has cemented in their minds the importance of their outreach.  They will return to campus, but take security precautions the next time they host an ad-hoc discussion. "We will definitely go back out there." Says Kaminsky. "We are more resilient than ever."