Regional college students seeking information about Israel have a new resource. Libby Cohen, a self-described social justice advocate, recently joined StandWithUs as its Mid-Atlantic campus regional manager.
Since assuming the role two weeks ago, Cohen, 26, has begun orienting herself to campus realities in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. The former Florida resident works with 10 campuses and 11 fellows to provide information and resources for events and programs geared toward combating antisemitism and promoting Israel education.
“I am kind of just like a support system,” she said. “If they need anything, I am always there.”
Before beginning the StandWithUs role two weeks ago, Cohen worked for Project 26 Pennsylvania, a nonprofit committed to increasing young voter turnout. As a campus organizer with Project 26, Cohen managed 10 fellows and volunteers tasked with motivating Carnegie Mellon University students.
“That kind of opened my eyes to what is happening at the University of Pittsburgh, and all these other schools,” said Cohen, who added that in the years since graduating college she fell “out of the know” regarding campus life.

After graduating from Dickinson College with a degree in political science and government in 2021, Cohen joined Americorps. She spent a year teaching English to middle school students in Jacksonville, Florida, before traveling to Bengkulu, Indonesia, where she taught for another year.
Teaching abroad left her largely “ignorant” about Jewish life on U.S. college campuses, she said. “I wanted more information about it.”
Cohen’s mother suggested participating in Birthright. So last June, one month before moving to Pittsburgh to join Project 26, Cohen spent 10 days in the Jewish state.
“I learned a ton about Israel’s history and how that is transpiring, present-day, with Gaza,” she said. Speaking with Israelis her age offered insight on Israel’s challenges on “different fronts,” as well as “how the people are coping, and just focusing on life and living through all these terrible times.”
Though Birthright was not her first trip to Israel — Cohen previously visited an uncle in Herzliya and participated in synagogue trips — the 10-day excursion was an eye-opening endeavor.
“I’m just so grateful that I can bring that back to the U.S. and tell people about it,” she said.
Working with StandWithUs is similar to teaching English, as both rely on a strong commitment to education and relationship building, Cohen explained.
Part of “making people aware of something that they weren’t aware of” requires trust between parties, she said, adding that establishing partnerships with students, parents and administrators looks different across the region. “Some campuses are much more open, and kind of friendlier in a way. Everybody has a different perspective on everything that’s going on within Israel and with the Middle East.”
Cohen told the Chronicle she’s committed to “knowing the facts, and knowing what is actually happening on campus.”
Following heightened hostilities post-Oct. 7, Brandeis University’s Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies reported last year that “although a majority of students are not hostile to Jews or Israel, colleges and universities need to recognize that there is a minority of students who are contributing to a hostile environment for Jewish students on campus.”
A Newsweek/College Pulse survey released in May 2024 found that 80% of college students in the U.S. “don’t approve of Israel’s handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza.”

As for Jewish students on campus, new data from Prizmah released last week notes that “compared to peers who did not attend Jewish day school, Jewish day school alumni consistently report stronger ties to their Jewish identity, a deeper connection to Israel and greater participation in Jewish life during their college years.”
Cohen said she’s eager to learn more about the nuances of student life in the region and that the same thirst for teaching that led her to Asia is driving her desire to be a resource here.
As an educator, “having open discussions is extremely important,” she said. So is “knowing what the other side thinks.”
People who follow news about college life may notice headlines promoting fear, “but you also have to look on the brighter side and be like, students want to learn about this,” Cohen said. “They are passionate about it. So how can we create [something] in a more educational-based mindset instead of just hopping on a bandwagon of TikTok or other social media?”
Today’s college students belong to a generation that wants to “directly make an impact,” she continued. “I think that is extremely significant in how we curate this specific kind of curiosity. We have to give them the correct information where they can form their own opinion.”
Whether it’s providing speakers, pamphlets or digital guides, StandWithUs has the ability to meet different student needs, Cohen said. Increasing information is critical to generating “more dialogue on campus and creating more well-rounded mindsets of the student body … So many students are feeling ostracized now, and that is not OK. Every single college student should have a safe space on campus — whether that is Hillel, Chabad, whether that’s a professor or a class, or the dining hall or wherever — it should feel safe for them.”
Through her new position with StandWithUs, Cohen is committed to aiding learners and educating “every single college student about what is actually happening in Israel, while also obviously combating antisemitism and anti-Israel activity on campus,” she said. “I want students to know that people are supporting them, even if they don’t know that they’re supporting them. People are working towards bettering our communities and trying to provide a more basic foundation of just literally getting the facts out.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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