Typically, older non-participant observers highlight protest rhetoric and behavior that affirms their preconceptions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You can see, in the student protests, what you want to see.

It should go without saying that one can be anti-Israel, without succumbing to anti-Semitism. Many American Jews are anti-Israel right now, but understandably, they are also fearful of rising anti-Semitism.

No university administrators should condone anti-Semitic language or behavior. No Jewish students in the U.S. should be held responsible for Hamas’s actions or feel unsafe on their campuses.

All that said, I fully support the majority of student protestors who are convinced their government is making matters far worse in Gaza.

I’ll take young people with the courage of their convictions, even if it results in chaos on American campuses, over political apathy every single day of the week.