This past July, What Came After sat down with Kelly Shapiro, an engineering student at Rutgers University who founded the club Students Stand With Israel in the aftermath of October 7th. Kelly discusses her path into student government as antizionism and antisemitism surged on campus, and she reflects on the fear many Jewish students feel about speaking up—often out of concern that they lack an encyclopedic grasp of the conflict. She also shares her own experiences with intimidation since becoming the public face of her organization.

In our conversation, Kelly talks about both the burdens and the pride that come with taking on this work as a college student. She also describes how genuine dialogue—not protests or slogans—has helped foster unexpected moments of mutual understanding between her and some peers who identify as anti-Israel.

Credits:

Host and Creator: Manya Marcus

Managing Producer: Eli Akselrod

Editor and Producer: Ben Wallick

Editor 2: Eli Akselrod

Logo Design: Samuel Vilemar

Outro Music: “Light” - Ilana Chava 

Listen on Spotify or Apple Music