Nowadays you see very different types of activism taking place on college campuses across the United States. There are the campuses that face their opposition head-on with provocative demonstrations like the “Pinocchio” blow-up that stood at Columbia University. We’ll call this group the “Confrontationists.” And on the other hand, you see many campuses who decide to take the heat in a far less provocative way. Let’s call this group the “Reactionists.”

Let’s examine the reasoning behind both approaches before we decide which is most effective.

The “Reactionists” do not want to stir up any issues on campus that could further marginalize their pro-Israel groups. This group of activists feels that unless they are attacked, they should not attack the statements of anti-Zionist leaders on campus. They feel that any raucous they cause on campus could hinder their efforts to combat BDS. Further, they want to be able to spread a message of peace on campus.

Creating havoc would directly negate their attempts at spreading peace. “Israel is a peaceful nation,” they say, “and we should model their behavior.”

That seems legitimate. All of their points are valid and we should be spreading the message of peace and coexistence.

The “Confrontationists” have a different way of advocating entirely. This group strives to attack anti-Zionist propaganda before it has a chance to enter the minds of impressionable college students. They strive to be proactive and not reactive so that their message is the dominant one on campus. They are intimidating and often times, offensive, but their methods allow this group to accomplish their goals.

Now let’s talk about what we should be doing on campus.

I am sick and tired of the Zionist community being told to remain silent and “not to stoop down to the opposition’s level.” Let’s stand up for ourselves. We, as student Zionists, have every right to be just as proactive as we need to be in order to stand up for the right of the only Jewish state to exist.

Now I’m not saying that we should be a vicious presence on campus to students with differing opinions. This is not the case. We should be kind and we should be open to dialogue with the opposition. We should strive to spread the message of peace on campus. We should also be well founded in our criticism of the opposition. Furthermore, we should never ever attack the opposition as individuals and as students on campus. Rather, we should combat their often skewed and falsely based viewpoints.

However, in doing this, we should never allow the opposition to have the stronger voice on campus. The only way to do this is to be proactive. Do something that will make students on your campus want to stop and take a look at what you’re trying to accomplish.

Let’s not be passive in accepting the attacks from anti-Zionist leaders on campus. Let’s be proactive!