(Tuesday, 5th August 2025) – Over the weekend, United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Assistant to the President Will Scharf, and Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter spoke to a large group of Christian students at the Passages D.C. Experience about how to fight for the truth about Israel on college campuses ahead of the new academic year and the importance of the U.S. – Israel relationship.
The Passages D.C. Experience was a gathering of American Christian student leaders from across the U.S. and Canada who were in the U.S. capital over the weekend to learn about how to stand against antisemitism and advocate for Israel.
“Your efforts to bring young Americans to Israel, to foster understanding and to build bridges of faith and friendship are nothing short of inspiring,” Witkoff told the Passages gathering. “You are nurturing the next generation of leaders who will carry this torch forward, and for that, I am deeply, deeply grateful to all of you today.”
Will Scharf, Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary, spoke about the difficult situation facing students on campuses who stand up for Israel.
“The dominant narrative on college campuses has been totally hijacked and bears essentially no relationship to the reality on the ground, to the reality of Middle Eastern history, to what’s actually going on in Israel and the broader Middle East,” said Scharf. “And I think fighting back against that SJP narrative is just incredibly important, not just for Jewish students, but really for all Americans who believe in Judeo-Christian values, who believe in, I think, the values that we all share. We can’t let them win on this.”
Ambassador of Israel to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, spoke to the students about the U.S.–Israel relationship, his son, who died while fighting in Gaza, and the latest events surrounding criticism of how Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza.
“Hamas is getting the food and Hamas is holding it up for others. They are the root of any suffering in Gaza. There’s nothing more evil than that. It doesn’t matter what the facts are anymore. There’s a tsunami out there, and in Israel, we’re being accused of the worst kind of crimes. Nonetheless, the bond that exists between Israel and Western civilization won’t be broken,” explained Ambassador Leiter. “We don’t kill innocent civilians. We don’t target innocent civilians. Our soldiers died because we don’t target innocent civilians. My son might be alive today if we bombed population centers instead of sending our soldiers in by foot looking for terrorists.”
Nicknamed the “Christian Birthright”, Passages was formed in 2016 and has brought over 11,000 Christian students from North America to visit Israel for the first time to strengthen their religious identity and to build bridges of friendship with Israel and the Jewish people. Since the October 7th massacre, Passages has increased its work with Israel advocacy and fighting antisemitism on North American college campuses, holding regular weekend conferences for Christian student leaders.
“Unfortunately, due to irresponsible international actors, parts of the media, NGOs, and global decision-makers, Israel is being libeled and attacked on multiple fronts, and painted as evil and heartless,” said Rivka Kidron, Co-Founder and Board Member of Passages. “It is vital that our students have all the tools at their disposal to stand for the truth, stand for peace, and stand for Israel.”
“Our Christian student leaders have been on the frontlines standing in solidarity alongside those in the Jewish and pro-Israel community facing hate and lies since the October 7th massacre,” said CEO of Passages Zach Bauer. “To fight lies and hatred, it is vital that our students are able to disseminate truth and compassion on their campuses, and this is what we are teaching them, as well as to be a force multiplier, at the Passages D.C. Experience.”
