The Beren Summer Fellowship

Natalie Arbatman is a rising sophomore at George Washington University studying Economics. Born in California to parents from the former Soviet Union, Natalie is a proud Jew and passionate Zionist. She is interested in law, economics, and journalism. She is the Co-Director of Political Affairs for GW for Israel. Natalie is a reporter for the GW Hatchet and has a blog for the Times of Israel where she writes about contemporary antisemitism and campus activism. She is a member of GW Women in Economics. Natalie is also involved with philanthropic Jewish organizations including Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Friendship Circle. She is a part of Hillel, Chabad, and MEOR. As a Beren Summer Fellow, Natalie researched Soviet and Marxist influences on the modern American cultural landscape and determined to what extent they contribute to the rise in anti-Zionist sentiments among American youth. She wrote an article that tracks the history of left-wing anti-Zionism from its roots in Marxist Soviet regimes, to its introduction onto the world stage at the 1975 UN General Assembly, and its continued propagation in Western media and academia today.

Zoe Tara Zeigherman grew up in London and is a junior at Georgetown University, where she studies English and is pursuing minors in Film and Media Studies and Jewish Civilization. She has also written and edited for the campus arts and culture magazine. Long term, Zoé Tara is interested in combining her passion for film and Zionism to promote Jewish confidence. During 2021 she moved to Berlin for a year to work in film and became personal assistant to Jewish filmmaker Leo Khasin. Over the summer, Zoé Tara has worked to prepare for the production of a video series that will make former MK Dr. Einat Wilf’s college course – Zionism and Anti-Zionism – accessible to anybody. Entering at the moment of emancipation for European Jews, the course explores Zionist thought and its opposing anti-Zionist ideas in pairs, leading up to the creation of the state of Israel. There is an additional section on secularism, Soviet, and contemporary left wing anti-Zionism. The course syllabus consists solely of primary sources. Reading with contemporary eyes, students gain a sense of how the debate unfolded in real time and how nothing which took place can be understood as the inevitable outcome. This course offers the ability to understand the genealogy of attacks Jews face today while simultaneously generating an empowered appreciation for the vigorous debate and revolution that produced Zionism.

Tamara Berens is from London, England, and graduated from King’s College London in 2019, with a degree in war studies. During her time as a Tikvah Summer Fellow, Tamara dedicated her research weeks to an in-depth review of the debates within Israel Studies departments over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her project dissected the scholarship of Israel Studies departments and professors, exploring how unsubstantiated criticism of Israel often cloaks itself in serious academic work. She also explores the different strategies that defenders of Israel can pursue against BDS campaigns. Following her graduation from King’s College, Tamara was accepted as one of two Krauthammer Fellows in that Fellowship’s inaugural year. Using her experience researching the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement during her Summer Fellowship, Tamara has become an indispensable commentator on the subject of anti-Semitism, investigating the BDS movement at Columbia University and penning a widely-read essay on far-right anti-Semitism, both in Mosaic. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Jerusalem Post, The National Interest, National Review Online, and The Weekly Standard.

Alyza D. Lewin is a co-founder and partner in Lewin & Lewin, LLP where she specializes in litigation, mediation and government relations. She is also the President and General Counsel of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a non-profit organization established to advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. The Brandeis Center conducts research, education and advocacy to combat the resurgence of anti-Semitism on college and university campuses.

Ms. Lewin has represented numerous high-profile clients. Her work includes criminal defense, civil litigation, anti-discrimination, security clearance and Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) matters. In 2014, Lewin argued Zivotofsky v. Kerry (the “Jerusalem Passport” case) before the U.S. Supreme Court, a case involving the constitutionality of a law granting any American citizen born in Jerusalem the right to list “Israel” as the place of birth on his/her U.S. passport.

Brooke Goldstein is a New York City-based human rights attorney, author, and award-winning filmmaker. She serves as Executive Director of The Lawfare Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about and facilitating a response to the abuse of Western legal systems and human rights law. Brooke is also the founder and director of the Children’s Rights Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to track, spotlight, and legally combat violations of children’s basic human rights around the world. CRI has a special focus on the state-sponsored indoctrination and recruitment of children to become suicide-homicide bombers, child soldiers, and human shields.

Brooke’s first book, co-authored with Aaron Eitan Meyer and entitled Lawfare: The War Against Free Speech: A First Amendment Guide For Reporting in an Age of Islamist Lawfare, gives practical guidance to journalists who wish to speak truthfully about the national security threats faced by liberal democracies. The book is available here.

Brooke’s award-winning documentary film, The Making of a Martyr, uncovers the illegal, state-sponsored indoctrination and recruitment of Palestinian children for suicide-homicide attacks. Filming Martyr, Brooke secured firsthand interviews with active and armed members of the Al-Aqsa, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas terrorist groups as well as with families of suicide bombers, children imprisoned for attempting to blow themselves up, teachers at terrorist-run schools, and others involved in the phenomenon of child suicide bombing. Martyr is currently broadcast on television stations throughout the globe and is ranked as IMDb’s seventh most popular title on the West Bank.

Brooke is a regular commentator on FOX News and has been featured in several media, including CNN, The New York Sun, Swindle Magazine, Defense Technology International, and on WABC News Talk Radio, and has been published in a variety of sources, including the New York Daily News, Commentary Magazine, The American Spectator, The Counter Terrorist Magazine, Special Ops Magazine, and others. She also hosts the television series Outspoken on Jewish Broadcasting Service (JBS).

Brooke is a seasoned public speaker and has lectured and taught seminars at numerous schools, including the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York University, Berkeley University, Stanford University, and others. Brooke has also been invited to brief government officials at the U.S. State Department, the White House, the Pentagon, the U.K. Parliament, and U.S. Central Command on issues of asymmetric warfare and human rights.

Brooke is the 2007 recipient of the E. Nathaniel Gates Award for Outstanding Public Advocacy and the 2009 Inspire! Award bestowed by the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, was listed in 2009 as one of “36 Under 36 Young Innovators” by the Jewish Week, formerly served as an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute, and is currently a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, an associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute, a member of the Scholars for Peace in the Middle East’s (SPME) Council of Scholars, an advisory board member of Belev Echad Charity, and a board member of The Mideast Reporter. She is also a recipient of The Blue Card’s 2016 The Irene Hizme Tikkun Olam Award, the UJA’s 2017 Defender of Israel award, and Belev Echad Charity’s 2015 Pillar of Courage award. In 2019, she was inducted into the Manhattan Jewish Historical Initiative’s (MJHI) Manhattan Jewish Hall of Fame.

From 2007-2009, Brooke served as director of the Legal Project at the Middle East Forum, an organization that arranges financial support for and pro-bono legal representation of persons wrongfully sued for exercising their right to free speech on issues of national security and public concern.

Additionally, Brooke is the co-founder of A2B Film Productions, Inc., a Canada-based independent documentary film production company focused on creating films that explore issues ignored by the mainstream media.

Canadian born, Brooke earned her B.A. from McGill University and received her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She also attended Columbia University and University of Toronto’s exchange programs.

In her role as Executive Director of The Lawfare Project, Goldstein incubated, provided the seed funding for, and founded the progressive Jewish organization Zioness. She coined the phrase, “Zionism is a progressive value.”