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SAID ABAHIG

Bahij resides in Washington, D.C where he is currently a triple major studying Arabic, Persian, and International Affairs. In his free time he enjoys traveling, hiking, and reading.


Samantha Abdoo

Samantha Abdoo is a freshman at the University of Cincinnati. She is studying English and Political Science with the intent of attending law school after she graduates. In her free time, Samantha works to improve Jewish life on campus by working with clubs like Bearcats for Israel. She joined the ITME fellowship in hopes of gaining new perspective on the Middle East and learning how to effectively communicate support for Israel and Zionism. 


Raihaana Adira

Raihaana Adira is an undergraduate student at McGill University, majoring in International Development and Islamic Studies. As a Muslim and dedicated ally to the Jewish community, Raihaana was one of the students who filed the injunction against the pro-hate encampment at McGill backed by foreign adversaries. She actively stands against anti-Semitism, promotes peaceful coexistence, and advocates for creating safe and inclusive spaces on campus, drawing from her personal experiences.


Isaac Babus

Photographer and Advocate


Miles IsaacS

Undergraduate at King’s College London, President of King’s Geopolitics Forum, Assistant at RUSI


ORI JOSELL


BEN MONROE

Benjamin Monroe, age 22, is from Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from Beth Tfiloh Dahan Day School, Ben was selected to participate in the international Kivunim gap year program. Ben lived and studied in Israel, Morocco, Greece, and Berlin during that time.  Ben is majoring in Arabic and Hebrew at The Ohio State University. During his summer breaks in college, Ben interns at the global headquarters of Cisoexecnet. The internship provided hands-on experience developing marketing campaigns, conducting market research, managing digital content, and CEO-to-CEO messaging. Following college graduation, scheduled for May 2025, Ben plans to live overseas in locations where he can fully use his foreign language expertise and hopes to pursue graduate school. When he is not working or studying, Ben enjoys cooking, basketball, music, rock climbing, and traveling.


ILAI RABINOWITZ


Miranda Ruzinsky


Sammy Shiff

I’m dedicated to spreading knowledge and understanding about Israel’s rich cultural heritage and contemporary significance. Currently pursuing a major in Elementary Education at Drexel University, I am deeply passionate about empowering young minds. Beyond academia, I actively engage with organizations such as SSI (Students Supporting Israel), Hillel, Chabad , Meor ILN (Israel Leadership Network), JNF (Jewish National Fund), and Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Through these affiliations, I foster education, cultural exchange, and community building.


BROOKLYN TORY

Brooklyn is in her final year of undergraduate studies in psychology, cognitive science, and international development at McGill University, where her special interest has been ethnically adaptive trauma coping. She has been an advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ equity issues in academic settings, as well as work to improve Title IX consent education in schools. Brooklyn’s leadership experience includes an array of vital roles in Model UN conferences in Montreal and the Bay Area, and in 2021 she founded and acted as President for a Bay Area community initiative to improve civil and political discourse among students. As part of her participation with ITME, Brooklyn hopes to foster thoughtful dialogue between students in Montreal, a city that has seen dramatic rise in antisemitism and racial-ethnic violence since 10/7.


TamaR Sarah Weiss


Aliya Zigman

Aliya Zigman is a senior at the University of Denver, studying psychology and philosophy. Passionate about trauma-informed care and somatic health, Aliya plans to make Aliyah to Israel after graduation to pursue a career as a therapist specializing in these areas. She is a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow and serves as the Director of Strategy and Education for the University of Denver’s chapter of Students Supporting Israel (SSI). From 2023 to 2024, Aliya spent a gap year in Israel, volunteering in Kibbutz Harduf. There, she taught English to Arab children in neighbouring villages and worked alongside individuals with mental disabilities. Aliya’s experiences have deepened her connection to Judaism, inspired her commitment to Israel, and shaped her vision for a career dedicated to helping others heal.


Matthew Zivian


FELLOWSHIP RESOURCE LIBRARY

AVI MELAMED’S RESOURCES

MIDDLE EAST NEWSAND ANALYSIS THINK TANKS > Israeli < Institute forNational Security Studies Meir Amit Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern...

ALEX VATANKA’S RESOURCES

> Sources on Middle Eastern Politics < Mr Vatanka's articles can be found at www.vatanka.com or here: https://mei.edu/person/alex-vatanka/ Debates “inside” of Iran about regime’s policies on US, Israel,...

NEGAR MOJTAHEDI’S RESOURCES

> Sources on Middle Eastern Politics < Suspicious in-custody injections feared linked to deaths of Iran protesters https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601279171?source=share-linkhttps://www.iranintl.com/en/202601279171?source=share-link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOe5XoNuILo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsp0QP2DxMg https://insidethemiddle-east.com/bruised-but-undeterred-iran-braces-for-more-risks-in-2026-iran-international/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saZD8o_Ls6s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0stZYn1_jJA ...

DR. HAY EYTAN COHEN YANAROCAK’S RESOURCES

> Arabic Sources on Middle Eastern Politics < Al-Monitor Al-Monitor is an award-winning media service founded in 2012 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Jamal Daniel....

ABDULAZIZ ALKAHMIS’ RESOURCES

> Arabic Sources on Middle Eastern Politics < Carnegie Middle East Center This center provides in-depth analyses of political dynamics in the region, including...

HAYVI BOUZO’S RESOURCES

Links to Activists & Social Media Influencersto Follow on X, InstagraM & ANALYSIS THINK TANKS Hayvi Bouzo Broadcast Journalist, Peace Builder, Co-Founder of Yalla Productions, and...

LEXICON

GROUPS & ORGANIZATIONS

Al Badr Corp / Militia A Pro-Iranian Iraqi Shi’ite political party and militia headed by Hadi al-Amiri Al-Qaeda “The Base” or “The Foundation.” Al-Qaeda is a...

UNSCRs – UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS

UNSCR 1696 (2006) On July 31, 2006, the UNSC passed its first resolution regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions. UNSCR 1696 called on the regime to...

PLACES

Al-Aqsa Mosque The third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Al-Medina. The mosque is located in the Old City of Jerusalem on the...

ACCORDS & AGREEMENTS

The Abraham Accords The agreements signed by Bahrain, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States on September 15, 2020. The UAE signed...

AVI's LATEST ARTICLES

The Mountains Are Our Only Friends: The Story Of The Kurds _ Episode 1 | Avi Melamed

The mountains are our only friends: The story of the Kurds | Episode 1 | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered...

Western Theory and Middle East Reality: The Consequences of a Flipped Lens | Avi Melamed

Western Theory and Middle East Reality: The Consequences of a Flipped Lens | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered by Ai. One...

Yemen – A Portrait of Chaos – Analysis | Avi Melamed

Yemen – A Portrait of Chaos - Analysis | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered by Ai. When people hear the word...

Turkey, Gaza, and the Risk of Strategic Ambiguity | Avi Melamed

Turkey, Gaza, and the Risk of Strategic Ambiguity | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered by Ai. As discussions advance about post-war...

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LATEST FROM THE HUB

Israel More Doubtful About Saudi Accord After Strategic Shifts | BLOOMBERG

Israel More Doubtful About Saudi Accord After Strategic Shifts | BLOOMBERG | Avi Melamed’s insights quoted in the article by Ethan Bronner for BLOOMBERG. Israel...

Why Does Hamas’ Mandatory Disarmament Remain So Elusive? | THE MEDIA LINE

Gaza Begins To Reopen to the World, Testing Israel’s Postwar Strategy | THE MEDIA LINE | Find Avi Melamed's insights quoted by Waseem Abu...

The Mountains Are Our Only Friends: The Story Of The Kurds _ Episode 1 | Avi Melamed

The mountains are our only friends: The story of the Kurds | Episode 1 | An article by Avi Melamed | Podcast version powered...

Gaza Begins To Reopen to the World, Testing Israel’s Postwar Strategy | THE MEDIA LINE

Gaza Begins To Reopen to the World, Testing Israel’s Postwar Strategy | THE MEDIA LINE | Find Avi Melamed's insights quoted by Keren...

AVI MELAMED ON TV

Iran wants to mass-produce missiles, Israel says it may strike again | STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS

Iran wants to mass-produce missiles, Israel says it may strike again | Avi Melamed’s insights quoted by Ryan Robertson (Anchor), STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. When Israel...

Heated exchange: Former Israeli intelligence official vs Afshin Rattansi on Iran, Gaza, & More | RT

Heated exchange: Former Israeli intelligence official vs Afshin Rattansi on Iran, Gaza, & More | RT On this episode of Going Underground, we...

Israel Strikes Syria IDF Defends Druze 200+ Dead | ILTV

Israel Strikes Syria IDF Defends Druze 200+ Dead | Avi Melamed’s interview by Maayan Hoffman, executive editor of ILTV News. https://youtu.be/DT2NfkLcfkw https://youtu.be/_IZRFX_SC3k Key Highlights (with Timestamps) Escalation on...

Iran Nuclear Program “It’s a Set Back, It’s not Destroyed” | ILTV

Iran Nuclear Program "It's a Set Back, It's not Destroyed" | Avi Melamed’s interview by Maayan Hoffman, executive editor of ILTV News. https://youtu.be/GLBIXtiHIUU https://youtu.be/TnBHzn0lLM8 Here’s a summary...
00:10:34

Pres. Trump claims ‘monumental’ damage after Iran attack | FOX NEWS

Pres. Trump claims 'monumental' damage after Iran attack | FOX NEWS | Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence quoted on Fox News, interview by...
00:05:23

Iran’s Lasting Denuclearization Unlikely Without Regime Change: Analysts | NTD NEWS

Iran’s Lasting Denuclearization Unlikely Without Regime Change - Middle East Expert | NTD NEWS with Geopolitical Analyst Avi Melamed. https://youtu.be/mE8QVGOMrug Iran’s Deterrence in Preventing...
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