On October 29th, CHAI—Clarkies Helping and Advocating for Israel—hosted British-Israeli tour guide Kay Wilson, on tour with StandWithUs, for a talk on her experiences after surviving a terror attack in December 2010. The lecture, “Human Rights and Justice for Terror Victims,” culminated Wilson’s life both before and after the attack, but spoke specifically on the care she received from Israeli Arabs directly following the attack. Hosted by CAMERA Fellow Seth Greenwald, the lecture proved to be a learning experience for all who attended.
Attendees of the lecture were moved from tears to laughter as Wilson chronicled her experience. After the attack, Wilson was left with substantial injuries, and was treated by both Israeli Arabs as well as Israeli Jews. Because of this experience, Wilson has created and spread a discourse on the coexistence that currently exists between these two groups and the future that can be formed because of it. Through her personal experience, Wilson is able to move people to understand something that is so frequently ignored.
Everyone at the event was able to take something away from the lecture. Audience members asked Wilson questions about her opinion on world-wide terror attacks, as well as her experiences with anti-Semitism. In her candid responses, Wilson was impactful and engaging. Students easily made an emotional connection with Wilson and her story, and by the end of the evening had a better understanding of the implications of attacks such as the one Wilson survived.
Wilson frequently tells her story to university students, always trying to promote a message of peaceful coexistence between the Jews and the Arabs of Israel. She encouraged students to be advocates for the Jewish people and the state of Israel, stressing the importance of unity with Jews around the world. Greenwald said the lecture was one of best he has ever heard, and would recommend her to every university.