Max Long was one of the Israeli soldiers who responded to the October 7, 2023 massacre. He remained in the fighting long enough to be part of the force that entered Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip.
He moved from active duty to the reserves and moved to the United States in March to attend DePaul University in Chicago.
Long, a current student, has witnessed anti-Israel protests taking place not only at DePaul University but on college campuses across the country. He realized that he had left Israel, but not the war. “There's another front in this war, and it's back here. It's a war on college campuses,” Long said. He was talking about the battle over narrative, who is the aggressor and who is defending us.
Mr. Long and fellow Jewish student Michael Kaminsky maintain their belief that Israel has the moral high ground and must continue its fight, at least until the remaining hostages are freed. Advocacy activities have begun. They stood on the sidewalk near the student hall holding placards that read, “Let's talk about Israel with IDF soldiers.”
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Max Long (left) and Michael Kaminsky talk with Fox News' Mike Tobin about the attack at DePaul University in Chicago. (Fox News)
Pro-Israel demonstrators gather at DePaul University's Lincoln Park campus on May 5, 2024, in Chicago. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
“The purpose of these conversations was to defuse tensions, never to inflame or add fuel to the fire,” Long said.
Last Wednesday, Long and Kaminsky said they were approached by a young man wearing a white T-shirt and a black mask. Their video shows them shaking hands and having a civil, albeit contentious, conversation.
Chicago police have released images of two suspects wanted for attacking two Jewish students near DePaul University, in what law enforcement described as an “assault/hate crime.” It is something that exists. (Chicago Police Department)
“And out of nowhere, from behind, you know, in the middle of a conversation. I was completely knocked out,” Long said. “By an accomplice who came from behind.”
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Kaminski added: “I saw him fall to the ground and I went and tried to pick him up…His body was just weak and limp.” He said a masked man drew him into the fight. There were initial reports of anti-Semitic comments during the attack. Kaminski said he was fending off the attacks, but could not confirm specific comments. “It really felt like I was in tunnel vision. I can't remember anything that was said.”
Police removed an anti-Israel encampment at DePaul after the university cited several threats. (WFLD)
The attackers fled. Chicago police said they were searching for several men in their 20s. One person has a beard and is approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall. The other one is about 6 feet tall. He was wearing a balaclava, so the camera couldn't get a good look at his face.
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Long said he suffered a concussion. Kaminski had a broken wrist.
Josh Weiner, co-founder of the Jewish Federation of Chicago, said that given the shooting of a Jewish man in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, all the protests on campus, and the attack on Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam, , said he was not surprised that Jews were Jews. The defenders were attacked at DePaul. “As a society, we have created structures that frame Jews and Israelis as oppressors and condone violence against Jews,” Weiner said.
Kaminsky and Long said the attack solidified in their minds the importance of their relief efforts. They will return to campus, but will take safety precautions the next time they host an ad hoc discussion. “We'll definitely be back there again,” Kaminsky said. “We are more resilient than ever.”
