(The message below is excerpted from an email sent to all AEPi undergraduate brothers on the joyous occasion of the release of the living hostages).

For two long years the entirety of the Jewish community has worked tirelessly to bring home all living hostages who were captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Now, we finally have the hostages home. Now, we can be hopeful for peace.

I want to recognize the IDF (especially the AEPi men of the IDF) and those in Israel serving in various capacities throughout this ordeal. We have all been inspired by their tenacity and bravery. I want to applaud the leaders of the Jewish community from our local synagogues to the halls of congress, many of whom are AEPi brothers.

I also want to thank our brothers on campus for the part you played. North American college campuses are the physical collision points for ideas, both intellectual and political. There is no doubt, therefore, that you have borne the brunt of the fight, combatting the presence of Hamas ideology and antisemitism while building communal bridges and raising yourselves up as Jewish leaders. You have remained steadfast to the core ideas of Zionism, and never forgot the hostages. You should know that within our broad Jewish communal efforts, your actions have been among the most important.

I want to remind you that in this moment we may hold and express many emotions. When doing so, remember that there is still so much work to be done. In Pirkei Avot we are reminded, “Do not rejoice at your enemy’s downfall” and I have always felt that part of that wisdom is the knowledge that another enemy will always rise.

The post 10/7 era has revealed to the world that hatred of Jews is prevalent and that our true enemy is antisemitism in all of its forms, from the social media bully to Hamas. Let’s keep up the fight for the Jewish people and for what is right. Build yourselves as leaders, engage positively with peers, and advocate strongly within your community.

The war is over but, unfortunately, there is still a huge battle to fight for the hearts and minds of our campus communities.

To that end, AEPi has entered into a groundbreaking partnership with TalkIsrael to develop an enhanced cadre of AEPi brothers engaging with pro-Israel social media content. Brothers will complete an e-learning course and then some will be selected to become AEPi/TalkIsrael creators and have an opportunity to work with professional social media mentors who will help you build your personal online brand while promoting positive and truthful stories about Israel.

Our mission — to develop leadership for the Jewish community — has never been more important than it is at this moment. I know that our AEPi brothers will fulfill our calling and lead at this pivotal moment. Am Yisrael Chai!