When news surfaced in the Spring of 2015 that philanthropist and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson was launching a new program to combat antisemitism on college campuses, it caught the attention of Israel’s supporters and detractors alike. When he brought in David Brog to head the project, the world realized Adelson meant business. Brog was the founding Executive Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and the project is called Maccabee Task Force.

One year later, with few public statements made or press releases sent out, I was eager to learn what MTF was doing.

Last month, I met with Brog in our nation’s capital to find out.

“We were purposely stealth this past year,” Brog explained. “We focused on six campuses in California where BDS activity and campus antisemitism were running rampant. The goal was to figure out how we can make a difference – one that actually moves the dial on the ground rather than just make headlines.

“It was also very important to us not to compete with anyone already doing good work on campus or duplicate their efforts.”

During the hour-long conversation, Brog repeatedly stressed the importance of results and his personal accountability to Adelson and his vision.

“We have a man like Sheldon Adelson, who wants to make a difference in the fight against BDS on campus. I needed to determine the most effective allocation of his resources in order to achieve his goals,” said Brog. His first step was to learn what worked on campus by listening to those on the frontlines battling BDS at some of the nation’s worst schools.

MTF’s “listening” approach was welcomed by Rabbi Aaron Lerner, who serves as Executive Director of the Hillel at the University of California at Los Angeles. “The most important difference about the Maccabees is that they actually sat down and listened to students, asking for their help in understanding the situation on campus and how they thought the Maccabees could be most helpful,” Lerner said. “Unfortunately that’s an unusual thing for off-campus groups to do because a lot people tend to think they have all the answers, but they don’t actually spend the time with the students on campus to learn if their answers will work.”

Lerner added, “If you actually want to make change on campus, it must be in partnership with students. The Maccabees realized that very quickly, and as a result, they were really able to help students achieve their goals.”

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