Max Long was one of the Israeli soldiers who responded to the massacre on October 7, 2023. He remained in combat long enough to be part of the force that entered Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip.

He transferred from active duty to the reserves and, in March, came to the United States to attend training school. DePaul University Chicago.

Now a student, Long has witnessed anti-Israel protests, not only at DePaul, but on college campuses across the country. He realized that he had left Israel but he had not left the war. “There’s another front in this war and it’s back here. It’s war on college campuses,” Long said. He was talking about the struggle over the narrative, who is the aggressor and who is defending himself.

Believing that Israel is on moral high ground and must continue fighting at least until the remaining hostages are freed, Long and fellow Jewish student Michael Kaminsky launched their own plea on campus. They stood on the sidewalk near the student union with a sign reading “Come talk about Israel with an IDF soldier“.

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Max Long, left, and Michael Kaminsky speak with Fox News’ Mike Tobin about their attack at DePaul University in Chicago. (Fox News)

Pro-Israel protesters gather on the DePaul University Lincoln Park campus in Chicago on May 5, 2024. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)

“The goal of these conversations was to defuse the situation. It was never about enraging or fueling the fire,” Long said.

Last Wednesday, Long and Kaminsky said a young man in a white T-shirt, wearing a black mask, approached. Their video shows they shook hands and had a contentious, but civil, conversation.

The Chicago Police Department has released images of two suspects wanted for attacking two Jewish students near DePaul University in what law enforcement is calling an “assault/hate crime.” (Chicago Police Department)

“And out of nowhere, from behind, you know, in the middle of a conversation. I get completely knocked out,” Long said, “by an accomplice who came up behind me.”

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Kaminsky added: “I see him falling to the ground, I’m going to try to pick him up… His body is just weak, he’s limp.” He said the man in the mask dragged him into the fight. There were reports that anti-Semitic comments were made during the attack. Kaminsky said he was fending off an attack and could not confirm specific comments. “It really was like I had tunnel vision. I really don’t remember anything that was said.”

Police dismantled an anti-Israel encampment at DePaul after the university cited several threats. (WFLD)

The attackers fled. Chicago police said they were looking for two men in their 20s. One has a beard and is approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall. The other is about 6 feet tall. The camera never got a good look at his face because he was wearing a hood.

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Long said he suffered a concussion. Kaminsky’s wrist was broken.

Josh Weiner, co-founder of the Jewish Alliance of Chicago, said in light of the Jewish man who had just been filmed in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicagoall the campus protests and the attack on Jewish soccer fans in Amsterdam, it’s no surprise that Jewish defenders were attacked at DePaul. “As a society, we have portrayed Jews and Israelis as oppressors and created a permission structure for violence against Jews,” Weiner said.

Kaminsky and Long said the attack cemented in their minds the importance of their advocacy. They will return to campus, but will take safety precautions the next time they lead an ad hoc discussion. “We will definitely go back.” Said Kaminsky. “We are more resilient than ever.”