North Texas college student among those working to bridge gap between Israel and Palestine supporters

In conflict, there are often two contrasting beliefs and ideas passed from one generation to the next.

"I grew up proudly Jewish. I grew up hearing the Zionist perspective, the importance of the state of Israel for the Jewish people, and I honestly didn't know anything about the Palestinian perspective," said Olivia Zelling.

Zelling, a graduate of Grapevine-Collevyille ISD, is working to help her generation understand both.

“We’re more alike than not,” she said.

Zelling is part of a University of Texas student group called Atidna International, a title formed through the joining of the Hebrew and Arabic words for "our future."

Earlier this month, dozens gathered for a campus vigil, where both Jewish, Palestinian and Arab students shared their perspectives in search of common ground.

“We have to come together and realize that human rights cannot pertain to just certain groups of people. It must pertain to all people. And speaking from the Palestinian perspective, we're not new to this,” said Atidna Vice President Jadd Hashem to the crowd of more than 80 people that gathered.

“The work that we're doing, the bridge gap, the reconciliation work is arguably more important now than it's been in Atidna’s entire history,” said Elijah Kahlenberg.

Kahlenberg founded Atidna two years ago at the end of his freshman year.

He said since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and subsequent Israeli invasion of Gaza, the group's lost some members but gained more.

Two other universities have started chapters and he's hopeful more will follow Texas's lead.

“Atidna is a way to simply get students in a common environment to talk to each other, to understand that we're both human, we both have similar identities, to understand that we're not inherent enemies,” he said.

For Zelling, the hope is to make campuses safer amid a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents.

“It’s hard work. No one said this work would be easy, and we're getting it done,” she said.

 And perhaps one day, to help people of all ages open their eyes and hearts to each other.

“We’re a new generation. Anything is possible. We just have to trust each other and be willing to hear each other out and try to understand the other,” said Zelling.