Brave new documentary unveils Jewish students' fight against hate on U.S. campuses

"Frontline Warriors," a powerful new documentary spotlighting three Jewish students—Shabbos Kestenbaum, Eden Yadegar, and Eli Tsives—confronting antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility on American college campuses, premiered to the public on March 10 at Jerusalem’s Kirk Douglas Theater in the Aish Dan Family World Center.

The film, running just under an hour, offers an unflinching look at their year-long struggle following the war, weaving together exclusive footage and candid interviews that reveal the personal toll and triumphs of standing against hate at Columbia, Harvard, and UCLA.

Produced by Aish CEO Rabbi Steven Burg, COO Rabbi Elliot Mathias, and CCO Jamie Geller, "Frontline Warriors" premiered in Jerusalem, connecting Israeli viewers to the stark realities unfolding across U.S. universities. Speaking at the debut, Geller emphasized the film’s urgency: “This is the raw truth of what Jewish students endure every day—violent antisemitism surging on campuses. We made this to not only expose it but to equip others to fight back, showing that even a single voice can spark change. Silence isn’t an option; we’re shouting to the world that this hate won’t stand.”

The U.S. premiere follows tonight, March 12, at 19:30 at the Regal Theater in Times Square, featuring a panel with Kestenbaum, Yadegar, Michelle Ahdoot, Lizzy Savetzky, and Zach Sage Fox, with 18 more screenings planned globally over the next two weeks.

Atara Zaidner, a U.S. student in Israel who attended the Jerusalem event, called it “moving and inspiring,” praising its hopeful tone, while an anonymous peer felt it captured “history unfolding,” predicting its lasting impact. Rabbi Burg, ahead of the Manhattan event, underscored its timeliness: “This film lays bare the painful courage of Aish Ha’am students facing Jew-hatred unseen since Nazi Germany’s 1930s campuses. We can’t turn away—we must amplify their voices and resist this tide of antisemitism together.”

The featured students and panelists, now candidates on the Aish Ha’am slate for the World Zionist Congress elections that began March 10, aim to extend their fight beyond the screen.