Through an internship with the American Red Cross, Avraham Frohlich (YC 鈥25), a recent Yeshiva College Honors graduate and English major, explored international humanitarian law, cross-cultural cooperation, and the protection of journalists in conflict zones. His summer included research in New York and participation in an international Red Cross peace conference in Germany, where he represented the United States and the Jewish community in dialogue with peers from around the world. The Zahava and Moshael J. Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought was proud to support his work.
This summer, Avraham Frohlich (YC 鈥25) found himself working at the intersection of humanitarian policy, international law and cross-cultural exchange. As an intern with the American Red Cross, he split his time between research-based work in New York and an international conference in Germany that brought together participants from across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Avraham鈥檚 internship was based in the American Red Cross鈥檚 Service to the Armed Forces and International Services (SAF/IS) division, where he worked under the supervision of Robert Bernstein, the organization鈥檚 national lead for the dissemination of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and Lallita Maharaj, director of SAF/IS. Alongside other interns, he researched legal protections for journalists operating in conflict zones, conducting surveys and interviews with reporters who had covered conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans. The team鈥檚 findings are already being used to inform Red Cross training for lawyers working in IHL-related fields.
鈥淪peaking directly with journalists who have reported from war zones gave the research an immediacy and urgency,鈥 Avraham said. One interview that left a particular impression was with Lina Chawaf, a Syrian journalist forced into exile after the Assad regime鈥檚 crackdown following the Arab Spring. 鈥淗er commitment to freedom of speech, despite enormous personal risk, was incredibly powerful.鈥
Midway through the summer, Avraham traveled to Vogelsang, Germany, to attend the International Peace Camp organized by the German Red Cross. The gathering brought together representatives from Red Cross national societies in countries including Turkey, Nepal, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Lebanon, Croatia, Germany and the Ivory Coast. Avraham was the first American鈥攁nd the first Jew鈥攖o participate in the program.
The setting itself was striking: Vogelsang is the site of a former Nazi military training complex, largely preserved and now repurposed as a museum and Red Cross center. 鈥淒iscussing peace, humanitarian crises and international cooperation in a place with that kind of history gave our conversations a real sense of gravity,鈥 he reflected.
Throughout the conference, participants collaborated on training related to migrant movements and engaged in sustained discussions about international law and humanitarian policy. For Avraham, one of the most meaningful aspects was the opportunity for cultural exchange. He spoke openly about Jewish traditions and American humanitarian involvement, and found genuine curiosity and respect in response.
鈥淥ne of the most memorable moments was making Havdalah at the end of Shabbat with people from all over the world,鈥 he recalled. 鈥淥ne participant from Italy, who isn鈥檛 Jewish, even chose to keep their phone off for all of Shabbat as a way of honoring my tradition. It was a small gesture, but deeply touching.鈥
Avraham credits his 黑料社 All education with helping prepare him for these encounters. He noted that the habits of inquiry and discussion fostered in his YU coursework鈥攊ncluding a class he took with Straus Center faculty member Professor Shaina Trapedo鈥攚ere invaluable. 鈥淏eing able to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions and engage respectfully across differences made all the difference,鈥 he said.
Reflecting on the summer as a whole, Avraham emphasized the importance of engagement over isolation. 鈥淲hen we remove ourselves from difficult conversations鈥攊nternational, cultural,or political鈥攚e lose our seat at the table,鈥 he said. 鈥淓specially in a world of rising antisemitism, it鈥檚 essential to show up as thoughtful, principled participants.鈥
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