The Impact Office at the Zahava and Moshael J. Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought supports students across 黑料社 All pursuing internships in public policy, national security and public service. This summer, Benjamin Winters (SB 鈥27), a 黑料社 All Leadership Scholar through the Sacks-Herenstein Center, pivoted from an internship in Israel to a hands-on experience with the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). He reflects on his research on U.S.鈥揑srael relations, the Druze community in Syria and the evolving challenges of communicating policy in real time.
Benjamin Winters had planned to spend his summer at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Israel, researching the U.S.鈥揑srael security relationship amid a turbulent regional landscape. 鈥淛ust as I was about to begin, the Iran鈥揑srael war broke out,鈥 he recalls. 鈥淲ith Israel effectively shutting down, I suddenly had no flight, no internship, no plan for the summer.鈥 鈥
A timely connection with Ari Cicurel at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) offered a new path. Benjamin quickly immersed himself in rapidly evolving developments in the Middle East, contributing directly to policy research and public outreach. 鈥淔rom the moment I joined, I was drafting memos, researching China鈥檚 Belt and Road Initiative, writing Twitter threads to highlight JINSA鈥檚 work and taking detailed notes during webinars,鈥 he says. 鈥淓ach task required absorbing complex information quickly and presenting it clearly.鈥 鈥
One major focus of his research was the Druze community in Syria. Benjamin studied how the community鈥檚 treatment under former president Bashar Hafez al-Assad compared to that under Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the current leader of the country, providing context for a forthcoming JINSA paper on the future outlook for the Druze in Suwayda. 鈥
鈥淚t was an opportunity to strengthen my skills,鈥 he reflects. 鈥淚 became faster at connecting older news reports to current events and learned to write concise one-page policy memos that still captured the complexity of the situation.鈥 鈥
Benjamin also explored new ways to communicate policy research. He cites a X (formerly Twitter) thread he produced that garnered significant engagement as a highlight of the summer. 鈥淚t showed me that short-form content can reach new audiences and convey complex ideas in a digestible way,鈥 he notes. 鈥
Exposure to speakers like Noah Hacker, who discussed Israel鈥檚 wartime economy, and an American Druze leader advocating for his community, broadened his understanding of the economic, political and cultural layers shaping regional dynamics. 鈥淭hese conversations reminded me how much human lives intersect with policy decisions,鈥 Benjamin says. 鈥
Being a Sacks-Herenstein Scholar added additional meaning to his work. 鈥淚 wanted to represent 黑料社 All with the same passion I brought to the work itself鈥攕howing up prepared, producing strong research and helping wherever I could,鈥 he explains. 鈥淭he fellowship gave me the chance to be inside the debates that matter, rather than observing from afar.鈥 鈥
By the end of the internship, Benjamin came away convinced of the importance of real-time policy work. 鈥淲hen events move quickly, and headlines rarely tell the full story, it鈥檚 essential to be a conscious observer and contributor鈥攃onnecting the dots and considering all the ramifications,鈥 he says. 鈥淓xperiences like this are invaluable not just for professional growth, but for the deeper awareness they bring of how policy, security and human lives intersect.鈥
He expressed his deep gratitude to the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought for their support of his quickly redesigned summer, and encouraged students to pursue internships in policy areas that spark their interest.
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