It is somewhat surprising that Hila Novat has become a leading figure in the pro-Zionist scene at CSU in Fort Collins. She is Israeli-American and has served in the IDF. But after Oct. 7, 2023, she laid low, trying to protect her mental health. It was her first year on a new campus, in a new state.
But two things started weighing on her. First, the mis- and disinformation campaigns on campus. “A loud minority was becoming the majority of people hating us for things that aren’t true,” she says.
The second reason was deeply personal — and painful. Her grandfather, who is 93, “decided to stop talking to us because we’re Zionists, and he’s anti-Zionist.”
That the person “who taught me my values and ethics and taught me to listen to others [had] bought this nonsense” spurred her into action. A year ago, she and two like-minded students established Israel Action Network (IAN, pronounced like the name) as the activism branch of Rams for Israel, CSU’s Israel group. IAN has recently become a chapter of Students Supporting Israel (SSI).
Novat’s trajectory is not typical. Originally from Israel, after graduating from high school in California she moved to Israel to serve in the IDF and continued living there for some years after. An environmentalist, she became concerned about climate change and “decided to do something about it,” she says. “I need to change the planet or try to change the planet if I am going to survive.”
She came to CSU to study wildlife biology and hopes eventually to work in the field of sustainable design and construction that’s “human and wildlife friendly.”
At 28, she is older than nearly all of the undergrads on campus. That puts her at a distinct advantages — and disadvantage.
During her first year she felt that her age set her apart and she wasn’t quite sure how to navigate the large age gap. As a result, she felt less integrated into campus life, including Jewish campus life. But that started to change as Novat took up her Israel activism. She started to connect with Hillel, AEPi and the student group Rams for Israel, and more students in general.
The advantage of Novat’s age is maturity, a priceless quality when engaging in the minefield that campus pro-Israel activity has become.
“My perspective is a lot different from the other students,” not only because she is originally from Israel and served in the IDF, but also because of life experience. “I feel like I guide things with a little bit more nuance.”
She has tried to mend differences between pro-Israel students through dialogue.
Pro-Israel students on campus are naturally cautious, she says, of people with more right-wing views, because “they fear it will bring them more hate, which I totally understand and agree with,” says Novat. Recent testimony of a CSU anti-Israel activist, Sophia Johnson, has gone viral on social media.
In her statements on March 25, 2026, as the Associated Students of Colorado State University Senate was considering a BDS proposal, Johnson, the president of CSU’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, called Rams for Israel “a literal Nazi group,” said Israel was the greatest danger across the world to Jewish students, and stated a number of libels against Israel, including that Israel has the largest skin bank in the world and that it is comprised of Palestinian skin taken by the IDF.
According to Novat, who also spoke that night, Johnson was referring to IAN’s activities, but didn’t understand that Rams for Israel and IAN are distinct, if related, campus groups.
The resolution passed.
Rhetoric like Johnson’s “is so frustrating,” says Novat. “The fact that you’re unrelated to this issue, it doesn’t affect you . . . and you think that you can tell someone with actual experience who is affected and is involved, you think you can tell them how things are. Who are you not to ask and listen, even if you expect to hold a different belief?
“The lack of context and respect really irked me,” she says, explaining why she has become so publicly active.
When asked by the IJN what action the school might take to protect its Jewish students or to discipline a student who repeated anti-Semitic falsehoods, Tiana Kennedy, associate vice president for communications at CSU, referred to a statement in which the university says it is “committed to fostering a campus environment where all members feel respected and supported. As a public institution, CSU is legally required to uphold the First Amendment and strongly opposes all forms of discrimination, including anti-Semitism and racism.”
Kennedy said CSU would take concerns about Johnson’s public remarks “seriously and are addressing the situation in accordance with university policies and applicable laws . . . We are thoughtfully and deliberately working through this matter, guided by our commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful campus environment for all.”
Many Jewish students on campus, Novat says, have been disappointed by what they see as the university’s lack of support. This motivated IAN members to approach the Fort Collins police about Johnson (the SJP president), whom they say is inciting violence.
Though Johnson’s rhetoric is covered by free speech, going to the city’s police is “part of our paper trail,” says Novat. “When something happens, like we’ve been talking to you about this entire time, you can’t say you didn’t know.”
As evidenced by events in Boulder, Australia, West Bloomfield, Mich. and elsewhere, such rhetoric can lead to violent, even deadly actions.
“I have heard some students say they don’t want to associate with Israel because then their classmates will ignore them, their reputation will be destroyed . . . that makes me sad,” says Novat, though with her recent deeper ties to campus groups including Hillel and AEPi, she is optimistic.
The Jewish community at CSU, she says, is somewhat disparate; one of her aims for IAN-SSI is to be an umbrella that brings Jewish and Zionist students together.
To bring people together is also why Novat has been active outside of Fort Collins, connecting with pro-Israel groups in Denver and Boulder, including Free Iran Colorado, a group of anti-Iran regime activists who regularly demonstrate at the State Capitol.
“My goal is to bring all of Colorado or at least northern Colorado to Denver and to collaborate on advocacy for Israel,” she says. An ambitious goal, but one that is already seeing success.
In January and February, she helped mobilize Israel activists across the Front Range to join Iran activists after Free Iran Colorado put out a call for support. In January, Novat noticed a lone student tabling on CSU’s campus to raise awareness of the protests in Iran. IAN had wanted to do an Iran table, so Novat approached the student. It turned out the student was a “huge Zionist”; the two started working together at CSU, and he connected her to Free Iran Colorado, with whose leadership and members she has a relationship of mutual support.
On campus she has helped host pro-Zionist tables as well as events, including a screening last week of “Torn,” the documentary about the campaign to destroy the “Kidnapped” posters created after 251 Israelis and others were kidnapped into Gaza by Hamas. Novat plans to bring wounded IDF veterans to campus next semester, which will be her final one.
Zionists are not all Jews, she says, and IAN-SSI has active members who are not Jewish.
The largest outcome of the campus work has been raising awareness. Preparation is a huge part of IAN-SSI’s work. Preparing to respond to anonymous talk on YikYak (a social media platform for college students). Preparing to speak to people who oppose Israel when tabling. Preparing materials, including info sheets and posters.
“We’re trying to do as much good as we can in our community,” she says.
With the extensive activism Novat has packed into a single year, and with the passion in her voice, sharp intelligence and operational talent, it’s hard to believe she laid low for her first year-and-a-half at CSU.
Novat commits herself wholeheartedly, whether it means starting a BS degree in her mid-20s, returning to Israel to serve in the IDF or becoming a leader in local activism.
Another example: She was one of five individuals who continued to meet weekly on behalf of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, even after the weekly Run For Their Lives had formally ceased.
Hila Novat is someone you want in your corner.
© IJN 2026