Guest Speaker - Tessa Veksler (Former @ucsbpresident, advocate in the October 8 movie)
Thursday, 4 September, 2025 • 11 Elul 5785
7:00 PM - 9:00 PMSZBE
Tessa Veksler is a public speaker, content creator, and Jewish advocate. Originally from the East Bay Area in California, Tessa is a 2024 graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) where she received her B.A. in Political Science and Communication.
Tessa took a gap year in Israel and simultaneously studied Judaics at Bar Ilan University while remotely completing her first year at UCSB in 2021. She lived through Operation Guardian of the Walls and brought her experiences and dedication to Israel advocacy and fighting antisemitism to her campus community through her various leadership roles. She served in multiple fellowships, including ICC's prestigious Geller Fellowship. After serving in student government for three years, Tessa completed her term as the Student Body President of UCSB in May 2024. She represented 24,000+ students, and she made history by becoming the first ever Shabbat-observant Associated Students President at UCSB.
After facing targeted harassment and antisemitism in the wake of October 7th, Tessa has chosen to speak out bravely about her experiences while encouraging Jewish people nationwide to fight against hate. With 40,000+ followers on Instagram and videos racking up more than 7.5 million combined views, Tessa has become a prominent Jewish and Zionist voice on social media. She has received numerous recognitions, including invitations to the White House and UCSB's University Service Award. In addition to her recent feature in the documentary ‘October 8th’, she now travels nationwide to share her message of strength, resilience, and continued activism while simultaneously working in public relations for Hiltzik Strategies in New York City.
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Sun, 31 August 2025 7 Elul 5785