Pinsker Centre fellowship meets Ted Cruz and administration officials in Washington
Emerging student leaders from UK campuses given access to senior-level briefings with members of Congress, White House officials, and leading think-tanks
Campus-based foreign policy think tank The Pinsker Centre has returned from its fellowship trip to Washington, DC, designed to equip the next generation of leaders with the skills and understanding to address issues across Israel and the wider Middle East.
The delegation, for Jewish and non-Jewish students with an interest in foreign policy, gave participants the opportunity to engage directly in discussions with senior politicians, including Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, and Merav Ceren, senior director for international energy policy at the White House’s national energy dominance council.
Ben Freeman, executive director of the Pinsker Centre and lead organiser, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have organised this programme. These students are Britain’s next generation of leaders. Enabling them to engage meaningfully with senior policymakers on complex issues like the war in the Middle East and the war in Russia/Ukraine will benefit not just their campus environments, but all of British society for years to come.”
Daniella Spoto, a student at the University of Exeter, said: “My time at the Pinsker Centre has shown me just how central the value of engaging in difficult debate truly is, and the DC trip was no exception. Over those three days, I found myself in rooms I never imagined I’d enter, debating with and challenging individuals I never thought I’d have the opportunity to meet.”
Amar Singh Bhandal, a student at the University of Cambridge, praised the programme, stating that “the trip stood out for the unique access participants enjoyed to senior policymakers.”
The Washington D.C. delegation is an annual trip taken by the Pinsker Centre exclusively for participants in its Policy Fellowship programme.
- The Pinsker Centre is currently accepting applications for the 2026-27 Policy fellowship. To apply, click here.
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