Inside the Jewish student community, a debate is raging over which political party is the best for our community.

I came face-to-face with this debate in November when I attended a conference hosted by the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC), a multi-partisan group with the mandate of engaging the Jewish community in Canadian politics.

The scene startled me because there used to be no debate over who the Jewish community should vote for. The answer was the Liberal Party of Canada. That support for the Grits still exists in our community today, but if the new wave of young leaders is any indication, there will be much more debate about it in the years ahead.

Young people historically have tilted toward apathy rather than political involvement. With the barrage of issues facing high school and university students, that’s no surprise. For the most part, outside perhaps the context of an election campaign, young people just don’t care that much. Those who do care tend to be on the left side of political spectrum.

The CJPAC conference featured several days of meetings with guest speakers and workshops meant to make Jewish students better political advocates for Israel and the other issues important to our community.

What stood out was the breakdown in party affiliation. The division was basically 50-50 between Liberal supporters and Tory backers. In years past, this was unheard of among a young crowd. Historically, Conservatives were in the minority and not exactly outspoken about their leanings.

But at this conference, the Conservative supporters were more vocal and aggressive in their arguments. Perhaps this was a byproduct of the party being in power for the first time in a long while. More likely, however, this new-found vigour was a response to the pride felt by the party’s unfailing support for the Jewish state.

For years under prime minister Jean Chrétien, we saw Canada support one-sided anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations. Then Liberal prime minister Paul Martin came in, and Canada started to abstain on the resolutions.

When Stephen Harper and the Tories won a minority government in 2006, many in the Jewish community were unsure of what to expect. What they got was the strongest advocate for Israel to ever live at 24 Sussex Dr.

Time and time again, Harper has come to Israel’s defence, and the position he takes on this issue seems truly rooted in principle.

Our current political climate of minority government makes it very attractive for leaders to take on populist themes that win votes.

Standing up for Israel is not necessarily a vote getter. The Jewish population is only a significant factor in a handful of Canada’s 308 ridings. On top of this, in seat-rich Quebec being pro-Israel is far from a popular position.

That said, groups like CJPAC are doing a solid job of ensuring our issues are on the agenda.

What was striking about the conference in November was despite the varying political beliefs there was a common goal shared by all involved to ensure our community and Israel has its voice heard by Canadian leaders and the general population.

There was a passion for politics, and Jewish political issues, that I had never seen before.

What is clear is that the bar for support from our community has been raised.

The current wave of young Jews are making the issue of Israel central to them because for the first time since the Yom Kippur War the country’s future seems truly uncertain. Due to this we are demanding more from our leaders, and we are doing it in more practical ways.

Programs such as the Hasbara Fellowships and CJPAC student conferences are helping connect Jewish youths with the political process.

There are still some Jewish students who are uninterested in politics and maybe they will never find it a worthwhile pursuit. However, I challenge them to get involved because those who fail to get engaged will miss out on a crucial time in our community’s political development.

Politics is no longer a nuisance for Jewish students – it is now a necessity.