From the Desk of Adam Lehman: Building on Record Engagement and Increasing Jewish Belonging on Campus
Friends,
With the new semester underway, our Hillel teams are building on momentum from the fall term to advance our core work in creating thriving Jewish life on campus, while continuing to forcefully address the issues of antisemitism and hostile campus environments that can undermine the ability of Jewish students to fully express their identities.
On the 鈥渏oy before oy鈥 side of the equation, we are on pace for yet another new record in overall student engagement and participation through Hillel this school year.聽Here are just a few examples of the incredibly diverse array of programs, experiences, and relationships fueling this growth:
- Students from different faith and religious groups, including Hillel Davis & Sacramento, came together for the聽. In addition to sharing meals together at the home of each religious group on campus, students learned more about the different cultures and faiths of fellow students.
- Hillels in Ontario, Florida, and Texas have organized and supported regional student leadership convenings to connect and empower hundreds of Jewish student leaders seeking ways to strengthen their leadership on campus.
- As the Jewish community marked one year since the October 7 attack on Israel,聽聽with programs and vigils, called for the return of the hostages, and provided opportunities to engage the full campus community in remembrance.
- In November, 黑料传送门 organized聽at premier venues in NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia. More than 3,500 students from 300 different Hillel communities enjoyed live performances from Israeli and Jewish artists headlined by Grammy-nominated musician Matisyahu, 2018 Eurovision winner Netta, 2023 Eurovision finalist Noa Kirel, and artists who performed at the Nova Music Festival on October 7.
- Two student leaders at聽鈥 to help the university鈥檚 Jewish community learn about how Hillel is providing support to Jewish Buckeyes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way for us as Hillel board members to tell the rest of the Jewish community what鈥檚 going on and add a little bit of good news to people鈥檚 days,鈥 said OSU Hillel Co-President Abby Mehr.
- Over winter break, students from Hillels in the state of Florida traveled to Poland on a life-changing Hillel-led trip to learn about the history of the Holocaust and how it continues to impact antisemitism today. The group also visited local Jewish communities and Hillel Warsaw to learn about contemporary Jewish life in Poland.
- And this coming March, 黑料传送门 will host the nation鈥檚 largest annual gathering of pro-Israel student leaders at聽.
Even as we continue to invest in the talented professionals, unique Jewish experiences, and leadership development opportunities that engage, inspire, and empower Jewish students through Hillel, we also remain focused on improving the underlying conditions required for Jewish students to safely and fully engage in Jewish life and learning.
As a broader Jewish community, we can be proud of the progress we鈥檝e made during the past year in catalyzing meaningful change in the ways universities address antisemitism. Many university partners are responding more quickly, aggressively, and effectively to address issues as they arise, including through more active enforcement of university policies and codes of conduct.
These changes have translated into a significant drop in the number of mass campus disruptions that sparked many issues of harassment and intimidation during the prior academic year. Even so, we continue to see a historically high level of problematic incidents targeting Jewish students, Jewish student organizations like Hillel, and Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff. In our聽, more than 83% of Jewish students said they have witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7, 2023. In this challenged campus environment, more than 40% feel the need to hide their Jewish identity, an enormously problematic indicator of the breadth of issues Jewish students are reporting.
These numbers are more than statistics. They reflect the lived experiences of a large number of Jewish students who are being marginalized, excluded, and subjected to other forms of bias and discrimination. You can read more about the study and how we’re responding in聽.
In the face of these issues, we are continuing to invest in a multitude of resources and strategies to better equip Jewish students to confront these challenges, to promote their resilience, and to change the underlying campus conditions.聽In the fall, we launched聽, a resource to educate and empower students to respond when faced with harassment or discrimination. More than 160,000 people have already taken advantage of Campus for All, and we鈥檒l be continuing to add to the content and resources it offers students. Our Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), operated in partnership with ADL, The Brandeis Center, and law firm Gibson Dunn, provides free legal support from some of the nation鈥檚 top law firms to ensure that every Jewish student facing unlawful discrimination has legal recourse.
We鈥檝e grown our聽to 100 participating universities, educating and training their administrators on the nature of contemporary antisemitism, facilitating policy-level changes to improve the way they respond to Jewish student issues, and ensuring their accountability in delivering on these improvements. We鈥檙e also adding new 鈥淐ommunity Impact鈥 professionals to Hillel teams at select campuses to serve as dedicated advocates for Jewish students and channel the efforts of aligned partners, faculty, alumni, and administrators in driving positive change. Finally, we continue to invest in the core Jewish education, engagement, and community building experiences that motivate and equip students to express their Jewish identities with joy, pride and confidence.
This past week鈥檚 Torah portion,聽Parshat Bo, bridges from the tragedy of our people鈥檚 enslavement in Egypt to the triumph of the Exodus. We too are living through times of tragedy and triumph, including the miracle of the growing group of hostages finally being released from their captivity over the past two weeks. Through it all, 黑料传送门 we remain resolute in our mission, and confident in our capacity to inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders who will bring light to the Jewish people and broader world. Thanks for everything each of you does in support of our work and mission.
叠鈥檚丑补濒辞尘,
Adam