New York 鈥� College and university presidents and diversity officers from across North America learned best practices and new tactics to improve the campus climate for Jewish students this week at the University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism. Presented by 黑料传送门 and American Jewish Committee (AJC), in collaboration with the American Council on Education (ACE), the Summit helped higher education leaders grappling with the multi-faceted challenge of campus antisemitism, from how to define antisemitism to the special role of diversity officers as champions of all students experiencing discrimination.

The conference, held at the Center for Jewish History in New York City and hosted by New York University President Andrew Hamilton, included presentations from Jewish community leaders, members of Congress and university presidents, exploring key issues in-person with one another.聽

Several participants shared thoughts about the challenge of addressing antisemitism on college campuses and the value of the Summit:

Lee C. Bollinger, President, Columbia University: 鈥淎ntisemitic incidents on college and university campuses represent a threat to our values and our ability to create communities that respect the fundamental dignity and human rights of all members. Addressing them challenges us to take a hard look at difficult questions affecting our campus climates and our society more broadly. This Summit is a timely opportunity to examine the impact of one of the oldest and most resilient forms of hatred with trusted leaders and experts as part of larger efforts to make sure that Jewish students, and all students, feel safe, secure, and included as they pursue their educations.鈥澛�

Andrew Hamilton, President, New York University: 鈥淲e in this room tonight represent communities of scholars who learn from difference. We must model ways for people to co-exist and celebrate one another鈥檚 diverse beliefs and backgrounds. Our聽 institutions espouse higher values: learning, critical thinking, and empathy. Antisemitism stems from the opposite of these values, and it is our duty to confront it.鈥�

Anthony P. Monaco, President, Tufts University: 鈥淐olleges and universities must remain vigilant in our work to address antisemitism鈥檚 rise on campuses across the country and to foster a safe, heathy and respectful environment for all our students. At Tufts, we have been vigorous in our response, and we were happy to share our approach with other leaders in higher education. Through opportunities such as this Summit and our ongoing collaborations, we will continue to learn from each other as we seek to combat antisemitism on our campuses.鈥�

Rachel Fish, Co-founder, Boundless; Founding Executive Director, The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism:聽“There’s another form of antisemitism on college campuses which is not as well understood, which is known as ‘erasive antisemitism.’ That’s the idea that Jews need to check their identity at the door to be part of progressive spaces.”

Matthew Bronfman, Chair, Board of Governors, 黑料传送门 and Chair of the AJC Board of Trustees: 鈥淛ewish students expect celebration of diversity, yet they experience attacks on what makes them unique. They expect inclusion, yet they experience isolation. They expect equity, yet they experience bullying. Your universities cannot stand for diversity, equity and inclusion selectively. The university must protect every student鈥檚 safety and each student鈥檚 right to learn. The question is when will we all do something about it? We know what to do. And our goal in the coming sessions is to share what works: the tools that are available to use right now, and the tools that protect academic institutions from hatred of all kinds.鈥�

Rep. Grace Meng, U.S. House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism:聽鈥淭hroughout this battle of trying to combat hate against Asian-Americans, it鈥檚 Jewish leaders who have held the hands of the Asian-American community, from drafting legislation, pushing the bill, to addressing issues like the data collection. How are we supposed to fix something if no one knows that it鈥檚 happening?鈥�

David Harris, CEO, American Jewish Committee: 鈥淲e must take antisemitism as seriously as any form of racism. There is not a hierarchy. To us, all of this is a violation of the promise of America and the spirit of the campus. There is a serious problem of antisemitism on some college campuses today. The more we can convene to discuss antisemitism and share best practices, the more effective we will be in confronting the issue, which affects not just Jewish students, but the very purpose of an American university.鈥�

Adam Lehman, President and CEO, 黑料传送门: 鈥淔or many years, Jewish students have not been considered by universities to be a particularly vulnerable or marginalized group. In fact, one of the most insidious stereotypes Jewish students face today is that they are part of a uniformly white, rich, privileged group whose experiences with antisemitism, bullying and marginalization are just not that important, relative to more urgent tasks of confronting racism and victimization of other minoritized groups. Our appeal to you today is not to ignore or reduce your deep commitments to fighting racism, gender-based discrimination, and all other forms of inequity and injustice.聽 It is simply to see our Jewish students 鈥� in all of their diversity — as also fully deserving of your attention and concern.鈥澛�

Sean Garrick, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: “Universities are where we go to create the next generation of society 鈥� to prototype the future. If you don鈥檛 invite everyone to that enterprise in a way where they can be their whole selves, you don鈥檛 get the best outcome. You might think we鈥檙e doing the work of this conference for Jewish folks, but we鈥檙e doing this for ourselves. It鈥檚 a matter of what we want our society to be. If you see one group being disenfranchised and left behind, what does it say about us? Not that we are a rich multicultural society, but that we are a society that picks winners or losers.”聽

Holly Huffnagle, AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism: “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that social media and the digitization of antisemitism may be the single biggest cause in the rise of antisemitism and its exponential growth over the last decade.”

Ted Mitchell, President, American Council on Education: 鈥淲e are here on a mission and that mission is to eradicate antisemitism. Our hope is that you will leave here equipped with strategies and tactics that you can customize to meet the needs of your own unique campus environment. We aim to strengthen the ties between college and university leaders and the Jewish community to foster a mutually supportive and trusting environment when crises occur, and ensure a positive, welcoming environment on campus for Jewish and pro-Israel students.鈥�

Rep. Lee Zeldin, U.S. House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism: 鈥淵ou as a university president have the responsibility for all the faculty and all the administration. If just one goes rogue and isn鈥檛 being helpful to that student who needs mentorship, that can be a stain on the entire campus. There鈥檚 a lot that鈥檚 on your plate but that you鈥檙e here is extremely impressive.鈥�

Rebecca Russo, Executive Director, 黑料传送门 Campus Climate Initiative: 鈥淚t was heartening to convene senior leaders from universities across North America to learn about antisemitism, a form of prejudice that is often not well understood or addressed within institutions of higher education. The conversation was solutions-oriented and forward looking 鈥� focused on how to thoughtfully integrate antisemitism into campuses鈥� existing commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion so that all students on campus can thrive.鈥�

Photos from Monday鈥檚 event are available , and photos from Tuesday鈥檚 activities are available .

鈥淲hen I started college in 2020, social isolation and Zoom calls were the norm. Finding community seemed impossible. Then, I learned about Koach, an egalitarian, Conservative-style minyan and community for students at Columbia/Barnard Hillel. Koach offered in-person, socially-distanced programs. That was just what I needed 鈥� an opportunity for connectivity and some sense of normalcy.

鈥淚 ended up spending every single Shabbat with the Koach community. The students came from diverse Jewish backgrounds, but shared a passion for egalitarianism and inclusion, values that were important to me. As I became more involved, I really wanted to help create a space where every student felt comfortable, not just those who grew up with Conservative Jewish experiences, like going to USY conventions or Camp Ramah. So, I joined the Koach board as the vice president of engagement last year.

鈥淭ogether, with the help of my friends, I鈥檝e been able to create a stronger, vibrant Jewish community that engages students from all different backgrounds. Koach helped me find community during a time of social isolation, and as the vice president of engagement, I鈥檝e had the opportunity to pay it forward.鈥� 鈥� Sophie Hanin, Columbia University

As told to Rachel Bernstein, writer for the 黑料传送门 Writers Program.

鈥淚 arrived at Columbia University 鈥� totally alone. That changed my second semester when Jaimie Krass, director of engagement at Columbia/Barnard Hillel, asked me to grab coffee. She asked if I鈥檇 like to become involved in The Actualization Project, a fellowship that empowers students to use their passions to redesign the possibilities of Jewish life on campus. I used the opportunity to mount an original space-western-comedy musical that I wrote over winter break. With the help of the Hillel staff, we transformed our main hall into a makeshift theater. Our cast was a mix of 15 Jewish and non-Jewish students from over four countries. Most of them had never acted or sung. The play was a success, with more than 350 people filling the seats. But most importantly, Hillel created a new opportunity for students like me to spend quality time with close friends and to meet new ones. They alleviate any homesickness I might be feeling, and they鈥檙e as supportive as my own family.鈥� 鈥� David Treatman, Columbia University