When I was a kid, I would sometimes blow the shofar around the house, mostly to annoy my parents. They would always tell me to stop, and they made it clear that my shofar-blowing career would both begin and end at home. As I had no intention of becoming a rabbi or any sort of synagogue leader, my parents鈥� assumption seemed logical enough.

And yet, on September 22, 2022, I became the first person ever to blow the shofar at the Vice President鈥檚 residence, the Naval Observatory. This is an honor I will be proud of for the rest of my life. (My parents are proud, too.) I鈥檓 extremely thankful for the opportunity to have attended the interfaith Rosh Hashanah event, and I feel immensely proud of myself for completing the task of blowing the shofar in such exciting鈥攁nd intimidating鈥攃onditions.

This journey started when Rabbi Daniel Novick, the Executive Director at , invited me to attend the event at the Vice President鈥檚 residence. I was so excited that I immediately called my parents. I didn鈥檛 tell them about the shofar, because at that point, I didn鈥檛 even know I would be blowing it. 

Then, when I got the email describing the event, I read that they still needed a shofar-blower. My friend encouraged me to volunteer, so I did. Even at this point, it was unlikely that the shofar-blower would be me. I hadn鈥檛 blown a shofar in years and didn鈥檛 feel confident. And in a final possible obstacle, the Second Gentleman鈥檚 team had not yet approved the blowing of the shofar at all! Luckily, on the day of the event, they said yes.

I got dressed up and brought with me the shofar Sydney Spanier, George Mason Hillel鈥檚 Springboard Fellow, had loaned me. This shofar is really special; Sydney had made it herself when a shofar-maker visited her Twin Cities community. When we got to the Naval Observatory, the security team gave the shofar a long look; after all, most people probably don鈥檛 bring ritual objects made from rams鈥� horns to this residence!

When the event started, I felt like I was floating. The situation didn鈥檛 seem real. Doug Emhoff, the Second Gentleman, was warm, casual, and seemed like a regular person living in extraordinary circumstances. We studied some Torah together, and the attendees had the chance to ask Mr. Emhoff questions. He talked about what it was like living in the Vice President鈥檚 residence. It was amazing to think about the fact that this wasn鈥檛 just the residence of the current Vice President and Second Gentleman; this was where Vice Presidents Pence, Biden, Cheney, and many others have lived.

Finally, I was told it was time for me to blow the shofar. I took the shofar out of the bag and stood up. I took a deep breath, hoping that I would be able to make the shofar produce the intended sound. Somewhat to my surprise, it worked. That was when Mr. Emhoff said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the first person in history to blow the shofar in this house.鈥� He also asked if I had a lot of experience, and I told him the truth: I used to blow the shofar at home to annoy my parents. He laughed.

As we were leaving, I still hadn鈥檛 processed what had happened and what I had done. Eventually, it hit me what a huge honor it was to be the first to blow the shofar in such an important place, the Vice President鈥檚 residence. Mr. Emhoff is the first Jewish resident of that house, so he was making history. Because of him, I was able to contribute to history, too, both as a Jew and as a queer person. 

When you鈥檙e a queer Jew, you鈥檙e often the first to do something or to go someplace. Both Jews and queer people have been excluded and discriminated against for so long, and being able to take up space in such a significant place is really meaningful. As the grandson of Holocaust refugees, the meaning of this experience hits especially close to home. 

The Jewish people have a long and intense history, and being celebrated in one of the most important residences in the country is truly an honor I will always cherish. Hearing the shofar is a mitzvah, and the fact that I was able to provide that mitzvah for those gathered at the Second Gentleman鈥檚 Rosh Hashanah event is remarkable. I鈥檓 incredibly proud to have represented queer and Jewish people in this historic way. 

At a time when Jews around the world are gathering with their family, friends, and communities to celebrate the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are outraged to hear and see that a number of antisemitic incidents took place on or around campus on Rosh Hashanah, one of the most sacred Jewish holidays.听

Over the past week, we have heard from our Jewish student peers throughout the country about these incidents, as well as their fears that their campus may be next. As co-chairs of the 黑料传送门 Student Cabinet, we want to say, unequivocally, we hear you and we see you, and we want to help you.

Celebrating the Jewish New Year and observing Yom Kippur should bring joy, reflection, and community without the feeling of anxiety or fear. Jewish students should not have to worry about being targeted while celebrating such important Jewish holidays.听

The global spike in hate speech toward Jews, as well as the proliferation of antisemitic symbols and vandalism threatens the lives and wellbeing of Jewish students on a daily basis. And the hatred marring campuses around the country threatens the values of higher education and the health of the universities themselves. We will not stand by and allow Jewish students to be targets of discrimination.听

To be clear, some college and university presidents, chancellors, and administrations have taken strong and immediate action to support Jewish students when antisemitic incidents have occurred, and we applaud them for taking concrete action to safeguard their campuses. But others have not.听

We urge college and university administrators to take immediate action to hold those accountable for these heinous acts and to reestablish the feeling of safety for Jewish students on campus. We respectfully remind our campus leadership that they have moral, legal, and ethical responsibilities to reestablish the feeling of safety for Jewish students on campus. As we prepare to celebrate Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish holidays, we ask that ALL college and university administrators:

• Condemn antisemitism swiftly and unequivocally whenever it appears, show your support, and provide resources for Jewish students who are impacted by it.

• Work with your local campus Hillel to learn more about antisemitism and how your university can best support Jewish students, and how you can provide your campus community with critical education about the nature of contemporary antisemitism.听

• Establish and develop relationships with Jewish student leaders to work together on fighting antisemitism and ensure that Jewish voices are heard and Jewish needs are addressed by including them on advisory boards to campus administration. The lived experience of Jewish students at your own colleges and universities are a powerful tool that deserves to be heard and honored.听

• Include antisemitism as part of your institution鈥檚 broader commitment to the advancing of the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on campus.听

• Strongly consider joining 黑料传送门鈥檚 Campus Climate Initiative to help your administration and staff receive training to ensure a safe campus free of antisemitism, harassment, or marginalization of Jewish students.

To all students who have been affected by these acts during the Jewish holidays, we extend our most sincere support. Know that we are working every day so that Jewish communities on campus are safer, and to ensure that Jewish students have a welcoming and inclusive place to call home on campus.听

We urge Hillel to be your first stop when you need support and, if you see or hear about an antisemitic incident on campus, to report it to your campus Hillel as well as to, a website run jointly by 黑料传送门, the ADL, and the Secure Community Network that is staffed 24/7 to ensure a timely and immediate response when an antisemitic incident on campus is reported.听

We wish you all a joyful and healthy holiday season as we look towards better, safer days ahead for our community.听

All Our Best,

Jordan Robinson & Jessica Yeroshalmi
黑料传送门 Student Cabinet Co-Chairs

黑料传送门 the 黑料传送门 Student Cabinet: The Campus Climate Initiative is a group of 18 diverse Jewish student leaders from colleges and universities around the world. The Cabinet generates ideas for how Hillel can better serve Jewish students at colleges and universities worldwide, and then works with the 黑料传送门 team to make them happen. Members of the Student Cabinet sit on 黑料传送门鈥檚 board of directors, as well as on 黑料传送门 committees and task forces.