As a Jewish community we face antisemitism all the time. It seeps into everything we do. This past week, we’ve seen antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents happening at other California universities. These alarming and deeply upsetting incidents are happening close to home. They are a constant reminder of the fragility and simultaneous strength of Jewish peoplehood. But behind every headlining incident is the often unnoticed Jewish advocacy work being done by Hillel and our students every single day.
Often in partnership with other San Diego Jewish organizations like the ADL and Jewish Federation, the work of fighting antisemitism and anti-Israel bias on campus is ongoing. Thanks to the generosity of people just like you, Hillel of San Diego is well equipped to tackle these challenges. Our approach is not passive and it’s not defensive. It’s multi-pronged. It’s strategic. It’s intentional.
Your Hillel of San Diego fights antisemitism through allyship. For example, we run an amazing allyship program called Fact Finders. Spearheaded by our Israel Fellows, each year we send Jewish and non-Jewish campus leaders to Israel to learn together, build coalitions, and understand more about the current situation. The program leverages campus influencers to reject the growing anti-Israel college movement. Our allyship efforts are working. At UCSD in fact, the Associated Students (student government) had originally included BDS language in a resolution related to Black Lives Matter. Because of Hillel’s allyship work, that language was deemed irrelevant and stricken from the resolution before coming to a vote. This is a really big deal. Further, a new resolution is coming to UCSD’s Associated Students brought by a Hillel student leader, Bianca Kermani. With 40 co-signers, the resolution proposes the adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. This is possible because of Hillel’s work on the ground with students. Bianca shared with me, “In addition to formal resources of connections and advice that Hillel offered, it was the comfort and familial support that I most appreciated. Hillel understood the weight of the challenge and ensured that I had a community to rely on.” Our next Fact Finders missions are being planned to hopefully take place in late summer when travel to Israel reopens.
Our strong relationships with University administrations are also an essential part of this work. USD is running an entire series on Jewish culture and fighting antisemitism. This program was designed and implemented because of Hillel’s strong relationship and presence at USD. At SDSU there was an incident of antisemitic speech posted to an unaffiliated SDSU student group’s twitter. Within minutes of being alerted by Hillel of the situation, SDSU administrators convened and built out a swift response that effectively mitigated the issue. These examples of collaboration and strong relationships serve our Jewish students and pave the way for a more inclusive future where Jewish students don’t just feel safe but also supported by their whole community.
The last way we are fighting antisemitism is by providing a robust Jewish experience for our students. Being proud of one’s Jewish identity, connecting and building a strong circle of support, cultivating a personal relationship with Israel— these are all tools for creating a vibrant and thriving Jewish future. This system of support serves students and empowers them to speak out against injustice and antisemitism when they see it. We see the impact of this work every day.
Antisemitism is not going away any time soon but we continue to drive forward our efforts to make our Jewish future safer for us and for the next generation.
