A lot has happened on our college campuses so I wanted to share with you an update and answer some questions. I recognize people hate long emails but there is a lot of content and I want to make sure you get the full picture of campus life right now.

Is it currently physically safe for Jewish college students?
Since October 7th, Hillel of San Diego has had full time armed guards at both the Melvin Garb Hillel Center adjacent to SDSU and the Beverly and Joseph Glickman Hillel Center adjacent to UCSD. Our students have expressed incredible gratitude for this additional security measure and have shared that Hillel feels like the safest place to be Jewish right now. This is an added $150,000 cost to our budget that we did not anticipate.

On campus, we have been in constant communication with the highest levels of University administrations. They have increased security on campus. All rallies and marches have been well staffed by campus security and many administrators. Police escorted our students from an Associated Students meeting and have been very present whenever we need it. It’s heartbreaking that we need it though. We continue to be in constant communication and partnership with the administrations and truly feel they are trying to work in the best interest of our students.

But is it really safe?
Physical safety and emotional safety are two different things. The campus climates on our campuses have become more hostile toward Jewish students in significant ways. Students are reporting that they don’t feel comfortable wearing their Jewish star necklaces and are scared to self-identify as Jewish or pro-Israel. Many report that their roommates, who they thought were their friends, are reposting anti-Israel disinformation on social media. Many feel scared.

We are providing a significant amount of wellness support for students to care for their emotional wellbeing. From extra meals, constant personal check-ins (“Have you eaten today? Have you slept? Are you taking care of yourself?”), to therapy dogs, and personal counseling sessions – your Hillel of San Diego is making sure our Jewish students feel loved and nurtured. We believe in promoting resilience in our students by helping them go through challenges instead of shielding them from hard times. This model is working and you should feel proud that the next generation is strong and anchored.

What is SJP?
SJP stands for Students for Justice in Palestine. They are local anti-Israel registered student organizations (RSO) with national and international guidance. Their main goal is the “liberation” of Palestine and an end to the existence of Israel. They are aggressive in message and persistent with their tactics. They are not interested in discourse or open dialogue and in fact they have a policy of not even talking to Jewish or pro-Israel students or organizations in an effort to “denormalize” anything Jewish or pro-Israel. They do use their platform to spew Jew hatred. From spitting at Jewish students, to yelling at them that Jewish students “have blood on their hands,” to supporting Hamas – they sow antisemitism on campus and cultivate a toxic campus climate. SJP has been very active and aggressive in the last month – hosting rallies, protests, walk-outs, and more. They are calling for a “globalized intifada” (which does not meet the threshold for incitement), have hosted a vigil for the martyrs (to honor the “soldiers” of the terrorist attack on October 7th), they blocked the entry of the library at UCSD with a banner that read, “Your tuition funds genocide,” they brought in Al Qaeda flags, and the list goes on. Their hate has led to a rapid decline in feelings of safety and inclusion for our Jewish students on campus.

Why is SJP allowed to be on campus?
Unfortunately, hate speech is protected speech and let’s be very clear, SJP spews Jew hate. The threshold for banning an organization is very high and unfortunately, they have a right to congregate. We continue to monitor their escalating rhetoric and tactics and continue to report their antisemitic actions and words.

That said, we have strategies around supporting our Jewish students. We are empowering them to advocate for themselves. Just this past week your Hillel students spoke clearly and proudly in advocacy for their Jewish community. They showed up in the face of hate and stood up to bullies. Our students have hosted rallies, put up signs, educated their peers, and so much more. Through Hillel, our young people are flexing their leadership in remarkable and inspiring ways.

Is there anything we should know?
Truthfully, coming to campus and thinking you are helping by engaging with SJP or anti-Israel students is actually counterproductive. When you come on campus and say things and then leave, it negatively impacts our students where they live and learn. If our students ask for community support at an event, please show up but let our students lead and don’t take their spot. If there is a forum for open statements, don’t use up that time with your own statements- give the space for our students’ voices. If there is an event for students, don’t take those ticketed seats. Show up and stand outside as support. Students lost access to a recent event on campus because most of the tickets were taken by community members. Let our students make the signs. Let our students tell you what to do, where to go, and what to say. They need community support now more than ever in ways that are helpful.

How can we help?
The first thing is to support Hillel. We are on the ground every day supporting students in every sense of the word. It’s a bit like we’ve expanded the scope of our organization by nearly double. We continue to provide meaningful Jewish experiences that enrich the lives of Jewish students and we are fighting antisemitism and anti-Israel hate on campus in a time when both are increasing at a rapid pace. Consider increasing your gift to Hillel this year – we have over $250,000 in unbudgeted costs as a result of this crisis and truly need your help. Philanthropy right now is mission-critical.

Second, we are asking for as many statements to be written from community members as possible so we can share them with the Chancellor at UCSD. We believe this will help make a difference. These statements should thank Chancellor Khosla for his unwavering support of the Jewish community and ask that he continue to find solutions to the rapidly escalating rise in antisemitism on campus. You can submit your statements here. Please submit your statements by Sunday, November 12th at 5pm.

We will have other ways to get involved at our other campuses as well in the coming weeks. This is our first community-wide call to action.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSTANT CARE! My inbox is consistently flooded with outreach and we are so grateful. We feel the strength of this remarkable Jewish community and we will get through this b’yachad (together).