I just got back from NYC this morning, where I spent time with our students at several campuses that have faced issues over these last two weeks.

Many of us are well aware that antisemitism has been steadily rising in this country over the last decade. But until last week, it has largely been in the background, punctuated by tragedies like Pittsburgh or Poway; something to worry about but happening elsewhere.

Not so anymore. Since October 7th our students have been feeling increasingly vulnerable with each passing day, witnessing blatant antisemitism masquerading as social activism from peers, faculty, sometimes even administration.

We’ve been warning friends and supporters about this trend for a while, so for me one of the biggest surprises has been how many people are telling me they’re surprised: “I can’t believe it is hitting so close to home.”

Now that the floodgates have opened, Jewish students on campus are realizing that overt and widespread antisemitism seems here to stay. And at JGO, we are figuring out how to deal with it on a daily basis.

So that you get a sense of what our organization and our students on the front lines are experiencing, we wanted to share some perspectives straight from our student leaders. Our team has been bombarded with requests the last two weeks, but here are a few excerpts out of countless unsolicited comments:

President; JLSA at American University Law:

“I was wondering if you might be able to hop on a phone call with me briefly today. I have been trying to get a community-wide message out at my law school (AU) only asking for sensitivity from the community and to condemn terrorist attacks, but our student government has declined due to “not wanting to alienate students at this time.” As you and I know, silence speaks volumes especially to our community. I am deeply disappointed with this and was wondering what advice you might have. Additionally, the school administration (both the law school and larger university) have been unhelpful at best.”

3L at UCLA Law:

“I was on the phone with my mom outside the law school and I said something about how worried I was about Israel. Someone walking by overheard and shouted “Free Palestine!” I put my mom on hold and turned to the person and said, “umm, down with Hamas?” Then the person says “Zionists need to go back to Germany,” then they added “and I’m Jewish by the way.” This was the day after hundreds of students walked through UCLA screaming “Intifada” which basically means kill the Jews. It doesn’t feel safe to be Jewish on campus now and the administration is not doing nearly enough to reassure us.”

Past President; JLSA at Temple Law:

“We put out a very balanced draft statement in solidarity with the victims and immediately got backlash. We have not been getting any support from Temple Law/the university and now there is a “We stand with Palestine” rally happening this week that faculty members are apparently attending/supporting. We are overwhelmed and are hoping for support in figuring out what is best to do right now. Can you please point me in the right direction?”

Not all is bad news, and we have had some wins thanks to the valiant efforts of JGO students, alumni, staff, supporters, and partners.

Co-President; JLSA at NYU Law:

"Following the massive outpouring of support from alumni, students, board members and the global community at large, the law school administration issued a strong statement on condemnation of both the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7 as well as the SBA President’s statement to the school which justified the atrocities. …The Dean of the Law School and Dean of Students took time to meet with myself and Rachel, the two JLSA presidents, to open a dialogue about how our community has been affected and brainstorm some solutions toward preventing such harmful statements from being unilaterally issued to the entire school in the future. Although Jews on campus are uneasy, particularly so last week during the day of rage/hatred/Pogrom, I do not sense that Jewish students feel unsafe the way they did last week and have received an outpouring of gratitude from students on campus for the work that JLSA / JGO has done in the last two weeks."

Message from the JLSA E-Board at Brooklyn Law School

"We wanted to say thank you so much for all of JGSI/JGO’s support. Both vigils were so special and it meant so much to everyone we talked to. Everyone is so nice and helpful. We wanted to share our gratitude for the support for our club in general but also during this week. Brooklyn Law JLSA is so thankful for your support and involvement."

We are continuing to do everything we can to protect and support these and other Jewish grad students on campus, and will be updating you on our progress. There are also a few ways you can make a huge difference, that so far have shown real results:

1. by contacting your alma mater and imploring administration to take a strong public stance on antisemitism and protecting Jewish students during this conflict

2. by contacting your company/employer and requesting they enforce a zero tolerance policy toward antisemitism or any social media in support of Hamas

3. by leveraging your philanthropic relationships to ensure that institutions and foundations you support understand that condoning antisemitism comes with a price

4. in conjunction with the above, demanding that these organizations expressly include mandatory antisemitism training in their DEI and antiracism initiatives

Please keep in touch with us and together we will continue fighting on behalf of the Jewish grad community.