8 | FEBRUARY 1 • 2024 
J
N

op-ed

Defeat Campus Antisemitism with Education
W

hat can be done to 
combat and defeat 
antisemitism 
on North American college 
campuses? It is daunting to 
come up with 
a concrete plan 
for doing so, 
especially when 
antisemitism is 
surging amid the 
fallout from the 
Israel-Hamas 
war.
It is less daunting, however, 
to deal with the task of 
combating ignorance and 
indifference. The first step 
toward doing so is education.
Far too many students, 
including Jewish students, 
do not possess sufficient 
knowledge of antisemitism or 
how to identify it when they 
are targeted.
For example, on a Virginia 
campus, a Jewish Agency 
Israel Fellow named Dana 
saw “Ye is right” (referring 
to antisemitic remarks made 
by Kanye West) written in 
a dormitory lobby. When 
Dana asked a student why the 
graffiti was not reported to 
campus authorities, it became 
clear the student had no idea 
the message was antisemitic. 
If students cannot identify 
bigotry, how can they prevent 
it?
In partnership with Hillel on 
campuses across the continent, 
Jewish Agency Israel Fellows 
substitute curiosity for 
indifference and education 
for ignorance. Along with 
providing students with the 
opportunity to form a real 
relationship with the true, 
authentic Israel, this is the 

primary task of Jewish Agency 
Israel Fellows — and why their 
work is more important than 
ever.
After providing education 
on how to recognize 
antisemitism, Israel Fellows 
help students regain a sense 
of safety and confidence. 
Through building relationships 
and trust, Fellows create a 
space where students can 
share their experiences and 
report antisemitic incidents to 
relevant authorities.
When a student on a 
California campus found 
antisemitic writing on a 
whiteboard outside her dorm 
room, the first person she 
called was Orit, the Jewish 

Agency Israel Fellow on her 
campus. She asked Orit: “Can 
you please come help me 
remove the mezuzah from my 
door?”
Instead of doing so, Orit 
provided the student with 
the guidance necessary 
to understand that the 
appropriate course of action 
was to report the incident 
and urge the campus 
administration to ensure 
that Jewish students feel safe 
making such expressions of 
religion in their dorms. That is 
exactly what happened.
In this way, Israel Fellows 
help Jewish and pro-Israel 
students feel they are not alone 
and are not ostracized by their 

peers for simply being Jewish 
or due to their views on Israel.
Education and awareness 
breed a sense of confidence. 
With confidence, students can 
be proactive. They can not 
only handle challenges but also 
create opportunities to educate 
their peers.
Briana, a student on the 
aforementioned Virginia 
campus, shared, “Dana [the 
Israel Fellow] is not afraid to 
share who she is and where 
she comes from, and that 
courage has rubbed off on 
me and given me confidence 
and a support system to fight 
BDS, have uncomfortable 
conversations and truly 
embrace diversity on campus.”
While “combating” 
antisemitism tops the 
agenda for most Jews and 
supporters of Israel at the 
moment, it is also crucial 
to ensure that students do 
not miss opportunities to 
openly and authentically 
explore their Jewish identity 
and relationship with Israel. 
They need to be able to 
celebrate, explore, ask difficult 
questions and have meaningful 
conversations.
Ultimately, most Jewish 
students are typical college 
students who want to use their 
years of study to determine the 
values and principles that will 
guide their lives as adults. We 
need to continue providing 
them with opportunities to be 
proudly Jewish, celebrate their 
history and traditions, and be 
unapologetically pro-Israel. 

Nati Szczupak is director of the Jewish 

Agency Campus Israel Fellows.

An anti-Israel protest at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, 
Canada 

RACHEL COOK

PURELY COMMENTARY

Nati 
Szczupak
JNS.org

FAR TOO MANY STUDENTS, 
INCLUDING JEWISH STUDENTS, 
DO NOT POSSESS SUFFICIENT 
KNOWLEDGE OF ANTISEMITISM OR 
HOW TO IDENTIFY IT WHEN THEY 
ARE TARGETED.

Serving the Jewish Community for over 30 years!

CHAD
BISHOP

and

ALAN
BISHOP

4 0 1 E . L A S O L A S B LV D # 1 0 0 | F O R T L A U D E R D A L E , F L 3 3 3 0 1

ChadBishopGroup@gmail.com 954-999-7317 ChadBishopGroup.com

IT’S SUMMERTIME ALL THE TIME IN FLORIDA!

