Safe Space on Campus
Confronting Antisemitism on Campus
As the world’s largest Jewish student organization, Hillel International takes a leading role in confronting antisemitism on college campuses and ensuring the safety and security of Jewish students.
Hillel works with students, campus professionals, Jewish communal and higher education leaders, and leading anti-hate organizations to proactively address and counter antisemitic activity on campus and in online spaces through varied initiatives and programs. We aim to empower Jewish students to speak out against hate, and we educate broader campus communities to ensure antisemitism is not tolerated at colleges and universities.
Jewish college students are increasingly subjected to antisemitism today, both on campus and on social media, and are urgently seeking support and tools to effectively respond.
Adam Lehman, President and CEO of Hillel International
Campus Climate Initiative
Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative (CCI) works collaboratively with higher education administrators and university presidents to ensure a positive campus climate in which Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity and values, free of antisemitism, harassment, or marginalization. Administrative leaders play an essential role in affecting broad-based educational and policy change on campus, and university-Hillel partnerships catalyze positive changes that benefit Jewish students and all students. The CCI model involves partnership between the college or university administration, the campus Hillel, and the CCI team.
Learn More about the Campus Climate Initiative
Reporting Antisemitic Incidents on Campus or Online
Hillel International partners with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Secure Community Network to manage Report Campus Hate, an online portal for Jewish students and allies to report antisemitic incidents on college campuses and receive immediate support. All incidents reported through Report Campus Hate are reviewed by a trained security professional, who supports students in the incident response process and connects them with the campus Hillel to address the issue with university administrators and law enforcement, as appropriate. Students who leave their contact information are also connected to tools and resources to improve campus climate, as well as with wellness services.
Learn More about How to Report an Antisemitic Incident
Antisemitism Curriculum Development
Hillel International, in partnership with expert organizations like ADL, is at the forefront of developing best-in-class training on countering antisemitism for college students and staff. The signature “Understanding Antisemitism on Campus” curriculum was created to educate Hillel professionals and student leaders about the history and context of past and present manifestations of antisemitism. The video-based curriculum equips staff to identify, respond to, and proactively educate others about antisemitism.
Learn More about Antisemitism Curriculum Development
#OwnYourStar – Empowering Jewish College Students
Hillel International works day in and day out to empower Jewish college students and their allies to call out and resist antisemitism. Beginning in 2021, Hillel also launched the #OwnYourStar campaign to counter hate with Jewish pride, encouraging students to stand up against antisemitism on their college campuses, online, and beyond. #OwnYourStar encourages students to post on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok about what the Star of David or other Jewish symbols mean to them, using the hashtag #OwnYourStar. This campaign has reached more than 5 million students and supporters.
Learn More about #OwnYourStar
University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism
Hillel International and the American Jewish Committee (AJC), in collaboration with the American Council on Education (ACE), brought together college and university leaders from across the United States in April 2022 for a two-day summit on the unprecedented increase in antisemitic activity and the marginalization of Jewish students on campus. The summit gave university administrators the tools and resources they need to speak out against antisemitism and take specific steps to make campuses safer. Participants explored meaningful ways in which institutions can respond to antisemitism within the context of fulfilling their overarching diversity, equity, and inclusion mission to combat all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and harassment on campus, while respecting principles of academic freedom and free speech.
Learn More about University Presidents Summit
Research about Antisemitism on Campus
In 2021, Hillel partnered with the ADL on a nationally-representative survey of Jewish college students in the U.S. The survey, conducted by online survey and analytics company College Pulse, found that antisemitism is a looming and present threat for Jewish college students, with one in three students personally experiencing antisemitic hate directed at them during the 2020-2021 academic year. The survey also found that most students who experienced antisemitic activity on campus did not report it, suggesting the frequency of incidents on campus is larger than previously thought.
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