Thread: 1/ Dear Institutions of Higher Learning,

2/ We are told to ignore the swastikas drawn on the class whiteboards, the neo-Nazi Zoombombing, the vandalized religious spaces and the mezuzot ripped from our doorframes–the actions which violate your university codes of conduct.

3/ We are told to brush it off when professors and leaders in student governments espouse anti-Jewish biases and face minimal consequencs, if any. We’ve been told to overlook your lack of action with the assumption that discrimination does not apply to Jews anymore.

4/ For many decades, Jews were unwelcome to study at your institutions or discuss their Jewish identity in academia. Nonetheless, it is often assumed that Jews today are privileged, that we do not experience racism or hate or oppression or poverty or injustice.

5/ This kind of language comes from other students, the faculty and the administration, including in spaces that are designed to empower members of minority groups, from which we are so often left out.

6/ We recognize how difficult it is to address and respond to every incident that happens on your campuses, in your offices, in your classrooms and on your social media pages. We know that it is not always possible to prevent hateful actions or rhetoric.

7/ With that being said, we have for far too long experienced slander at institutions of knowledge such as yours–abhorrent language which would rarely be tolerated if it were directed toward most other religious or ethnic groups.

8/ When these incidents occur, we’ve seen you release statements, some of which only vaguely allude to the hate we face, let alone say the word antisemitism. We’ve seen you let our reports slide, saying there’s not much that you can do.

9/ We can no longer overlook your lack of action. You are quick to assert that you support all communities, but your silence in the face of antisemitism shows that the Jewish community is often excluded.We can no longer tolerate being ‘otherized’ or silenced.

10/ We encourage you to learn and to act, to reach out to the Jewish students and organizations on your campus, to condemn antisemitism and provide support to those who face it.

We are listening and we are waiting.

Sincerely,
The Jewish on Campus Team