Latest News from Campus

University of Chicago student and Hillel student leader Jake Rymer was instrumental in the Chicago City Council’s recent adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.  The council voted to include the definition in Chicago’s municipal code, creating a clearer framework for identifying antisemitic discrimination. Chicago is the second-largest city in the United States to codify the IHRA definition of antisemitism, after Los Angeles.

The FBI and law enforcement are working with Stanford University to conduct an investigation after antisemitic emails targeted members of the Jewish community, including students involved with Hillel. An anonymous group claiming to be Stanford alumni sent the messages, which included conspiracy theories and threats against Jewish students. Hillel at Stanford Executive Director and Senior Rabbi Jessica Kirschner encouraged students to combat hate by being “proudly, deeply Jewish” and continuing to build Jewish community on campus.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit against the University of California, accusing UCLA of creating a “hostile work environment” by failing to address antisemitic harassment against Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff after October 2023. In response, a UCLA spokesperson said the university has “taken concrete and significant steps” to combat antisemitism on its campus.

University of Maryland student Gabi Stern testified before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights about antisemitism on college campuses, sharing concerns that Jewish students do not always feel represented or protected. Stern’s testimony highlighted the timing of a BDS resolution that passed at the university on Yom Kippur, making it difficult for the Jewish community to participate in the voting process. “It just feels like that was kind of a deliberate attempt to exclude us from the representative process,” he said.

In testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, two George Washington University (GW) students and an alum recounted their experiences with antisemitism on campus, detailing anti-Israel comments from faculty and a lack of administrative action that they say made Jewish students feel unsafe – urging greater accountability from the university. In response, a university spokesperson said GW condemns antisemitism in the “strongest terms” and cited steps taken to strengthen policies.

Jewish college students say a group confronted and harassed them during a Hillel-affiliated gathering at a café near DePaul University in Chicago, with students and witnesses reporting chants, intimidation, and a physical altercation. Chicago police and the university launched investigations into the incident, with the café denying the accusations and saying it does not tolerate bullying or discrimination.