Latest News from Campus

In a recent op-ed, Grinspoon Hillel at Cornell CEO Rabbi Ari Weiss discussed activist Hasan Piker’s appearance at the university and the potential of Piker’s hateful words to incite violence. As Jewish life at Cornell was returning to normal in the post-October 7th world, Weiss said the event made Jewish students feel ostracized on campus,  writing to the student body in The Cornell Daily Sun, “I understand that Piker has views that you may want to hear said aloud. Our community’s well documented experience over the last three years show that words, though cheap to say, have costs to those who hear them.”

Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, condemned a shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Ontario, Canada on Yom Kippur that left a police officer seriously injured. Police said the shooter, who died of gunfight wounds, arrived with a shotgun and fired at an officer stationed outside the synagogue. The congregation canceled services for the reminder of Yom Kippur, and local police increased patrols in the area. “Jewish people must be able to practice their faith safely. They deserve to live their Jewish lives proudly, freely, and openly,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.

In a recent opinion piece, Hillel International Senior Vice President of Campus Solutions Jon Falk examines how antisemitism on college campuses has evolved in the three years since Oct. 7, 2023. Falk identifies three shifts in the campus experience: overt antisemitism has become ambient, more antisemitic activity occurs in digital spaces, and anti-Israel activism and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns extend into broader efforts to exclude Jewish students.

In an opinion piece, Hillel Ontario CEO Jay Solomon examines rising antisemitism on Canadian college campuses and calls on administrators to do more to protect Jewish students. At the same time, Solomon says these students need more opportunities to explore their Jewish identities and live joyful Jewish lives on campus.

Hillel of San Diego established a security fund to support Jewish students following a break-in at a home shared by UC San Diego AEPi brothers, where vandals spray-painted antisemitic symbols on the walls. Hillel of San Diego CEO Karen Parry committed to raising $15,000 to provide students with home security upgrades, counseling, and other assistance in response to  this antisemitic incident.

A UC San Diego Jewish fraternity house was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti spray-painted on the interior and exterior walls. San Diego police are investigating the incident as a suspected hate crime and vandalism, and are seeking information about the person or people responsible. In a statement, the students’ Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter said, “AEPi will not be silenced or deterred. We remain proud of our Jewish identity and values.” The fraternity also called on the university to bring educational programs to campus focused on combating antisemitism, fostering understanding, and addressing ignorance and hate.