Hillel at Maryville University is bringing on Johanna Elkana to lead Jewish student life on campus and to strengthen connections with the broader St. Louis Jewish community. Elkana holds experience in education and Jewish community work, and plans to expand programming, including Shabbat dinners and holiday celebrations.
Columbia University reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed by Jewish students who alleged the school failed to address rising antisemitism on campus. The complaint claimed, in part, that the university did not adequately protect Jewish and Israeli students as incidents escalated in the aftermath of the October 7 terror attacks. As a result of the settlement, Columbia committed to expanding antisemitism-related programming, creating new Israel-related scholarships, and considering adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
Grinspoon Hillel at Cornell broke ground on a new, state-of the -art Jewish student center, Harkavy Hall, which will serve as a hub for Jewish life on campus. The 24,000-square-foot building will include a Beit Midrash for Torah study, a kosher café, event space for Shabbat dinners, and areas for community gatherings.
A recent event at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, hosted by the college’s Muslim Student Association, featured a speaker who has shared posts online promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories. Sheikh Abdelrahman Badawy circulated videos and posts in the past several weeks containing anti-Jewish conspiracies and mocking the Holocaust.
Tufts Hillel dedicated two Torah scrolls in a campus celebration marking a new chapter of Jewish life at Tufts University. Students, staff, and community members gathered for the ceremony, which included music, a procession with the Torah scrolls, and the completion of the final letters of both scrolls.
A New York state judge overturned disciplinary sanctions against current and former Columbia University students who participated in the 2024 occupation of Hamilton Hall during an anti-Israel protest. The court ruled the university improperly relied on sealed arrest records when issuing suspensions, expulsions, and degree revocations. Columbia officials said they are reviewing the decision and considering next steps.