CAMPUS NEWS

BY RAN BEN SHABAT, DIRECTOR OF HILLEL AND NEXT GENERATION ENGAGEMENT

Preparing for the Upcoming Year

MY SUMMER

As you know, our beloved students are on their summer vacation during this time of the year, and that means that we are not running any programs or activities. I decided to take this time to work on my professional development as a Hillel Director and improve several aspects of our operation at Hillel Atlantic Canada that usually we do not find the time for, during the year itself.

I attended a training program, run by Hillel International, for new solo professionals to enhance my abilities and acquire new tools for my work as a director and a solo pro. I invested my time in expanding my network and connection with other Hillel directors across Canada and learn as much as I can from their experience and knowledge. And finally, I created my own strategic plan for Hillel Atlantic that consists of a budget and a fundraising plan for next year.

I am excited to announce that Hillel Atlantic Canada will be a part of the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF)—a 10 week program and the JLF Israel: “Home & Homeland”—8 to 10-week programs. We have applied for a grant, and we are in the process of being approved for it. The Jewish Learning Fellowship is an experiential, conversational seminar run on campus for 8-10 weeks consecutively. Through the delivery of a curriculum that speaks to students’ abiding questions, JLF provides not only Jewish inspiration but also a social basis for Jewish communal involvement.

One of our goals this year is to expand our operation to other campuses such as: UNB, Memorial, Acadia, and others. To do so, I need to establish connections with students that attend those universities. During this summer, I tried to find students (individually) and interest them in participating and running a Hillel branch on their campuses. Hopefully, I will find 5-6 students on each campus that will be willing to create a Hillel branch with our help and guidance.

ANTI-ISRAEL = ANTISEMITISM— REFLECTIONS ON THE TOPIC

Antisemitism all over the world has undeniably been on the rise due to the escalation in Israel/Gaza during the military campaign in May. I must say that I was surprised by the intensity of the incidents in Atlantic Canada. Of course, it did not take long for the dramatic rise in antisemitism to reach college campuses across North America. Jewish college students have been attacked and threatened on online forums for expressing their values. Student governments have posted one-sided statements placing full blame for the conflict in the Middle East on Israel or accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing”.

Variations of the phrase “Hitler was right,” were circulating all over the social media. Does freedom of speech have limits? Should it have? Well, I do not know. What I do know is that most of the social life of our Jewish students rests in those social networks. Students learn, work, and socialize online, and with the physical isolation, virtual life has become real-life for many of them.

I cannot even imagine what goes on in the mind of a Jewish student, receiving a post or a tweet from one of their colleagues or even someone that they consider a friend, that says, “Hitler was right”. Or the feeling of a Jewish student who gets an email with the latest student union statement that is clearly one-sided—fully blaming Israel and those that support Israel for the situation. I know how I would feel. I would Immediately feel unwelcome and unseen by the actions of my student government who have rushed to release one-sided statements on the conflict and unsafe as a result of the spread of misinformation by peers and educational institutions.

We must be reporting online hate to ensure that misinformation does not spread, so that antisemitism and incitements to violence, threats, and hate are taken down.

Hate must be reported no matter where it is encountered, privately or publicly, and whether you know the person or not. But it is not enough. We must move on from being Re-Active to being Pro-Active.

We must build coalitions with other student societies and find common ground on which we can collaborate together, such as fighting Antisemitism other forms of racism and hatred. We need to educate university administrators and student leaders about the serious threat antisemitism poses.

I do not expect to eradicate the anti-Israel mentality that exists in academia. But I do believe that we can educate others, promote awareness of the truth, and continue to empower the next generation of student leaders to ensure that our voices are heard.

I would like to say a big thank you to those students that chose, bravely, to raise their voice, and to act against this reality. We were off-guard at first, but we will be better prepared next time, I promise!

LEVENTHAL SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Last, but not least, I am excited to get to know our student recipients of the Leventhal tuition scholarships. During the summer, I met in-person with these students for introductory conversions and to give them the opportunity to join our Hillel community.

I sense that a great thing can grow from this group of students. I see in them the potential of bringing Hillel activities and programs closer to our local students, who might otherwise feel that Hillel is more suitable for students from away. I believe that every Jewish student can find a place for themself in our Hillel community!

I would like to send all students reading this best wishes for the new academic year. Let us welcome this brand-new year with new energies and new hope—to experience new things and to learn things that you never knew before. Shana Tova to all!