As colleges prepare for the fall semester, Georgia faculty members joined educators and student leaders from across the country in Washington, D.C., to discuss strategies for addressing antisemitism and strengthening support for Jewish students.

Combating Antisemitism on Campus

The three-day Jewish Student National Leadership Summit, held Aug. 2-4, brought together nearly 70 faculty members and hundreds of student leaders. Faculty and students participated in sessions focused on strengthening faculty-student partnerships, sharing best practices and preparing campuses to respond to antisemitism during the coming academic year.

The Georgia delegation included faculty from Spelman College as well as representatives connected to Emory University, Georgia State University and Georgia Tech. Organizers said the gathering comes as antisemitic incidents have increased nationally and on some college campuses following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Miriam Elman, executive director of the Academic Engagement Network, said the summit gave faculty an opportunity to collaborate with one another while engaging directly with students navigating challenges on their campuses. "By coming together from campuses across the country, they are strengthening partnerships, sharing successful strategies and ensuring students know they have faculty standing with them," Elman said.

John Eaves, an adjunct instructor at Morehouse College and founder of Black and Jewish Leaders of Tomorrow, said his work combating antisemitism is shaped by both his identity as a Black Jewish man and his commitment to building relationships across communities. "I see antisemitism as a cousin of racism," Dr. Eaves said. "It's all connected… to hate against marginalized groups of people."

Original reporting: SaportaReport — read the source article.