A new innovative platform is being offered to provide services to Jewish students on North American college campuses and help them unite against antisemitism.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish students on college campuses have experienced an unprecedented wave of antisemitism that has caused thousands of students to feel unsafe, targeted and under attack. Most feel unprepared to understand and effectively respond to these situations. Following discussions with both Jewish professionals and students regarding the lack of resources to deal with the sheer amount of antisemitism, especially on underserved campuses, Aish is launching United Against Antisemitism (UAA) with the support of Cross River Bank through its philanthropic arm, Foundation@.
UAA provides a dedicated, safe space for support, action and community-building among Jewish students and young professionals. The private online community ensures a space where Jewish students can freely express themselves, discuss difficult situations, get answers to their questions, share resources and ideas, and collaborate to implement action items against antisemitism.
“We’re excited to partner with Aish to combat this age-old hatred called antisemitism,” said Gilles Gade, founder and CEO of Cross River. “Aish has been the bedrock of Jewish education and values, has created the tools to fight against disinformation, bias reporting and campus agenda-driven instruction, and has led many initiatives to seek truth, honesty and integrity.”
“Together with Aish, we are taking a stand to ensure that college students feel supported, safe and inspired to aspire to become future leaders with courage and conviction, with untainted truth and a rejection of falsehood, with the freedom to think and act without fear of consequences, retribution or violence,” Gade said. “The launch of United Against Antisemitism embodies our belief that lasting change begins with thinking and teaching what is right, what is true, and what we believe will bring peace and harmony amongst nations.”
The UAA space will serve as a hub for critical discussions, incident reporting and expert insights on Jewish thought and advocacy. Through live events, real-time Q&A sessions and interactive tools, UAA aims to empower Jews to stand united and foster resilience in the face of ongoing challenges.
“UAA isn’t just building a platform,” said Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish. “It is a movement dedicated to empowering Jewish identity, resilience and connection. Thanks to the support of our partners at Cross River Bank, we’re reaching new audiences of students, offering spaces where Jews everywhere can explore, unite, and take action together.”
The initiative for UAA came about after representatives from U.S. college campuses, including Hillel directors, shared that they didn’t have enough resources to adequately serve their student populations in the face of the overwhelming antisemitism students are facing.
Beatie Deutsch, an American-Israeli marathon champion and community leader, serves as the UAA program manager. Deutsch is known for her accomplishments as a public advocate for the Jewish people and has more than a decade of experience directing programming for thousands of Jewish students and young professionals globally.
“The UAA space will enable Jewish students who feel isolated and on distant campuses, as well as those on more centralized campuses who feel they don’t have enough resources,” Deutsch said. “I think more than anything else, students need community. They need a space where they can feel safe and where they realize they’re not alone.”
She continued, “UAA is a space where students can get connected, come together, learn from student leaders and their peers, and feel that they can make a meaningful impact in response to the antisemitism that is going on.”
