Show your support for No Tolerance for Antisemitism by sending a letter to your university president. Below is a template letter you can send your university leaders urging them to proactively counter antisemitism and make campus a safer, more welcoming environment for Jewish staff and faculty.
Dear President ___ ,
As a (insert position) at (insert school) I am deeply concerned about antisemitism on campus. I urge you to take immediate steps to improve the campus climate and ensure all Jewish staff and faculty, and all members of the Jewish campus community, feel welcomed and safe at school.
I am proud to work at this school and to contribute to the education of countless students. That said, the toll of antisemitism on Jewish members of the campus community is not only deeply harmful, but disruptive to both teaching and learning.
Antisemitism often escalates when there is heightened violence in the Middle East and, in the 2023/24 academic year, in the wake of the October 7 attack, there were countless such incidents on campus. As well as wholly undermining the values of inclusivity, respect and tolerance that our institution strives to uphold, these incidents can cause irreparable harm to Jewish and Israeli community members. (Insert examples and personal stories). Not only have these incidents made the campus space unwelcoming, they have fostered a culture of bias, exclusivity and intolerance instead of a climate where challenging topics can be discussed and debated through civil and conscientious discourse.
If you have not already, I urge you to take the following steps.
- Speak up forcefully against antisemitism.
- Rigorously enforce student and faculty disciplinary rules and non-harassment policies and ensure transparency regarding outcomes.
- Ensure that all student groups are fully in compliance with school policies.
- Create a task force or advisory group focused on campus antisemitism.
- Update security protocols and enforce time, place, and manner restrictions.
- Conduct trainings and incorporate antisemitism awareness into DEI.
- Consider mandating, for all staff and faculty, ADL’s free 45-minute on-demand interactive module to develop our collective awareness and understanding of antisemitism.
To examine how these steps can be taken, and what other actions should be considered, please consider consulting this best practices guide.
As a (insert position), I care deeply for this institution and hope to see our school take concrete steps to counter antisemitism and better support the Jewish campus community before the next school year.
Best,
Name, Year