Programs, Events in Support of the Jewish Community Planned for Fall
SDSU is partnering with the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel to introduce new initiatives toward creating a more inclusive community for Jewish students, faculty and staff.
A Presidential Task Force on Addressing Antisemitism, along with new events and programs, will launch at San Diego State University in response to regional and national instances of antisemitism and bias targeting members of the Jewish community.
Beginning in fall 2021, these and other initiatives will be launched through a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in San Diego and Hillel to offer interventions that address antisemitism while also supporting Jewish inclusion at SDSU and elsewhere.
SDSU President Adela de la Torre shared plans in a campus announcement with J. Luke Wood, Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, and Associated Students President Christian J. Holt.
“Over the past several years, the Jewish community has been the target of violent attacks, including those in Pittsburgh, Jersey City, and here in San Diego County at Chabad of Poway. In January, we witnessed antisemitic and white supremacist ideology invoked at the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol,” de la Torre, Wood and Holt wrote to students, faculty and staff.
The Anti-Defamation League reports that the Jewish community experienced the highest level of antisemitic incidents in 2019 since tracking began in the late 1970s.
“Part of our ongoing efforts to embed diversity and inclusion in everything that we do includes condemning antisemitism and working in solidarity with our Jewish community,” de la Torre, Wood and Holt shared in their joint letter this week.
The ADL, which tracks extremism, confronts discrimination, and promotes refectful schools and communities, will work with SDSU’s Center for Inclusive Excellence. The partnership will lead to the development of a professional learning community for faculty and staff on recognizing and responding to antisemitism, bias and hate in the classroom and also in co-curricular spaces.
Hillel will offer a new ally seminar designed to help members of the campus community better support the success of Jewish students.
Members of the Presidential Task Force on Addressing Antisemitism, which will be formed later in the year, will create a recommended protocol for how universities can better react to incidents of antisemitism, hate and bias toward members of the Jewish community. The group will also be tasked with providing recommendations on programs, events and learning opportunities that highlight the diversity and history of those who identify as Jewish.
Other planned developments are a celebration during Jewish American Heritage month and a new special topics course in the Jewish Studies Program on Antisemitism in America.
“We urge you to participate in these opportunities for dialogue,” de la Torre, Wood and Holt encouraged in the campus message. “It is incumbent upon every member of the SDSU Community to ensure that our campus is welcoming and safe for all, including our Jewish students, faculty and staff.”
