In 2002, Fr. Hesburgh was one of six original signatories in a letter organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) decrying intimidation towards Jewish students on college campuses. The statement condemned hate speech, threats of violence and destruction of property directed at Jewish students and student organizations. It was eventually signed by over 300 college and university presidents pledging to create safer educational environments for Jewish students. The letter was published amidst a concerning rate of antisemitic incidents on college campuses in the early 2000s.Unfortunately, the worries of Fr. Hesburgh and national leaders in higher education are more pressing today than 23 years ago. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), there were 3,697 antisemitic incidents in 2022. This was a 36% increase from 2021 and the highest number of incidents since 1979 when the ADL began tracking this information. Additionally, despite making up less than 2.5% of the U.S. population, the Jewish community was the target of 51.4% of religion-related hate crimes. FBI hate crime data also reveals that antisemitic hate crimes increased by 20% from 2020 to 2021 and comprised the fourth largest proportion of hate crimes. These numbers are likely higher, given that thousands of law enforcement agencies regularly fail to report hate crimes to the FBI.College campuses aren’t isolated from the dangers of antisemitism. In fact, one can argue they’re a hotspot. A 2021 ADL and Hillel International survey found a three-fold increase in campus antisemitism between 2014 and 2021. During the 2020-2021 school year, one-third of Jewish students in the United States experienced antisemitism on campus. At Indiana University, students saw their mezuzah, a Jewish symbol outside one’s doorpost, taken down and partially burned. At UC Berkeley, the student union building was vandalized with the message “No Jew Go Away.” Jewish sexual assault survivors were kicked out of a support group at the University of Vermont.Even Notre Dame isn’t exempt from this trend. The Jewish Club has collected anonymous instances of antisemitism since last year, with incidents ranging from swastikas drawn outside a dorm to professors not accommodating students properly during religious holidays. This year, we witnessed a flagrant display of antisemitism and anti-Indigenous hate at the mock midterm debate when the Jewish position on abortion was equated to “Aztec child sacrifice.” During the football team’s bowl game, antisemitic groups displayed messages like “The Jewish Talmud allows child rape” and “Hitler was right” outside the stadium.In light of the antisemitism we have witnessed across the world, our country and this campus, the Jewish Club is proud to present its third annual Antisemitism Awareness Week. The week is a series of events dedicated to educating our community about antisemitism, Jewish life at Notre Dame and methods to combat religious bigotry. We believe antisemitism is best fought through education. For that reason, we invite the Notre Dame community to attend the rest of our events this week.While Fr. Hesburgh was president of our University, he called in two students who had bullied a student for being Jewish to the point that said student left Notre Dame. Fr. Hesburgh told the perpetrators that they would both be expelled if they did not convince the student to come back to campus. The Jewish student returned, and all three students graduated from our University.We invite the Notre Dame community to join in the spirit of Fr. Hesburgh to combat antisemitism and religious bigotry. Our University presents a unique opportunity for interfaith solidarity and the strengthening of everyone’s faith, regardless of religion. This week, the Jewish Club hopes you take this opportunity to attend Antisemitism Awareness Week. You can also find us on Instagram (@jewishclubnd) for updates.
On behalf of the Jewish Club,
Katie Werner
junior
Sabrina Takagishi
sophomore
April 23
