Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses have increased dramatically.
“But it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen to everybody, and it doesn’t mean that’s going to be your whole college experience. Definitely not,” Robin Friedman, co-founder of TribeTalk, assured local Jewish high school and college students on Tuesday.
“Some of the schools that have the worst antisemitism also have some the most amazing Jewish life going on,” she added.
Founded five years ago, TribeTalk seeks to empower students “to feel confident in their Jewish identity, help them find a meaningful Jewish life through their academic years and to provide tools to respond to and navigate any challenges they may face throughout their academic careers and beyond.”
On Tuesday evening, Friedman spoke to 14 high school and college students and 25 parents, educators, and other community members at one of two events organized by the Center for Jewish Resilience at Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona.
She began with a slideshow comparing ancient antisemitic tropes with modern-day equivalents. For example, in the 14th century, people blamed the bubonic plague on Jews rather than bites from infected fleas that live on rodents; more recently, some people blamed the COVID-19 pandemic on the Jews.
After discussing definitions of terms such as antisemitism vs anti-Zionism, the students broke into small groups to read scenarios of real-life incidents from schools around the country. The groups considered whether the incident was antisemitism and how the students involved should respond: should they confront the offender, tell parents or school authorities, call the police? Once the local students shared their responses, Friedman revealed where each incident occurred and the real-life response.
A resources slide emphasized that in addition to school officials, students or parents should report incidents of possible antisemitism to JPSA’s online incident reporting portal.
One community member commented that antisemitism seems to have changed from the stereotype of a person with a big nose and bent back to accusations of being “white colonizers,” allowing Friedman to note that school officials are often more adept at recognizing and dealing with right-wing antisemitism, such as a swastika on a dorm-room door, than they are at perceiving and responding to antisemitism from the left.
“Administrators need to be educated,” she said.
Before the high school/college session, Friedman gave a presentation at Tucson Hebrew Academy to 25 middle school students and 16 parents and educators from THA and other schools.
Carina Bien-Willner, director of public affairs at JPSA, described the scene.
“In general, kids in fourth through eighth grade have an explosion of energy the minute that the end-of-school bell rings, but from 3:30 until 5 p.m. Tuesday, there was a silence and a focus in the Beit Midrash at THA that only comes from deep learning, interest, and knowing that what is being said is important,” Bien-Willner said.
“Friedman asked the students questions such as ‘What is antisemitism?’ She defined terms our kids are hearing in school, on social media, and at their extracurricular activities, such as ‘colonizer,’ ‘apartheid,’ and ‘genocide’ and how the terms are being used to demonize, delegitimize, and impose a double-standard on Israel,” she said.
About half of the students in attendance were current THA students, and the presentation aimed to prepare them to transition to secular schools. The other students were from local public and other private schools. Some may have already faced antisemitic incidents. For them, the aim was to know how to respond in the future.
Just as with the high school/college session, Friedman divided the middle school students into groups and gave them real-life scenarios of incidents from schools across the country. The groups were asked to figure out how they would respond. Incidents included antisemitism from peers, on social media, and from teachers. Many students said they would tell their parents and ask for help.
Friedman led a conversation about responding to antisemitism on social media, advising not to engage online.
“If it’s someone you know and care about that posted an offensive comment or image, engage in a conversation in person and always lead with your heart, then your head. People are more inclined to listen if you share why something hurt your feelings first, then explain why with facts,” she said.
At the end, Friedman took questions, including one from a student who asked how to handle a situation in which a friend shares that their parents don’t like Jews. Friedman’s answer was “powerful and straightforward,” said Bien-Willner: “Support your friend in supporting you and continue being proud to be Jewish!”
Randie Collier, a school counselor at Catalina Foothills High School, attended the evening session and appreciated that the presentation focused on the students.
“The presenter was great,” she said. “She gave very valuable information to the students, from the history of antisemitism and then moving into the scenarios that were very relevant and real. And then allowing the students to identify what was happening and how to best move forward if this were happening to them.”
Collier, who is Jewish, feels that students are more vocal now and ready to stand up to antisemitism, rather than staying quiet for fear of making the situation worse. She said hearing TribeTalk’s recommendations helps her know how to guide students if they face an antisemitic incident.
“TribeTalk is one of many educational efforts meeting the need to better prepare our children in the face of anti-Jewish hate,” said JPSA President and CEO Hava Leipzig Holzhauer, J.D. “I left the program so proud of how our middle and high schoolers showed up in the conversation. Knowledge is power, and the Center for Jewish Resilience is meeting the moment when our kids are developing new tools and exhibiting Jewish pride.”
