Editor’s Note: This is a public Student Union document which has been reproduced to increase the document’s accessibility for the student body and to ensure the availability of a public record in service of the Danforth Dispatch’s goal of facilitating improvements to the community.
We know this weekend has been especially difficult for our Jewish community, as the hostage situation in Colleyville, Texas at Congregation Beth Israel reminded us of how antisemitism continues to endanger Jewish people, within and outside of the WashU community. This attack is only the most recent of a slew of antisemitic attacks against Jewish people in the United States, including the tragic 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the 2019 attack on the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in California. We send our love and strength to the Jewish community, and stand in solidarity with Jewish students impacted by this weekend’s violence. We are committed to ensuring that Jewish students know they and their safety are valued on our campus.
In the United States and around the world, antisemitic attacks are on the rise. In 2020, the Anti-Defamation League tracked 2,024 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault, the third highest since the group began tracking these incidents in 1979. While Jewish people make up only 2.4% of the U.S. population, they are the victims of 57.8% of religious hate crimes, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports. On an international scale, the United Nations has identified antisemitism to be a growing problem: a 2019 report from the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief called the rise of antisemitism “toxic to democracy” and that it “poses a threat to all societies if unaddressed.” This rise in violence has led to heightened fear, as polling from the American Jewish Committee in 2021 found that 1 in 4 Jewish people were the targets of antisemitism in the past five years, leading 40% of Jewish people to change the way they behave.
These statistics are unacceptable, and indicate the scale of the crisis that is antisemitism. In the days ahead, we will be meeting with Jewish student groups, students, and community leaders to have conversations about next steps in healing and tackling antisemitism on our campus and in St. Louis. We are committed to engaging in more educational programming through SU, including partnerships with student groups and the Social Programming Board, to promote awareness. We will continue our advocacy for a social justice academic requirement in all schools to expand knowledge and understanding of how antisemitism has impacted Jewish communities, and how we can play an important role in stopping it. We will always advocate for and support Jewish students and their safety, a central value we will bring into our future conversations.
We also know this is a difficult time. In outreach to academic faculty, we will be urging leniency and empathy as some students continue to process and grieve this weekend’s tragedy. If you are in need of mental health support, please refer to some of these resources for help or counseling:
- OKclarity: A Jewish therapists directory and community
- RUACH Support: A network of Jewish emotional and spiritual volunteer-supporters with emotional and spiritual advising skills, providing short-term (1-6 sessions) of volunteer support to meet immediate emotional and spiritual needs (sign up here)
- Relief Help: A non-profit that provides mental health guidance, education, and treatment recommendations for the Jewish community
- Resources from the Blue Dove Foundation
- You can find a list of WashU internal mental health resources, including how to schedule a counseling appointment with Habif; hotline numbers; TAO; and TimelyCare information here
The most evil parts of history can only repeat itself when we collectively forget about them. Confronting and ending the violence of antisemitism will always remain a cornerstone of our activism and advocacy because antisemitism is a core pillar of white supremacy and white nationalism, and must be dismantled to create a just world. Jewish students and community members deserve belonging and safety, and we will always do our best to fight for a campus where that remains true.
SU Executive Council
Ranen Miao, President
Miriam Silberman, Executive Vice President
Miri Goodman, Vice President of Programming
Abdallah Belhadj, Vice President of Engagement
Braxton Sizemore, Senate Speaker
Max Roitblat, Treasury Speaker
Legislative Leadership
Emma Platt, Senate Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair
Maddy Kish, Senate Health and Wellness Committee Chair
Danny Ecker, Senate Campus and Residential Experience Committee Chair
David Mathisson, Senate Academic Affairs Committee Chair
Emily Chen, Treasury Activities Committee Chair
Malar Muthukumar, Treasury Budget Committee Chair