Jewish leaders on and off campus discuss how to combat antisemitism on college campus.

By Gabriel Acevedo

On January 30th, CSI, alongside the Hillel Club and the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, hosted a symposium on combating antisemitism. This event was not only meant to help people understand anti-semitism and how to combat it, but it also looked into the history of Staten Island’s jewish population. 

As kosher food was being greeted for breakfast and lunch, several members of the Jewish community in CSI and Staten Island congregated before the speakers took the stage. Jewish Staten Islanders of different age groups were able to discuss issues, including the rise in antisemitism across college campuses. One Jewish student, a freshman named Michael, was interested in the discussions to be had, and found himself agreeing with what his fellow Jewish peers had to say regarding Jewish faith on campus. 

As the opener, CSI president Timothy Lynch took the podium to make statements about the symposium. Lynch applauded and highlighted the several speakers at the symposium.

One of the speakers highlighted current CEO of Jewish Council for Public Affairs Amy Spitalnick. Spitalnick, alongside Associate professor of Psychology Florette Cohen, hosted a session discussing what Antisemitism means in the context of the modern day. They highlight the rhetoric used throughout history, as well as addressing blood libel today.

“We talked about not just how it manifests right now, but what we can do about it, the tools that we got to consume media, and to show the breakthrough the false binaries and be in conversation with our neighbors,” says Spitalnick. 

Another speaker was Wagner College holocaust center’s founding director Lori Weintrob, which highlighted the relationship between Jewish identity and Staten Island. Weintrob discussed topics such as how Jewish immigrants shaped Staten Island’s identity today, while also calling attention to Staten Island’s issues with antisemitism both of the past and present.

The third speaker was from executive director of Hillel’s climate campus initiative Lisa Armony, as she highlights how to ensure safety for Jewish students on campus. Armony highlights what Hillel does for students as well as how other campus clubs can interact to build multi faith communities. As the session closed, Armony and CSI’s Hillel director Rachel Vaynshteyn made a video with CSI Today, encouraging students to visit the campus center’s multifaith center for resources and for more info on the Jewish community as they look to combat antisemitism.