A new online community offers a safe and supportive space for Jewish-American college students to unite against antisemitism, Aish announced on Monday.
Since October 7, 2023, Jewish students on college campuses have experienced an unprecedented wave of antisemitism that has caused thousands of students to feel unsafe, targeted, and under attack.
With the philanthropic support of Cross River Bank, the Aish Jewish organization has launched United Against Antisemitism (UAA).
UAA is an online community for Jewish students and young professionals that provides a dedicated safe space for support and community-building. According to Aish, this platform ensures that Jewish students can express themselves, discuss difficult situations, find answers to their questions, share resources and ideas, and take action against antisemitism.
“We’re excited to partner with Aish to combat this age-old hatred called antisemitism. Aish has been the bedrock of Jewish education and values, has created the tools to fight against disinformation, bias reporting, and campus agenda-driven instruction, and has led many initiatives to seek truth, honesty, and integrity,” said Gilles Gade, Founder and CEO of Cross River.
Taking a stand
“Together with Aish, we are taking a stand to ensure that college students feel supported, safe, and inspired to aspire to become future leaders with courage and conviction, with untainted truth and a rejection of falsehood, with the freedom to think and act without fear of consequences, retribution or violence. The launch of United Against Antisemitism embodies our belief that lasting change begins with thinking and teaching what is right, what is true, and what we believe will bring peace and harmony amongst nations.”
The UAA space will seek to empower Jews to stand together and build resilience in the face of ongoing challenges by providing live events, real-time Q&A sessions, and interactive tools.
"UAA isn't just building a platform," said Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish. "It is a movement dedicated to empowering Jewish identity, resilience, and connection. Thanks to the support of our partners at Cross River Bank, we're reaching new audiences of students, offering spaces where Jews everywhere can explore, unite, and take action together."
The initiative for UAA came about after representatives from US college campuses shared that they didn’t have enough resources to adequately serve their student populations in the face of overwhelming antisemitism.
Leading as the UAA Program Manager is Beatie Deutsch, an American-Israeli marathon champion and an inspiring community leader.
“The UAA space will enable Jewish students who feel isolated and on distant campuses, as well as those on more centralized campuses who feel they don’t have enough resources,” Deutsch said.
“I think more than anything else, students need community. They need a space where they can feel safe and where they realize they're not alone. UAA is a space where students can get connected, come together, learn from student leaders and their peers, and feel that they can make a meaningful impact in response to the antisemitism that is going on.”
For more information about United Against Antisemitism and how to get involved, please visit https://engage.aish.com/antisemitism/