SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – In the last few years, there have been random acts of antisemitism on the campus of Syracuse University, usually anti-semitic graffiti. Jillian Juni, Executive Director of the Winnick Hillel Center at Syracuse University, said Hillel has worked closely with its partners to support students impacted by those acts and worked to bring greater awareness to the community as a whole.
SU’s undergraduate student population is 18% Jewish, and Juni said having a Hillel on campus is important for Jewish students to “be together, to build their own identity, and to create lasting friendships.”
Some Jewish students, however, may have reservations about gathering in a group in an increasingly antisemitic world. Juni said she reaches out to students to make sure they will feel safe at events that they may be unsure about attending.
“We aim to ensure students can gather together without fear,” Juni said.
On Jan. 15, 2022, Malik Faisal Akram took four people hostage in Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The incident contributed to a growing and concerning trend; antisemitism is on the rise. According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2020 had the highest number of antisemitic incidents since it began tracking in 1979.
Hillel at Syracuse employs security measures that are recommended to them by experts to achieve that aim. When asked what type of security, Juni said that Hillel doesn’t make that public because it allows someone who intends to cause harm to know what they’ll be encountering.
Lindsey Fine, a Jewish student at Syracuse, said she can feel the increase in antisemitism through seeing and hearing about Holocaust ‘jokes’ on campus and elsewhere. Her Judaism hasn’t made her feel unsafe at Syracuse, though. Hillel is a big reason why.
“I’ve made a lot of close friends at Hillel and having that support system of other Jewish people has been really great,” she said.
