Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

We are taught at a young age to love, not hate — to treat others how we want to be treated. So, how did this world become filled with so much hate?

As I’ve matured, I have discovered how much hate is founded on ignorance and a lack of understanding about other people. We often fear what we don’t know. The only way to work against this hate is by having conversations with people different from us.

When Jewish people face antisemitism there is no other choice but to keep our heads up high and be resilient and even louder than those who hate us. This is part of the reason why you can see so many rallies and gatherings to pray for and honor Israel and the Jewish people, it’s because we have no other choice.

When it feels like there’s no one coming to save us and no one coming to help us, we must help ourselves and combat the hate by trying to find unity in our communities, whether that be on college campuses or anywhere else in the world.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitism has increased by 337% globally and by over 700% on college campuses since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7. As a Jewish college student, I ask myself how this affects me and others.

Many universities are risking their reputation by not helping their students combat antisemitism and by having a lack of response to the Israel-Hamas war. The universities should back up their students, condemn Hamas, and address antisemitic instances.

Even before Oct. 7, antisemitism was high. One example of this hate is a day literally called “Day of Hate,” where neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups came together on Feb. 9, 2023, to encourage online followers to harass and target Jewish communities. This was a horrifying day for Jewish people all over America.

Fast forward to Oct. 2023, and you still see university students and Jewish people all over the world facing antisemitism regularly. It is heartbreaking to see people at universities and all over the world chanting phrases like “from the river to the sea” which indicates an aim to wipe out Israel, the home of the Jewish people. It doesn’t end with Israel, it starts with Israel.

After seeing people all around America chanting quotes founded by a terrorist group and watching protestors single out Jewish groups on campus, we can only hope that nothing is vandalized at our meeting spaces.

The University of Michigan wasn’t so lucky. On the night of April 2, students found two benches in front of their Hillel building defaced with a Star of David, an equals sign, and a swastika. At Tulane University three students were injured at a peaceful gathering when they were struck by men with the stick of a Palestinian flag.

At The University of Wisconsin, a neo-Nazi group called the “Blood Tribe” marched in Madison, Wisconsin near the university with Nazi flags chanting “Israel is not our friend,” and “There will be blood,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Even at Syracuse University, the word “Jew” was carved into the door of a third-floor resident of Day Hall.

Students are at universities to receive an education, not hate. Campuses should be a place where any student can feel comfortable and able to be themselves without consequence.

Miranda Fournier | Design Editor

For the Jewish community, myself included, we think about Oct. 7 in a similar way that we do the Holocaust. Oct. 7 was the largest killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust.

It’s been about six months since the war began. Lives were lost and people have been held hostage, yet hate is still being spread to the Jewish community.

Is it a crime to be Jewish?

On social media apps like TikTok, the question of whether Jewish people should continue wearing the Jewish star following the attack became more popular. Though the answer should be yes, this is a subject Jewish people everywhere have to think about in fear that somebody will harass them for wearing symbols of their religion and culture.

At Ohio State University in November, five students were walking to an on-campus sorority house, two men saw that one of the students was wearing a chai necklace and proceeded to call the student a “Zionist k*ke.” They then punched and attacked the students.

These students were hated and harassed just for being Jewish. Jewish people walk around feeling like targets all day, debating whether to wear their Jewish symbols with pride or simply choose to take them off.

How can we change the narrative? How can we do better as a community? Let’s unite and not separate, let’s learn to love instead of spreading more hate. Let’s have tough conversations and try to understand one another instead of being dismissive.

Antisemitism is just one challenge we face as Jewish individuals, and with your help, the challenge can be eliminated. The only way to love is to listen and understand our different experiences and opinions. There is so much more power in love.

Go to programs hosted by communities you don’t understand, and speak to people from different backgrounds. The best conversations and the best way to learn is from first-hand experiences.

Have uncomfortable conversations and interactions, and see the benefits and outcomes for yourself. Stepping out of our comfort zones is the first step to raising awareness of these hateful movements and crimes. So much misinformation is spread by the media, but by learning from the experiences of a different person you can gain valuable insight on the subject you want to understand.

Julia Weinreich is a freshman majoring in Design Studies. She can be reached at jcweinre@syr.edu.

Published on April 16, 2024 at 12:49 am