The Cincinnati Jewish Community Relations Council’s annual meeting will host a panel discussion on campus antisemitism and what the organization calls the “dialogue dilemma.”
The upcoming JCRC annual meeting will examine what it means to protect Jewish students on campus while respecting the boundaries of free speech.
A panel of local and national voices will participate, including Amanda Berman from Zioness, Jake Powers, a student at the University of Cincinnati, and Ronit Sherwi, the campus director for Hillel International. Adam Teitlebaum will lead the discussion, which will delve into how rising antisemitism, activism, and policy collide.
“We really couldn’t think of anything more timely and relevant than those discussions—what more can we be doing to protect Jewish students, working within the law,” said Jeremy Spiegel, assistant director of the JCRC.
Antisemitism on college campuses has escalated in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Jewish students at several universities across the country, including the University of Cincinnati, have reported harassment and intimidation by fellow students and outside protestors.
“Jewish students are being forced to choose between their safety and their dignity every day on campus,” Berman said.
Berman is a civil rights attorney and the founder of Zioness. Her organization advocates for Zionist inclusion within progressive movements, a mission that places her at the intersection of several current political and cultural flashpoints.
Spiegel said the decision to focus the annual meeting on campus antisemitism came after months of internal conversation about the most urgent issues facing the Jewish community.
“The most frequent conversation we’ve had in the last year has been—especially on college campuses, but not entirely—what is JCRC doing about the antisemitism that’s happening on campus?” Spiegel said.
One event goal is to acknowledge the tension between free expression and hate speech, especially as it plays out in student spaces.
The panelists will also discuss how recent policies, such as Ohio’s Campus Act, and the Education Department’s investigations into campus antisemitism have shaped the legal and institutional response to antisemitism in higher education. The meeting also seeks to help community members have the difficult conversations to fight antisemitism with people we might not agree with on everything.
“You don’t build alliances with people you agree with 100% of the time,” Spiegel said. “You build alliances with people that you do have those uncomfortable differences with, but you’re able to sit down and have that conversation across your differences.”
