Hundreds of Jewish high school students gathered in Stamford, Connecticut, for the Jewish Student Union Presidents Conference as the country headed into Election Day, according to a former University of California, Santa Barbara student body president who attended and wrote about the event.
The author, a Jewish Student Union alumna whose experience confronting antisemitism on campus was featured in the documentary “October 8,” said the students at the conference were already building Jewish communities in their schools before the election took place, and that their work did not depend on the outcome of the vote.
In an op-ed describing the gathering, the author argued that young Jews are too often discussed only in terms of the harassment, lost friendships and pressure they face to distance themselves from Israel, and said those students also deserve recognition for what they are building rather than only what is being done to them.
The piece pointed to a recent Omer Adam concert at Barclays Center as another example of Jewish community-building, describing a gathering of thousands around Hebrew music and Jewish pride that included wounded Israeli warriors among the attendees. The author credited the organization Warriors of Israel, which supports Israel’s wounded warriors, for work she said reflects a broader responsibility to help those living with the consequences of military service find support and connection.
The author said elected officials and university administrators are still obligated to enforce rules against threats and harassment and to confront antisemitism within their own political circles, and that Jewish students retain the right to demand accountability from the institutions that serve them.
“Become the leaders you want to see in the world, regardless of who holds political office.”
The op-ed closed by urging young Jews to take direct action in their schools — running for student government, starting new clubs, inviting hesitant peers to join, and studying their own history as well as the experiences of others — rather than waiting for institutions or election results to drive change.
