Not Just One Way of Being Jewish or Experiencing Antisemitism

By Jenny Barnett, March 4, 2022

Day of Learning held at Ithaca College.

Omega Hollies, associate director for the Center for IDEAS; Lauren Goldberg, Hillel at Ithaca College executive director and interim director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life; and Max Kasler from Hillel presenting "Let's Talk About the Whoopi Goldberg Thing: Race, Jews, and the Holocaust." (Photo Credit: Natalie Daffinee)

More than 300 students, faculty and staff gathered for a program of immersive learning, thoughtful reflection, and open discussion during Ithaca College’s “Day of Learning: Grappling with Antisemitism,” on Monday, February 28.

Six presentations explored the topic from a variety of perspectives and included examination of the meaning of antisemitism and how it presents in the 21st century, contemporary and historical concepts of race, and the enduring impact of the Holocaust on descendants of survivors. The schedule ran from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with many students attending every session.

“It was important to have many different speakers and many different voices because there is not just one way of being Jewish or experiencing antisemitism,” said Lauren Goldberg, Hillel at Ithaca College executive director and interim director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, who organized the mini-conference. “What was really powerful for me to witness was just how many people wanted to engage in this conversation.”

“By probing the depths of the ideas that fuel antisemitism, by grasping not just the history of it, but also its many contemporary manifestations, we will have the tools we need to identify it, and to reject it. I hope that today, as you attend these sessions and engage in conversations, you will allow yourselves to be moved, that you allow yourself to be touched by pain and joy, to feel outrage, but also optimism. Most of all, I hope that today brings you—brings us—a feeling of connection, and an affirmation that not one of us walks alone.”

Interim President La Jerne Terry Cornish.

The event was created to provide an opportunity for the IC community to come together for education and allyship-building in response to incidents in early February when two swastikas were found drawn on campus.

“When I looked at the lineup of speakers and topics for the day, I was struck by the powerful understanding of how very much we need this, and we need it now,” said Interim President La Jerne Terry Cornish in her opening remarks. “By probing the depths of the ideas that fuel antisemitism, by grasping not just the history of it, but also its many contemporary manifestations, we will have the tools we need to identify it, and to reject it. I hope that today, as you attend these sessions and engage in conversations, you will allow yourselves to be moved, that you allow yourself to be touched by pain and joy, to feel outrage, but also optimism. Most of all, I hope that today brings you—brings us—a feeling of connection, and an affirmation that not one of us walks alone.”

Students ask questions during Day of Learning. (Photo Credit: Natalie Daffinee)

One central element of the day’s presentations was an exploration of Judaism itself. “One of the greatest questions that might be popping around peoples’ heads right now is, ‘What does it mean to be Jewish? Who are the Jewish people?’,” said Goldberg. “Understanding Antisemitism on Campus,” a video produced by Hillel International and screened in the introductory session, examined some of the complexities involved in defining Judaism.

During the interactive session “Jewish Student Identity, Inclusion and Antisemitism on Campus,” Hillel International campus support director Aviva Snyder shared a second video, “Antisemitism Today.” Snyder invited questions from the audience and encouraged participants to share their thoughts in “parking lots.” Reflections exemplified the complexities of the conversations and participants’ evident interest in becoming more informed. One student commented that they were surprised to hear that around a third of young Jewish adults say they have no religion, while a parking lot contribution stated: “I learned that Judaism is both cultural, religious, and ethnic.”

As a person who did not grow up Jewish, Shawn Malone ’23 attended the Day of Learning to broaden his understanding. “I feel it is important to educate myself on this important issue,” he said. The theatre arts management and television-radio double major found Snyder’s presentation helped provide context and filled in gaps in their knowledge.

For physics student Noah Rosenzweig ’25, who grew up in a very observant Jewish family and has experienced antisemitism himself, the topic was very close to home. He welcomed the chance to examine it through different lenses and was thrilled that many non-Jewish classmates also attended. “It was an eye-opening experience for them, an opportunity for them to learn facts they otherwise wouldn’t have known,” he said.

“Let's Talk About the Whoopi Goldberg Thing: Race, Jews, & the Holocaust,” was jointly led by Lauren Goldberg, Omega Hollies from the Center for IDEAS, and Max Kasler from Hillel and addressed Whoopi Goldberg’s recent contentious comments on “The View.” Through a combination of presentations, polls and question-and-answer sessions, they analyzed how race has been defined socially, personally and historically, discussed revisionism and erasure, and highlighted how race is socially constructed and the importance of understanding its context at the time of the Holocaust relative to today.

Keynote speaker Erin Schrode speaking on "On White Supremacy, Hate Speech, And Neo-Nazis." (Photo Credit: Jenny Barnett)

In “Intergenerational Holocaust Trauma,” associate professor of world languages, literatures, and cultures Annette Levine reflected on the messages in the graphic novel “Maus” by Art Spiegelman, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for its searing and innovative exploration of the Holocaust but was recently banned by a school board in Tennessee. Drawing on testimonies from her research, she spoke of the enduring legacies of prior generations’ loss and suffering. “These stories are still with us. An event that seems to have happened before one’s time is still present in the fabric of our everyday,” she said.

Levine went on to share how her work intersected with her own experience as the descendant of Holocaust survivors and detailed her efforts to uncover the truth about her relatives. A Jewish senior, who asked that their name not be used, was moved by Levine’s determination to reconstruct her family history. The student attended the event because the recent antisemitic incidents on campus had made her nervous. She found the sessions enlightening and supportive. “I missed pretty much most of my classes today but I think it was worth it. Just to come in here and be in a community like this,” she said.

After a break, Uriel Abulof, associate professor at Tel-Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government, and International Affairs and an Israel Institute Visiting Professor at Cornell University’s Department of Government, joined the event via Zoom and spoke to the question: “How Does the Israel/Palestine Conflict Interact with Antisemitism?” He argued that in order to combat antisemitism, we have to first try to understand it from within—complicated and uncomfortable though that may be.

Keynote speaker Erin Schrode, who shared her experiences of antisemitism when running for Congress in 2016 in her presentation “On White Supremacy, Hate Speech, and Neo-Nazis,” also urged the audience to seek out the counterpoint and explore views and narratives that differed from their own: “Follow people with whom you disagree,” she said. “Or read articles written by people that you think are wrong.”

Additionally, Schrode called on the audience for their support: “We don't just need vocal Jewish activists. We need vocal allies in all spaces, in all towns, in all communities, every boardroom and hall of government, on television, on screens of every size, to set the record straight. The challenge lies to present another point of view, to galvanize, to mobilize, to teach, and to lead.”

In the last participant question of the day, one student echoed the sentiments of many in the room by sharing that their takeaway from the Day of Learning was “profound knowledge of my lack of knowledge,” and asked about additional resources and next steps. Goldberg assured the audience that there would be more dialogue and opportunities to delve deeper into these issues in the future. “We promise that this is just the beginning of the conversation that's happening around campus,” she said.

For more information on topics covered during the Day of Learning, contact Hillel at hillel@ithaca.edu, and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life at Spirituallife@ithaca.edu.