Hillel International, the world's largest organization for Jewish life on college campuses, has launched a new social media campaign, dubbed #OwnYourStar.
Over 80% of Jewish college students report that they are proud Jews – but only 62% are comfortable openly discussing that they are Jewish, according to Hillel.
#OwnYourStar intends to encourage Jewish students to express pride in their religion by showcasing what the Star of David means to them.
In addition, Hillel announced plans to roll out a new antisemitism curriculum to educate students and professionals through videos about the history of antisemitism and how it manifests on college campuses today.
Hillel president and CEO Adam Lehman said the new initiative will help ensure that students and campus staff are equipped with the tools they need to call out and respond to antisemitic rhetoric and violence.
“Hillel International has been committed to combating antisemitism on campus for decades,” Lehman said, "and we are ready to meet this moment to ensure Jewish students are able to live and study on campus without fear of harassment or other bias."
The strategies come amid a particularly challenging spring semester for Jewish students. Since May 2021, they have experienced a significant rise in antisemitic and anti-Zionist activity, both on campus and online. This has included threats and hate-filled messages on social media targeting individuals, offensive defacement of property and even physical assaults, according to Hillel.
The organization said a total of 244 antisemitic incidents on college and university campuses were reported during the 2020-21 academic year.