Dear Vanderbilt University Students, Faculty, and Alumni:

The October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against the Israeli people sent shockwaves through the global Jewish community and Israelis of all backgrounds, re-opening the wounds of intergenerational trauma. Hamas’s refusal to release over 130 hostages in Gaza has perpetuated this collective trauma. Simultaneously, the Gazan people have suffered unthinkably in the midst of the war between Israel and Hamas. At a time when the Vanderbilt University community most desperately needed empathy and openness, our alma mater, like other campuses across the world, devolved into an environment that rejected receptive conversation, space for others’ perspectives, and even Jewish and Israeli students themselves. Exemplified by the Multicultural Leadership Council denying the “Vanderbilt Students Supporting Israel” student group entry into the coalition of identity-based organizations on campus, some misguided Vanderbilt University students and faculty have ostracized those who hold different beliefs from them, displayed outright xenophobia, and even targeted Jewish individuals both online and in the classroom.  

Specifically, the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (“BDS” or the “Divest”) movement at Vanderbilt University creates a hostile campus environment for Jewish students by advocating for the university to divest from companies and organizations simply because of their national origin. Campus groups that oppose the Jewish right to self-determination aim to corrode opportunities for respectful debate and would force Jewish individuals and organizations to divest from their own communities. While the Divest movement indeed leverages a minority of vocal Jewish voices that support their cause, these individuals do not speak for the community as a whole, nor does their agreement negate the harm that this movement poses to the Jewish collective. 

The recent demonstrations at Kirkland Hall, which included the assault of a service officer and vandalism, contradict the purpose of attending university: to enrich oneself in new ideas, connect with peers of divergent backgrounds, and challenge and mold one’s beliefs through growth. We commend Chancellor Diermeier for his commitment to promoting the progressive values of understanding, acceptance of individuals from all backgrounds, and equity. 

To Jewish Commodores and allies, though from afar, we support you through these unbelievable challenges. As you listen to the vitriolic chants of Israeli and Jewish resentment, remember, we will always stand strong with you. To that, we hope the following words of comfort and guidance, inspired by our own trials of campus antisemitism at Vanderbilt University, help strengthen your resolve and spirit during these trying times. We hope you remember these nine things as you keep your chin held high and continue to advocate for fairness and peace for both the Jewish community and all peoples:

1.     Your real friends will stand with you, or at the very least, have a conversation with you. They will remember that you are a peer they have learned with, collaborated with, and care about. In return, show up for those friends, and invest in hearing their views out as well. 

2.    Stick to your values and truths, they will forever ground you. The Jewish people’s story is rooted in its history. History provides space for divergent narratives, but ultimately is shaped by objective facts. Lean into those facts, and your “why”: the reason you are standing up for your people, yourself, and your beliefs. If you know that, at your core, your intentions are well-meaning, keep going.

3.     College is not the real world. At Vanderbilt University, you may face brutal and cruel online and in-person harassment, cyber stalking, doxing, and threats of physical violence. Post-graduation, you will realize that your work colleagues, by-and-large, care about issues closer to home, value safety and security, and denounce terrorism of all kinds.

4.     Protect your mental health. October 7th was more than six months ago. Viewing and discussing the seemingly infinite, gory, and demoralizing details of a long-term conflict and its impact on your friends and family in Israel can take emotional tolls. It may feel like six months of holding your breath, and college is already challenging enough. Any distress you experience, whether targeted at you as an individual or the Jewish collective, should be met with adequate wellness support. Go for a walk. Go to bed early. Take a break from social media. Get out of the city and touch some grass. Talk to a professional. Ask for help when you need it. Set boundaries on those that detract from your well-being or that of your people’s. Be ruthless with your time. And, if you ever feel like you have lost your voice, remember these words which Jewish advocate Eve Barlow shared years ago with a former outspoken Vanderbilt University Jewish undergraduate: “You will find it . . . know that you are not alone. And when you need to rest, others will carry the torch for you.” 

5.     While fighting antisemitism is important, it cannot get in the way of your academic and professional success. If you have a test, assignment, graduate school application deadline or job recruitment event, be sure to prioritize it. You will be able to make a bigger impact down the road if you secure professional success.

6.     Do not expect every move you make to be perfect. You will not say, deliver, or do everything “right”. Hindsight is 20/20, and taking action in a broadly palatable way during tense situations is profoundly difficult to execute. Even if you make a calculated and well thought out move, there will always be voices that disapprove or disagree. Keep striving to do the right thing, and you will eventually find peace with your mistakes.

7.      Create Jewish joy. A wise Vanderbilt University Jewish Studies professor once said: “There’s so much more to being Jewish than fighting antisemitism.” It is so true. Enjoy Shabbat dinner with friends. Party on chagim. Bake challah. Study Torah. Visit Israel. Practice your Hebrew slang. Wrap Tefillin or do a Mitzvah. Drink Tubi. Watch some comedy and laugh with friends. One of Am Yisrael’s greatest strengths is the ability to live and laugh even through the darkest of times. Like activist Hen Mazzig says, remind yourself that you love being Jewish ten times more than anyone could hate you for it. 

8.     Your ancestors fought this fight, and so can you. Jews throughout history survived atrocities with few allies speaking up for them–from pogroms across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, to the Holocaust and hundreds of years of diaspora, they preserved their traditions and persisted. You can too.

9.     Never lose faith in the belief that bridges can still be built–we often have more in common than not. Learn others’ stories–particularly those of your Palestinian peers, build connections with individuals, and find ways to make progress together. Both peoples share a tremendous love for the same magnificent land and cherish their people's history in it. Have faith in the idea that this shared love can one day lead to a lasting coexistence–that one day “עוד יבוא שלום—Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu” (Peace Will Come)—will ring true.

To the broader Vanderbilt University community, we have a simple ask: choose kindness, along with the chance to hear out another’s struggles, experiences and viewpoints. Acknowledge that differing perspectives emerge from the culmination of one’s life, their traumas, and more often than not, their best intentions. At the end of the day, we wish for the same thing: peace and safety.

To Jewish students, faculty, alumni, friends, and family, thank you for your bravery, commitment to civil discourse, and moral clarity. We are with you.

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי—Am Yisrael Chai.