A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to give a talk to a small group of former presidents and CEOs about the current climate in the Jewish community finds itself today as it pertains to antisemitism and the rise of anti-Israel sentiment around the world since October 7.

During the talk, I highlighted and shared significant studies and efforts being made to combat rising antisemitism and the general climate of hate we are seeing spread throughout the world. I also took the opportunity to share some optimism, which caught the meeting attendees a bit by surprise.

You see, while I do not consider this optimism as a “silver lining,” per se, it is something that not many people are aware of. It is important to keep in mind that for the first time in my recollection, there is both a national strategy to counter antisemitism and one also within California. Although I may have shared it before, there is also the Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism that Governor Newsom announced a couple of months ago. While each plan will take some time to take hold and begin to effect change, the fact that these plans exist is pretty incredible.

In addition to these plans, I also made the attendees aware that the amount of collaboration that I’m currently seeing taking place within the Jewish community is astounding. While once organizations were “siloed” and only focused on themselves, this collaborative nature has taken hold and is helping the Jewish world combat some of the existential threats we are seeing… together.

I bring this up in today’s column, with the backdrop of being 300+ days after October 7 and the recent attacks that targeted the Hezbollah and Hamas leaders last week. Coverage of those stories was reported, and speculation began almost instantaneously as to how each incident would impact both the war between Hamas and Israel and Iran’s almost inevitable retribution. However, there was another news story from last week that did not get the attention that it deserved.

With summer winding down and families getting ready to send their kids back to college and school, concerns remain about what students will find when they return to campus following this past spring’s protests and the culture of hate that targeted Jewish students, which caused an immense sense of fear and uneasiness on college campuses across the country. What you may not have seen is that five major Jewish organizations (ADL, American Jewish Committee, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Hillel International, and Jewish Federations of North America) have come together to provide guidelines and recommendations for what college and university presidents should do to prepare their campuses and administrations for the coming year. These recommendations include:

1. Clearly Communicate the Standards and Rules Governing the Campus Community, Including Policies on Protests and Demonstrations

2. Support Jewish Students and Faculty

3. Ensure Campus Safety

4. Reaffirm Faculty Professional Responsibilities

Each of these areas also includes specific ways that the college and university administration can do this. I am extremely hopeful that these suggestions and recommendations will be strongly incorporated into each campus plan as students return to school in the next couple of weeks.

It’s hard to fathom that this type of action is needed, but thankfully, our collective Jewish organizations are doing what they can by coming together and providing guidance and recommendations to support our Jewish students.

I am hopeful that the colleges and universities will take these into account and incorporate them into their plans. Only time will tell.