As Jewish college students across North America face unprecedented levels of antisemitism on campus, USF Hillel, in partnership with the University of South Florida, is proud to announce its participation in Hillel International’s flagship Campus Climate Initiative (CCI). The CCI program is the nation’s leading training and engagement initiative for college and university administrators and is designed to address the alarming rise of Jew hate on campuses. (The Jewish Press will frequently use the term Jew hate instead of antisemitism because it’s much more descriptive of the turbulent zeitgeist of the moment).
In a collaborative effort to strengthen the relationship between university leaders and USF Hillel, the goal of the CCI is to provide essential tools to combat antisemitism on campus and create a safe, supportive environment where USF’s Jewish students can confidently express their identity and values.
“The University of South Florida is deeply committed to providing a welcoming environment for all students, faculty and staff,” said USF President Rhea Law. “We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or other instances of hateful expression targeting individuals because of their religion, shared ancestry or cultural heritage. We appreciate the opportunity to continue our work with Hillel to address antisemitism as part of our efforts to maintain campuses that are safe for everyone to learn, teach and work.”
Sylvie Feinsmith, Executive Director, Hillels of the Florida Suncoast said, “USF Hillel is dedicated to ensuring Jewish students feel safe, supported and proud on campus. This partnership with USF and Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative is a vital step in combating antisemitism and fostering true inclusivity.”
With the addition of the 18 participating schools in the latest cohort, more than 102 colleges across the United States and Canada have participated in the CCI program. As part of the program, USF officials are creating a meaningful action plan to combat Jew hate on campus. It’s structured to align with the university’s longstanding commitments to create a welcoming campus environment for all students to ensure that Jewish students and their needs are integrated into any broader university efforts to combat bias and discrimination. More information on the CCI and participating universities can be found at hillel.org/cci.
In addition to participating in the CCI program with Hillel, on March 28 Law announced the creation of USF’s Presidential
Advisory Committee on Antisemitism (PAC). She said, “as our board of trustees’ chair, Will Weatherford and I have repeatedly stated, we don’t tolerate any acts of violence, discrimination or harassment on our campuses. The PAC will help us with our strategy of evaluating long-term practices to combat antisemitism and take more proactive approaches with our Jewish students and community.”
Debbie Sembler, a member of the USF PAC on Antisemitism, recently shared insights from the group’s inaugural meeting. She relayed that the council is focused on fostering dialogue among diverse stakeholders, including USF students, representatives from Chabad and Hillel and the broader Tampa community, to identify areas for improvement in addressing antisemitism.
According to Sembler, much of the momentum behind these initiatives has been driven by President Law, who has remained actively engaged since October 7. “She has been unwavering in her commitment,” Sembler remarked. “I think that she’s gone above and beyond to make it safe on campus, do away with antisemitism and instill an inclusive campus for all students so that they feel safe no matter their background or religion.”
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