Will I feel safe here as a Jewish student? How do I get the tools to stand up for myself and my beliefs? Will my college care enough to protect me if I’m attacked?
These are the questions every Jewish teen is asking this college applications season. For Jewish students thinking about college, the rise of antisemitism has turned the college search into something personal. It’s not just about academics anymore. It’s about where they will be safe.
This week, our Teen Israel Leadership Council (TILC) tackled these questions together with Harvard graduate, Alexander “Shabbos” Kestenbaum, who filed a landmark discrimination suit against his alma mater over its response to antisemitism. Kestenbaum spoke passionately about his experiences as a Jewish student navigating a suddenly hostile environment on campus post October 7. He didn’t hold back, calling out the double standards he observed, where universities champion support for other minority groups but often turn a blind eye to harassment targeting Jews. Protests, intimidation, and hateful rhetoric have become normalized—and Jewish students are left to fend for themselves.
He then urged our TILC juniors and seniors to stand up against hate on their future college campuses, giving them practical tools and advice for leading the pro-Israel community with confidence and clarity.
This is exactly why TILC exists —to empower teens with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to navigate college life and stand firm in their Jewish identity. Over the course of two years, students prepare for the complicated conversations they will have about Israel when they get to college, learn how to identify and confront rising antisemitism, and position themselves to become leaders, writers, and influencers when they get to college.
Read more about TILC in “Teaching Teens to Advocate for Israel on Campus” by Linda Scherzer.