Antisemitic assaults on Jewish college students on faculty campuses in New York and past skyrocketed following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist assault on Israel that left 1,200 individuals useless and 251 others kidnapped.
In keeping with the 2023-2024 ADL annual report on anti-Israel activism on U.S. campuses, anti-Israel incidents — which embody protests, assault, vandalism, harassment, and divestment resolutions — elevated by 628% between June 2023 and Might 2024, in comparison with the identical interval in 2022-2023.
To confront the rampage of hatred by means of collaborative initiatives and progressive motion, Fight Antisemitism Motion (CAM) held a two-day occasion titled “Rise and Respond Global Student Summit Against Antisemitism” on the Ziegfeld Theater in Midtown Manhattan on March 22-23. Greater than 300 Jewish college students and allies from universities throughout the globe, neighborhood leaders, influencers, and officers attended the summit, the place they celebrated the launch of CAM’s “Fighting Antisemitism On Campuses Effectively” (FACE), a 10-step roadmap for a worldwide student-led effort to combat hate, defend reality, and strengthen Jewish life on campuses.
The summit kicked off Saturday night with a welcome reception and remarks by Manhattan Borough President and candidate for NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, Republican US Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, social media influencer Montana Tucker, and CAM’s Pupil Activism Award recipient Michael Kaminsky, a pupil at DePaul College who was the sufferer of an antisemitic assault, amongst others.
A narrative of survival
Natalie Sanandaji is a survivor of the Nova music pageant.Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
Lengthy Island native and CAM public affairs officer 29-year-old Natalie Sanandaji is a survivor of the Nova music pageant the place Hamas terrorists killed 370 music lovers on Oct. 7, 2023. She shared her harrowing story of survival with New York News Metro earlier than the reception.
The daughter of an Iranian father and an Israeli mom attended the pageant together with her mates and was wanting ahead to the dawn ritual.
“Instead of waking up to the sunrise music, we woke up to rockets,” Sanandaji recalled.
She and her mates tried to flee by automobile. Nevertheless, safety instructed them to get out of their vehicles and run.
“We pulled our car over, and we were sitting in the car for a few moments, confused, and that’s when we heard the first gunshots, and from there, we ran for four hours on and off. Anytime we didn’t hear gunshots for a few minutes, we would kind of slow down to catch our breath. In Israel in October, it’s still very hot, so it was like 98 degrees,” stated Sanandaji, who was finally rescued by Moshe Sati and his sons, who saved tons of of lives that day.
Sanandaji was one of many first survivors to share her story publicly, garnering the eye of CAM, which supplied her a place. It’s her method of coping together with her expertise and giving again since she isn’t an Israeli citizen and, due to this fact, can’t be part of Israeli forces.
“I couldn’t physically help in that sense. And I felt like that as someone who survived, I was so lucky, and I felt like my voice was the one thing I [could] give to those who are less fortunate than me, those who lost their voice. So, I want to be their voice,” stated Sanandaji, who’s engaged on a venture bringing Iranian activists collectively to talk out in opposition to the Iranian authorities and its ties to Hamas.
‘Make them answer for it’
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon speaks on the CAM Summit on the Ziegfeld Theater on March 22, 2025.Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
Danon reminded the group that antisemitism didn’t start on Oct. 7, 2023, and urged the scholars to face collectively and proceed to reveal antisemitism.
“When your universities refuse to protect you, make them answer for it; when student governments push anti-Israel resolutions, challenge them, fight them. When they try to erase the truth and the facts, remind them that we are here,” Danon stated.
Tenney promised that she was standing with the scholars of their combat in opposition to antisemitism.
“This is your world you’re going to improve; not just make a better America, you’re going to make a better world with tolerance and freedom and unity and finding what unites us as people,” Tenney stated.
Tucker has 14 million followers on social media and has visited Israel 5 occasions prior to now 12 months, the place she met with victims. The one factor Tucker observed in all of the victims was “pride, strength, resilience, and hope,” traits she wished the scholars to embody as nicely.
“All of you are also on the front lines,” Tucker instructed the group. “You’re speaking up in classrooms where professors won’t even say the word hostage. You’re walking past antisemitic signs and protests. I’m sure there are times when you’re wondering if it’s even possible to make a difference. But let me tell you something. It is, and you all are making a difference because we all have a role to play.”
Social media influencer Montana Tucker speaks on the CAM Summit on the Ziegfeld Theater on March 22, 2025.Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
Manhattan Borough President and candidate for NYC Comptroller Mark Levine defined that New York Metropolis had the most important inhabitants of Jewish individuals outdoors Israel. Over 1 million Jews name New York Metropolis residence, or 13% of its complete inhabitants. Nevertheless, in 2024, over half of all hate crimes in New York have been dedicated in opposition to Jews.
Levine referred to as out the pro-Palestinian protests, which, he stated, supported Hamas.
“But against this backdrop, against this rise of hate targeting us, something incredible is happening,” Levine added. “Synagogues are bursting at the seams. Enrollment at summer camp is all booked. Jews are standing up now and coming together and refusing to be silent. This is happening now. This gives me hope.”
‘Never again’ has by no means been extra essential
Ellen Beren offered DePaul College pupil Michael Kaminsky with the CAM Pupil Activism Award on the CAM Summit on the Ziegfeld Theater on March 22, 2025.Picture by Gabriele Holtermann
Ellen Beren offered DePaul College pupil Michael Kaminsky with the CAM Pupil Activism Award. Galvanized by the Oct. 7 assaults, Kaminsky organized the most important pro-Israel rally in DePaul’s historical past.
On Nov. 6, whereas providing info on campus to coach fellow college students about Israel, Kaminsky and his good friend Max Lengthy have been bodily assaulted by masked assailants in broad daylight. A college security officer who stood just a few toes away didn’t intervene. Kaminsky just lately underwent surgical procedure for his accidents, and no arrests have been made. Nevertheless, the criminology main stays steadfast in his advocacy for the Jewish individuals and fellow Jewish college students.
“Despite all, Max and I have begun taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of Jewish students. I’ve spoken with lawmakers in Washington, DC about how to make college campuses safer for Jewish students,” Kaminsky shared. “Max and I continue to educate students by partnering with IDF reservists to show the truth about Hamas’ atrocities. We have been tirelessly exposing the years-long antisemitism on our campus through social media posts. We are building coalitions with students of all backgrounds, showing that this is not just a fight for Jewish students but a plight for Western values and democracy.”
Kaminsky just lately met with Holocaust survivors, the households of Hamas hostages, and Jewish leaders who reminded him that the Hamas terror assaults and pro-Palestinian protests have been a defining second for his era.
“As we look forward to the days ahead, we must remember that ‘never again’ has never been more critical. We cannot be silent or scared. We must act. History will remember those who stood up to fight for our civil rights and will hold those accountable who were complacent in the face of atrocities, for we are not Jews with trembling beats,” Kaminsky vowed.
