In the wake of two anti-Semitic incidents targeting a Jewish student at Beloit College in Wisconsin, students of all faiths have been joining together in a show of solidarity and support. Subsequently, a schoolwide discussion will take place on Feb. 6 beginning at 4 p.m. CST, sponsored by the Office for Inclusive Living and Learning.
In the most recent case, the student found an anti-Semitic note under her door on Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Beloit, a liberal-arts college 75 miles southwest of Milwaukee and just over the Illinois state line, enrolls about 1,400 students—an estimated 10 to 20 percent of whom are Jewish, according to Rabbi Chesky Rothman, who with his wife, Miri, founded the student group Jewish Life @ Beloit College five years ago, and who also direct the Chabad Community Center in nearby Rockford, Ill.
The rabbi, who will be present at the meeting, says he learned of the anti-Semitic incidents from the college’s chaplain and then met with the student who was targeted. “We are respecting her need for privacy to take care of herself at this time, together with her family,” he says.
He also notes this is very unlike the cultural climate at the school.
In 2011, Beloit College earned the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Campus Internationalization. About 10 percent of the student body comes from 40 different countries outside the United States, and roughly half of all students study abroad. The school is also known for its International Symposium Day, when students share their experiences abroad; classes are even canceled that day so that everyone can attend the presentations.
‘An Outpouring of Support’
The Rothmans are spending quite a bit of time on campus, reaching out to students to ensure that they can voice their thoughts and concerns.
“Our goal is to reach a consensus of the ‘entire Jewish student community’ as to what is the best path going forward,” the rabbi wrote on Facebook. “To ensure success, we need to get a true and accurate view of all Jewish students, especially the silent ones because you are the majority.”
The Rothmans say they are inspired by the many student initiatives to do mitzvot, good deeds, as a response to the scourge of anti-Semitism, and are providing Judaic items free of charge to those who request them.
“Many students have put up mezuzahs on their doorposts, many are walking around campus with their yarmulkes on,” the rabbi relates, “and many, many Jewish students are getting involved in Jewish campus life for the very first time, feeling the desire to engage and become more comfortable with their Jewish identity.”
In a Jan. 31 opinion piece on the college news site “The Round Table,” Beloit student Ethan Perel-Wertman, who sits on the executive board of Jewish Life @ Beliot College, explained his decision to wear a yarmulke on campus.
As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, the 18-year-old freshman wrote: “I decided to wear a yarmulke, something that I have not done in public for years. I wanted to hide my fear behind courage. I wanted this person to know that they could not make me, or the other Jews on campus, cower.”
‘A Safer Space’
Jewish students aren’t the only ones voicing opposition to the hateful incidents. Others have created anti-hate banners, placing them around the school and posting them on online social-media sites.
Says Rothman: “There has been an outpouring of love and support from every segment of the local community and around the country.”
There has also been an outpouring of support from college administrators, like Beloit President Scott Bierman, who sent a letter to students that read, in part: “We must continue to identify more effective ways for the campus to be a safer space for all students, faculty, and staff. ... The safety and welfare of all those affected by these incidents, including the student at the center of this case, remain paramount. ... We continue to need to offer support and kindness to one another while being vigilant against hate. We need to keep asking each other, ‘How are you, how can I help?’ ”
The school’s actions and those of the local police department, which is investigating the incidents, have not gone unnoticed.
“We are so appreciative of the attentive response from the college, which has been working to make sure that everyone is safe and getting the support they need,” says Rothman. “Most importantly, they are working actively to ensure that these hate crimes cease to exist. This support means a lot of the students, parents and alumni of Beloit.”
Miri Rothman, who directs Jewish student activities there, agrees, stressing that “Jewish Life @ Beloit has become a Jewish home away from home for student—a space for Jewish celebration, warm Shabbat experiences and enjoyable Jewish activities. Our students are idealistic and passionate, and are now even more so as they seek opportunities for Jewish expression and connection on campus. The Jewish student community has become stronger and more connected as they reach out to each other for warmth, community and shared experiences.”
At the Feb. 6 afternoon discussion, students will be able to voice their concerns and discuss ways in which they can overcome hate and bring awareness to it on college campuses.
Rothman is also keeping the doors open, encouraging students to be active with Jewish life on campus and off.
“In keeping with Chabad’s tradition, we will focus our response on strengthening Jewish education, pride and identity, and grow the Jewish opportunities on campus in the months and years ahead,” he says. “To facilitate this, we have established a new fund—the Foundation for Jewish Life @ Beloit—to support Jewish efforts, education and inclusion; to combat anti-Semitism; and to promote tolerance and acceptance.”
For those interested in online donations and program sponsorships, click here.
This act of solidarity by both the school and classmates is a beautiful gesture. God The Almighty Father is smiling from his holy temple in the sky. My heart speaks out that anytime a person/s stands up to be counted for good another spark/s of light penetrate
through the darkness.
~Shalom