NEW YORK — The World Jewish Congress (WJC) and Jewish on Campus (JOC) today announced a joint partnership to amplify the voices and strengthen the actions of college students who identify antisemitic occurrences at their schools.
The partnership will broaden and deepen the impact of Jewish on Campus, which began in 2020 as an Instagram campaign, in empowering a new generation of Jews through education, social media engagement and grassroots activism on college campuses worldwide.
“College campuses should be a place that allows for the free expression of thought and exploration of ideas, not a breeding ground for hatred and antisemitism,” said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. "Jewish students should be free to express their identities without risk of harassment, including their support for the only Jewish state. The World Jewish Congress will in effect incubate Jewish on Campus as part of our extensive efforts to strengthen future Jewish leaders. It is crucial for us to help as young people combat false narratives and to enable them to advocate effectively in their communities.”
Julia Jassey, CEO of Jewish on Campus, said, “At a time when students are heavily affected by antisemitism on campus, they should also be given the tools to lead the fight.”
“By joining forces, Jewish on Campus and the World Jewish Congress create an unprecedented opportunity of collaboration between the student and professional communities on an international level, giving young voices a seat at the table and the ability to act in accordance with our own perspectives on the ground,” she added.
The two organizations will provide support to Jewish student communities internationally, which expands the Jewish on Campus network as well as WJC’s relationships with Jewish student communities.
The venture is just one component of WJC’s range of programs to develop strong future leadership in the Jewish world. The WJC NextGen and WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps initiatives were created by Amb. Lauder to educate young leaders ages 16 to 45 and provide them with the resources, tools, networks and the best possible opportunities to succeed in supporting their local communities and in battling antisemitism globally.
WJC will also provide NextGen initiatives such as Jewish on Campus with tangible resources such as a shared workspace in New York City. Additional projects of WJC NextGen include the Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship and the Start-Up Nation Mentorship.
About Jewish on Campus
Jewish on Campus (JOC) is an organization run by Jewish students, for Jewish students. It seeks to revive pride in Judaism by emboldening a new generation of Jews through education, social media campaigning, and grassroots organizing. As a movement of young Jewish people, Jewish on Campus works to end antisemitism on college campuses and elsewhere around the globe.