Lauder Fellow Blake Ziegler hosts Antisemitism Awareness Week at Notre Dame University

Last week, the Jewish Club at the University of Notre Dame hosted its third annual Antisemitism Awareness Week. It is a week of events dedicated to educating the Notre Dame community about antisemitism, promote Jewish life at the Catholic university, and encourage greater interfaith dialogue. It also empowers non-Jews to be allies for the Jewish community through action items and advocacy opportunities. The week was organized by the Jewish Club’s executive board, whose president is current Lauder Fellow Blake Ziegler.

The week featured three events. On Monday, Ziegler led a presentation entitled “What is Antisemitism?” that explored the definition of antisemitism, a brief history of the topic, and current trends in Jew-hatred. He also discussed antisemitism on college campuses, particularly at Notre Dame, and ways to combat it. The event was co-sponsored by Jewish on Campus, a partner of WJC NextGen.

On Tuesday, a panel featuring two Jewish undergraduates and a Jewish faculty member discussed Jewish life at Notre Dame. Panelists shared what motivated them to come to a Catholic university, how their Jewish identity affects their experience on campus, and what they would like audience members to know about Judaism.

On Friday, an interfaith Shabbat dinner was held with over 60 participants. Many of them were non-Jews and were exposed to the traditional sabbath evening prayers. Members of Campus Ministry and Muslim Student Association also shared the Christian and Muslim perspectives, respectively, on interfaith dialogue and cooperation. The event was co-sponsored by Jewish on Campus.

Reflecting on the week, Ziegler expressed optimism and pride in the club’s work. “This is the third year we’ve done this, and every year we see better knowledge of antisemitism and greater awareness of Jewish life at Notre Dame. I’m extremely grateful to our board and our partner organizations for their support throughout the process,” he said.