Jewish high school club leaders from across the United States spent three days at the Jewish Student Union’s annual Presidents Conference, taking part in activities and training focused on confronting antisemitism. Organizers said they wanted students to be better prepared to support one another at high school and, later, on college campuses.
Rabbi Micah Greenland, international director of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, said Jewish students have increasingly described feeling isolated, bullied, or threatened at public schools. In that climate, he said, JSU clubs can provide an important place for Jewish students and their allies to connect. He hoped attendees would return home better able to reach out to their peers.
Rabbi Derek Gormin, a managing director at JSU, said the organization began at a California high school and has since expanded to more than 500 clubs. The groups are led by teenagers, he explained, because students themselves have to take the lead in establishing clubs at their schools. Gormin said that peer-led approach can create momentum that continues to grow.
That idea was on display at the conference, where New Jersey high school student and activist Hillel Kornwasser was among the presenters. He said it felt unusual to speak in front of students around his age, but added that young people could not afford to put off taking action.
Kornwasser said he thinks about the kind of world in which he might one day raise children, and that some fellow attendees shared his worries. He described wanting a future where Jewish people could wear a yarmulke or display a Star of David without fearing they might be attacked or targeted.
The conference also featured Jewish educators and public figures, including activist Tessa Veksler, actor and content creator Noa Bess Solomon, author and activist Shai Davidai, and Charlotte Korchak, founder and senior educator at the Jerusalem Education Institute.
Veksler was a senior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and student body president when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. She said she faced sustained harassment in person and online afterward, which eventually led to a campaign seeking to remove her from office because she was Jewish and supported Israel.
Veksler had been involved with JSU in high school, so returning to speak at the conference felt like a full-circle experience. She wanted students to understand that speaking up about antisemitism and Israel could bring meaningful benefits, though she acknowledged that their concerns about doing so were understandable.
She said Jewish and pro-Israel students can feel as if they have a target on their backs on college campuses. Veksler pointed to reports of students being attacked and professors using hateful language in classrooms. She called the situation frightening, while also saying it was a moment when Jewish and pro-Israel students could step forward.
In 2024, Veksler was reportedly targeted by antisemitic signs on campus, including messages accusing her of supporting genocide and declaring that Zionists were unwelcome. UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Henry T. Yang said at the time that the university had removed unauthorized signs and was reviewing the incidents for possible discrimination involving religion, citizenship, or national or ethnic origin.
Yang’s statement described the messages as inconsistent with the university’s principles of community and inclusion. It also said the school aimed to support civil discussion without bullying or discrimination and would review reported bias incidents.
Davidai, who drew national attention for speaking out about antisemitism at Columbia University, focused on helping students prepare for difficult conversations. In a mock debate session, he encouraged them to use what he called the “three E’s”: engage with empathy and evidence.
He said facts alone may not be enough to reach someone. Students, he argued, should recognize the emotions and humanity of the people they are speaking with, while making sure their conclusions rest on evidence.
Davidai also cautioned that speaking loudly does not make an argument sound. He said research for his book, “American Intellectual Antisemitism: The Anti-Jewish Movement Tearing Through Our Universities,” led him to conclude that some of the most vocal students, faculty, and staff on campuses represent a minority view. In his view, their influence and ability to set the agenda can make them seem more representative than they are. He urged students not to assume that a forceful voice is correct or beyond challenge.
Korchak emphasized a different part of preparing students: making sure they understand the history and ideas they may be asked to defend. She said students should be able to explain Jewish identity, the case for a Jewish state, and the connection to the land of Israel.
Knowing both the history and current circumstances, Korchak said, allows students to have informed conversations rather than relying on a memorized slogan or quick response. The Jerusalem Education Institute, she added, works to help students address inaccurate claims about Israel with historically grounded information.
Not every part of the conference centered on antisemitism. Solomon, an actor and content creator with Lost Tribe and co-host of the “What Are We” podcast, encouraged students to make room for humor and joy. She said laughter can be a way to cope, and described it as especially important in Jewish life.
Solomon said she hoped students would leave feeling proud of their Jewish identity rather than seeing it only through the lens of politics. For her, that identity is also tied to family, food, camp, and tradition, including her grandmother’s matzo ball soup.
That message reflected the conference’s broader aim: to help Jewish students respond to antisemitism without letting fear define their relationship with Judaism. JSU leaders said they hoped attendees would return to school with practical tools and greater confidence in expressing their Jewish identity.
The University of California, Santa Barbara, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
