ADL UPDATE: Here is ADL’s latest statement on the fast-evolving ceasefire plans.

We welcome the announcement of a ceasefire agreement that will finally — after two long, excruciating years — bring home all the remaining hostages from Gaza in the coming days. We join the hostage families and all of Am Yisrael in hopeful anticipation and cautious relief. Our hearts will not rest until all of our 48 brothers and sisters are safely home.

👉 WATCH a short, moving ADL video about this hopeful moment.

Scheduling Notes: Due to Jewish holiday observances, next week’s first edition of the newsletter will come out on Monday afternoon rather than on Tuesday.

Case Western. Eleven students at Case Western Reserve University who were charged with anti-Israel vandalism last year have ponied up more than $350,000 in restitution to the school as part of a legal agreement with the county prosecutors. In the incident, the vandals smeared red paint on school buildings, walkways and a statue. Several of the students still face potential expulsion as a result of parallel university proceedings. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley explained the costly legal consequences, saying, "When demonstrators cross over the line and commit criminal acts, it is our responsibility to hold those individuals accountable."

(Source: Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office)

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Columbia. Students and faculty at Columbia University marked the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ 10/7 massacre with a widescale memorial at the Sundial on Tuesday, sponsored by Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Chabad at Columbia and Columbia Faculty and Staff Supporting Israel. Attendees recited speeches, sang Hebrew songs and read aloud the names of the 48 hostages still held by Hamas. The memorial event took place under tight security, with barricades and Public Safety presence throughout. This followed a separate display on the school’s South Lawn earlier in the week, an installation of 1,205 empty chairs bearing images of victims killed in the attacks, organized by pro-Israel groups DiploAct and Let’s Do Something. Roughly 100 anti-Israel protesters gathered outside campus gates in counterprotest.

10/7 ’empty chairs’ memorial at Columbia. (Source: Zohar Ford / Deputy Photo Editor, Columbia Spectator)

DEEPER: Columbia was by no means the only school where 10/7 was marked with pro-Israel observances and anti-Israel protests. Some examples of these coast-to-coast demonstrations included: Rutgers, Michigan, Cal-Berkeley, Oregon and Georgia.

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Tufts. Among those charged in a sprawling anti-Israel protest on the Boston Commons that devolved into a brawl with police officers were two Tufts University students, who face a number of charges including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. One of the students also faces charges of assault and battery on a police officer and destruction of property. While it is unclear based on press coverage who organized the protest, several Boston-area universities’ Students for Justice in Palestine chapters were tagged in an Instagram post promoting the event.

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Concordia and McGill (Canada). Speaking of brawls with police… In Montreal on 10/7, anti-Israel protesters clashed with riot police near both Concordia University and McGill University. At one point, protesters pushed past the police and into the McGill campus where they lit smoke bombs. One protester shattered a campus library window, and an Israeli flag was burned. Concordia’s campus had been closed for the day by university leaders who were concerned about the potential for disruption.

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Australia. A staff member at the University of Sydney has been suspended after footage surfaced of her unleashing a vile antisemitic tirade at Jewish students celebrating Sukkot on campus. In the video, the woman is heard calling the students “filthy Zionists” and “parasites.” A campus security guard intervened to separate the parties. The University of Sydney released a statement calling the behavior “disturbed and appalling,” confirming the staff member had been suspended pending further review. Police have also launched an inquiry into the incident.

CA K-12 Antisemitism Bill Crosses Finish Line. Jewish students and parents can rest a little easier because after months of tireless advocacy from ADL and dozens of groups across the state, AB 715 – a landmark bill to counter antisemitism in K-12 schools – is now law. ADL praised the legislature and Governor for showing tremendous leadership this year in taking meaningful action to strengthen the state's and schools' response to antisemitism. As Governor Newsom noted about the importance of the bill, “At a time when antisemitism and bigotry are rising nationwide and globally, these laws make clear: our schools must be places of learning, not hate."

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Building Strength. Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy has officially purchased its Bryn Mawr campus thanks to a $10 million gift from the Barrack Family Foundation – the largest single-donor gift in the school’s history. The newly named Leonard and Lynne Barrack Campus for Jewish Life secures the school’s long-term home, with academic buildings, athletic fields and arts spaces. The school is described as “the nation’s first pluralistic Jewish secondary day school.” Head of School Rabbi Marshall Lesack called it “a huge step forward,” and the gift brings the Barrack Family Foundation’s total giving to the school above $25 million.

Running From and Running For. Kudos to the Ontario college students who ran as a team in the Toronto OCT7K Charity Run as part of Team Hillel Ontario. The run raised thousands of dollars for United Hatzalah, Israel’s largest all-volunteer emergency medical response organization. Rabbi Seth Goren of Hillel Ontario gave the run’s opening blessing, saying:

• We’re running for the memory of those murdered on October 7.
• We’re running for the return of those who were kidnapped and are still being held in Gaza.
• We’re running for the students on university and college campuses who confront Jew hatred from their professors and from their peers.

Runners in last year's Toronto OCT7K run. (Source: Courtesy OCT7K.com)

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New Hillel. New Hope. Jewish students across New York’s City University (CUNY) campuses are getting more than just a vibrant Jewish community: they’re gaining access to food assistance, mental health support, career counseling and financial aid, all under one roof. Thanks to a bold partnership between UJA-Federation of New York and Hillel, commuter colleges like Baruch and Queens College have reimagined their Hillel spaces as “Hillel Hubs” part spiritual home, part social service center. For students like Benjamin S., who once skipped meals and considered dropping out, this lifeline helped him stay in school and land a job. Launched in 2022 and backed by major funders like the Jim Joseph and Schusterman Foundations, the program embeds social workers and case managers onsite to meet real, urgent needs. As one student put it: “It’s a whole new Hillel.”

• Campus Community Advocacy Toolkit — From incident reporting and educational resources to letter-writing campaigns and Know Your Rights factsheets, ADL has clear steps for you to take action and effect change on college campuses.
• University Administration — Guidance and best practices for making campuses safer and more inclusive.
• Campus Antisemitism Report Card — See the grades of 135 universities, the current state of antisemitism on campus and how colleges and universities are responding.
• General Campus Resources — ADL Backgrounders, Educational Programming, Research and Analysis and more.
• Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) (CALL) — College or university students, professors, or employees who want to report campus incidents of antisemitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism or violence that may necessitate legal action can report to CALL for legal support.
• K-12 Advocacy Resources — Tools and knowledge to foster and advocate for a safe, inclusive and equitable school environment for all.
• K-12 Advocacy Resources for Independent Schools — Additional resources for members of independent K-12 school communities.
• K-12 Antisemitism Legal Line — Parents and other interested adults in California, Massachusetts and New York can report incidents of antisemitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism or violence occurring in K-12 schools to the K-12 Antisemitism Legal Line.
• Report an Antisemitic Incident.

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