Programs
Dr. Miriam Elman, Academic Engagement Network, at November 2023 symposium
Dr. Rachel Fish, special advisor to the Brandeis University president, speaking during November symposium
Summer Institute for Higher Education Leaders
June 3-7, 2024
A four-day residency at Brandeis for academic and student affairs administrators. Taught by academic and legal experts, the Institute will cover the history of antisemitism, the varied and nuanced ways in which antisemitism affects higher education, and the results from current research and evaluative studies.We will also explore case studies and delve into anti-Zionism and its relationship to contemporary antisemitism. In addition to providing another setting for Jewish communal partners to engage higher education leaders, participants will acquire a toolbox of practices and actions to effectively confront antisemitism and will be expected to implement a project or initiative on their home campuses.
Brandeis Leadership Symposium on Antisemitism in Higher Education
Brandeis University hosted its first leadership symposium on antisemitism in higher education for university administrators from November 14 to 15, 2023. Over 100 participants from 21 colleges and universities were welcomed to campus.
During this day-and-a-half-long symposium, institutional teams of 3-5 senior administrators—presidents, provosts, deans, DEI officers, admissions, and communications staff, and others—heard from experts and participated in interactive workshops to gain broader knowledge and understanding of Jews, Judaism, and Israel. Participants also networked with peers, planting the seeds for development of "communities of practice" to share successes, challenges and future opportunities.
If your college or university might be interested in joining our next symposium, please let us know by emailing PICA@brandeis.edu.
Community of Practice
We will work with cohorts of administrators cooperating over time to surface challenges, identify opportunities, learn best practices, and navigate case studies pertaining to Jewish life and antisemitism on campus.
Administrators will feel empowered to tackle these complex issues with the support of Brandeis experts and resources, as well as connections with other cohort members and like-minded organizations working with faculty on campuses across the country.
Convening Jewish Communal Organizations
We will convene Jewish Communal Organizations, a unique opportunity for professionals at the many dynamic Jewish communal organizations engaged in addressing antisemitism to gather and collaborate. We will leverage faculty experts at the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program and other Brandeis departments. Jewish communal organizations will be valuable partners.
Professionals will leave reinvigorated, able to enhance organizational effectiveness by sharing novel approaches, identifying points of intersection, and considering new pathways for countering antisemitism.
Intensive Summer Institute for Middle and High School Leaders and Educators
Recognizing that biases are formed well before matriculation into a college or university, we will offer a five to six-day intensive residency at Brandeis for educators, and educational leaders, such as principals, and superintendents in middle and high schools. Taught by academic and legal experts, the Institute will cover the history of antisemitism, the varied and nuanced ways in which antisemitism affects education, and the results from Brandeis’s research and evaluative studies.
We will also explore case studies and delve into anti-Zionism and its relationship to contemporary antisemitism. Fellows will leave with a toolbox of practices and actions to effectively confront antisemitism in their schools and will be expected to implement a project or initiative on their home campuses.
Research Agenda Support
We will support a research agenda to assess antisemitism on campuses by partnering with Brandeis University's Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies to conduct, and utilize data from, two crucial studies to:- identify best practices for confronting antisemitism on campuses, and
- survey Jewish and non-Jewish students on 50-75 campuses to identify antisemitism “hot spots” and the ways anti-Jewish hatred manifests at institutions.