Frieze Family Foundation Summer Institutes
The Summer Institute on Antisemitism in Higher Education
The inaugural Brandeis University Summer Institute on Antisemitism in Higher Education was held on the Brandeis campus June 3-7, 2024. Forty three senior administrators from 17 higher education institutions and divisions attended this pilot program of the newly formed Brandeis University President's Initiative on Antisemitism. The goal was to raise awareness and provide academic and student affairs administrators with a toolbox of practices and actions to effectively confront antisemitism on their campuses.
Participants engaged with academic, legal, and Jewish communal experts to learn about the history of antisemitism, the varied and nuanced ways in which antisemitism affects higher education, and how research data can inform campus interventions and policies. The Institute also explored anti-Zionism and its relationship to contemporary antisemitism, developing skills to navigate engaging with Israel in a time of crisis.
During the Institute, participants–working in departments, such as dean's and provost's offices, DEI , communications, student affairs and spiritual life –developed and workshopped initiatives to create meaningful change upon return to their home campuses.
The 2024 Summer Institute Inaugural Cohort