(Courtesy of Ramaz) On Monday, March 27, the Ramaz Upper School hosted an interschool conference to address one of the most significant challenges of our time: the rampant normalization of antisemitism. This #StudentsUnite Student Leaders Conference convened high school students from Ramaz, SAR, Heschel, Ida Crown Jewish Academy and Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School to learn from experts and from each other about ways to fight antisemitism.

Adela Cojab, an Israel activist who is widely known for filing a lawsuit against NYU due to anti-Jewish discrimination, spoke about the ties between hostility towards Israel and antisemitism. Dr. Samantha Vinokor- Meinrath of the Jewish Education Project explored social media’s role in fueling the rise in antisemitism. Students discussed the history behind anti-Jewish hatred, the legal definition of antisemitism, and strategies for being upstanders and directly addressing real-life bigotry.

Reflecting on these guest speakers, Ramaz student Noa Essner ‘25 noted, “In addition to making sure we knew our rights as Jewish students, they taught us the importance of fully educating ourselves on our history. The goal of advocacy, I learned, isn’t always to convince people to change their views, but rather to focus on educating those who are uninformed, which unfortunately is a large percentage of the U.S. today. This conference is just a starting point. The onus is on us, as future leaders, to use the tools we were given to be active in our Zionism and support of Israel.”

Creating an opportunity for students across schools to experience this event was a critically important piece of this program. Students were empowered with the realization that when our community unites, our young leaders can be a powerful force of light in the face of darkness.