In the wake of encampments, protests, and a year of heightened tension and increased antisemitic incidents on college campuses, a remarkable countercurrent has emerged. Students, faculty, administrators, and campus professionals are stepping forward to rebuild, reimagine, and strengthen the ecosystems that support Jewish life.

Across Greater Boston campuses, leaders are convening difficult conversations, expanding opportunities for learning, and investing in community-building that reinforces belonging. Their efforts reflect a crucial understanding: fostering strong, connected communities that deepen relationships, understanding, and empathy is one of the most powerful ways to shape healthier campus cultures and reduce the conditions in which antisemitism can take root.

Significant challenges still persist, as recently shared from Hillel International: Many Jewish students continue to navigate social isolation, stigma, and uncertainty about whether it’s safe, or socially acceptable, to openly express their Jewish identity. Ongoing antisemitic incidents only deepen concerns about how their peers or institutions will respond. Yet alongside these realities, Jewish campus communities are responding with extraordinary determination. Students are gathering in record numbers for Shabbat and cultural programs, faculty and staff are advocating for inclusion, students are leading difficult dialogues on campus, and Hillels are cultivating spaces where students feel supported and empowered.

Funding Resilience on Campus

These stories remind us that proud and vibrant Jewish life alongside meaningful allyship are core drivers of safety, belonging, and resilience. And it is within this landscape—defined by both challenge and determination, tension and renewal—that CJP’s Center for Combating Antisemitism (CCA) proudly announces the recipients of this year’s Campus Resilience Pool, funding 13 innovative projects that strengthen belonging, dialogue, education, and pride for our Jewish campus communities. This year’s funding builds on the foundation laid by last year’s Campus Education Pool, which focused on strengthening understanding of antisemitism and Jewish identity across campus communities.

This year, CCA is broadening that vision, recognizing that alongside education, resilience grows through trusted cross-communal partnerships, empowered leadership, and joyful expressions of Jewish life. Organized across three strategic focus areas—Dialogue & Allyship, Education & Advocacy, and Pride in Public—this year’s projects reflect this holistic approach to cultivating thriving Jewish life on campus.

Pride in Public

Through the Pride in Public focus area, Hillel Council of New England and Northeastern Hillel’s joint annual Hanukkah Palooza continues the vibrant “Palooza” tradition that brings Jewish pride to the center of campus life. Last year’s Israel Palooza drew anti-Israel protesters outside, yet the celebration inside—filled with music, dancing, and community—carried on with unmistakable joy. Hanukkah Palooza builds on that same energy, and this year it will grow even larger, sending a powerful message that Jewish pride and joy shine brightest when shared together.

Dialogue & Allyship

Through the Dialogue & Allyship focus area, the Bronfman Campus Commons Fellowship builds on the success of its inaugural cohort last year, which brought together Jewish student leaders from across the country to explore identity, belonging, and moral leadership in a time of deep polarization. Among last year’s fellows was Harvard University student Ari Kohn, who later reflected that “what Jewish wisdom has helped us recognize is that the key to pluralism is prioritizing relationships over the need to be right.” This year’s grant will help deepen local participation in this national model, engaging more Greater Boston students in pluralistic learning and dialogue that cultivate resilient leadership and a deepened sense of belonging.

Education & Advocacy

And through the Education & Advocacy focus area, CCA is supporting Harvard Hillel’s efforts to strengthen the university’s institutional response to antisemitism. By convening Jewish faculty, mobilizing alumni, and partnering with campus leadership to deliver antisemitism trainings, Harvard Hillel is helping to embed understanding and accountability at every level of campus life. A new public-facing website will also advance transparency by documenting the university’s progress in addressing antisemitism, transforming awareness into sustained action.

Creating Lasting Change for the Jewish Campus Community

“The Campus Resilience Pool reflects CCA’s strategic commitment to strengthening the full ecosystem that shapes Jewish life on campus,” said Melissa Garlick, associate vice president of CCA. “By investing in innovative programs that advance education, partnership-building, and visible expressions of Jewish identity, CCA is supporting the long-term infrastructure required to create safer, more inclusive, and more resilient campus environments.”

These investments signal more than a moment of support; they represent a long-term strategy to strengthen the foundations of Jewish life across Greater Boston’s campuses. Through the Campus Resilience Pool, CCA is building the conditions for enduring change by cultivating leaders, equipping institutions with valuable resources, and ensuring that Jewish belonging and visibility are woven into the fabric of campus life. This is how resilience takes root, not only in response to challenges, but in the creation of a future defined by pride, partnership, and purpose.

13 Campus Projects Advancing Jewish Life and Connection

This year’s Campus Resilience Grants will support 13 innovative projects across 14 on-campus and campus-support organizations, advancing Jewish life, connection, and resilience.

Dialogue & Allyship Grantees

  • Boston University Hillel

  • The Bronfman Campus Commons

  • The Viewpoints Project

  • Brandeis Hillel

  • Tufts Hillel

Education & Advocacy Grantees

  • Harvard Hillel

  • Orthodox Union Leadership in Advocacy Training

  • UMass Amherst Hillel

  • Israeli-American Council

Pride & Joy Grantees

  • UVM Hillel

  • Wellesley-Weston Chabad

  • Harvard Chabad

  • Hillel Council of New England & Northeastern Hillel