Since the atrocities of October 7th, Jews around the globe exist together in a dual state of grief and resilience. And there is likely no one in our American Jewish community facing more daily confrontations with antisemitism than students on college campuses. At my own alma mater, UC Davis, a professor of American studies was condemned by the university chancellor in late October for her antisemitic and anti-Israel comments, in which she accused “Zionist journalists” of spreading “propaganda and misinformation.” During my own years in college, my friends and I frequently encountered anti-Israel protests and antisemitic banners and graffiti from various student groups, but I never imagined the challenges our Jewish students are facing today.
Last week, I had the amazing privilege of visiting the UC Davis and Sacramento State Hillel House and singing at their annual gala (you can see me pictured below with Wise School alum and UC Davis freshman, Joshua Fisher, who joined me in singing at the celebration). And despite the many distractions and trials the students have faced these past few months, you would never know upon meeting them that they were experiencing any such struggles. The Hillel house has provided an ongoing safe haven for students to gather, share meals, discuss the war and its consequences both here and in Israel, study in a safe environment, comfort one another, sing and pray in community. It was a remarkable relief to know that hundreds of students are taking advantage of and benefiting from this remarkable place, learning to thrive in community despite the many challenges they might face on campus.
One of the great Hasidic rabbis of the 19th century, Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, once taught, “There is nothing so whole as a broken heart.” I know that the students I met with last weekend are facing unprecedented struggles, but still, they are growing together in resilience, faith, and with great pride in their Judaism. I pray that the pains our students face will continue to diminish, and I know that their strength and self-worth will only increase with the support of our unbreakable community and well-built institutions.
— Cantor Emma Lutz
Cantor Emma Lutz with Wise School alum Joshua Fisher