Challenging Times for Jewish College Students
The past two years have been particularly challenging for Jewish college students, with campuses becoming arenas of polarization rather than places of curiosity and critical exchange.
As students at Harvard and McGill, we have witnessed peers feeling trapped between taking a strident side on nuanced conflicts or staying silent and withdrawing from the conversation altogether.
Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination has further intensified the polarizing atmosphere, with some seeing his death as proof that civil discourse and free speech are impossible to achieve.
University administrators have been calling for pluralism and increasing investments in dialogue training, but for students like us who care deeply about pluralism, this climate has felt especially isolating.
Author's Summary
Jewish students need more than just dialogue to fix the polarization on campuses.
- campuses have become arenas of polarization
- students feel trapped between extremes
- university administrators call for pluralism and dialogue training