Challenges for Jewish College Students
The past two years have been particularly challenging for Jewish college students, with campuses becoming arenas of polarization.
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 conversations.
Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination has further intensified the polarizing atmosphere.
Some have seen his death as proof that civil discourse and free speech are impossible to achieve, making the climate feel especially isolating for students who care deeply about pluralism.
- University administrators were calling for pluralism and increasing investments in dialogue training even before Kirk’s assassination.
Authors: Ari at Harvard and Maya at McGill.
Author's summary: Jewish students need more than dialogue to fix campus polarization.