UNC Chancellor announces Hillel partnership to combat antisemitism

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to share with you that as a result of Hillel’s months-long engagement with the UNC-Chapel Hill administration on the urgent topic of addressing antisemitism on campus, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz on Friday sent a message to the entire Carolina community acknowledging and wholeheartedly rejecting the presence of antisemitism on campus.

In his statement, Chancellor Guskiewicz recognized the presence of antisemitism at Carolina and made clear that the university “unequivocally reject[s] and deplore[s] antisemitism.” He invited the entire community to join him in confronting and combatting this scourge. Chancellor Guskiewicz identified the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism and the “ways that Zionism is an integral part of many of our Jewish students’ identity.” 

The administration announced a partnership with North Carolina Hillel and Hillel International’s Campus Climate Center to improve the campus climate for Jewish students and will be convening an advisory committee to take concrete steps towards improvements.

NC Hillel appreciates the many hours of discussion and work that the Chancellor and his team invested with NC Hillel and with Hillel International VP for University Initiatives and Legal Affairs Mark Rotenberg to learn about the Jewish experience on campus and ways to foster a more welcoming and inclusive environment for Jewish students.

We look forward to working with Chancellor Guskiewicz and the Campus Climate Initiative advisory committee to take meaningful action towards making Carolina a campus where all students - including Jewish students - can thrive.

Chag sameach, 
Ari Gauss 
Executive Director