American Jewish Committee Launches “Back To School” Campaign to Help Students Fight Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Sentiment

“We must equip our students with the knowledge necessary to proudly advocate for the Jewish people and Israel.” – AJC CEO Ted Deutch

As Jewish students across the country return to classrooms and campuses, American Jewish Committee (AJC) will provide them with resources to cultivate strong and confident Jewish identities in the face of growing antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric.

As part of its “Back to School” campaign, AJC has developed a Campus Library, which seeks to provide high school and college students with the knowledge and skills to become informed and impactful advocates for Israel and the Jewish community. It will be distributed to Jewish students and families by AJC’s 25 regional offices.

"We are witnessing a troubling rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on too many college campuses and now even in our K-12 schools. We must equip our students with the knowledge necessary to proudly advocate for the Jewish people and Israel,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said. “The Campus Library gives students and their families the information they have sought to knowledgeably stand up for the Jewish community.”  

The Campus Library includes:

• What the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism Means for Jewish College Students
• Know Your Rights: A Student's Guide to Jewish Activism
• A Guide for Student Leaders: Responding to False Claims About Israel

The campaign will redouble AJC’s commitment to improve the college and K-12 environments for Jewish students while building the next generation of Jewish leaders. It will provide students with resources to cultivate strong and confident Jewish identities in the face of growing antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric.

The “Back to School” initiative complements other AJC programs for students, including:

• Leaders for Tomorrow, AJC’s education and advocacy program for teens, which provides them with the information and skills they need to become effective advocates for Israel and the Jewish people before they start college. To date, the program has trained more than 2,000 students across the U.S.
• AJC Campus Global Board, which offers student leaders an immersive opportunity to develop Jewish advocacy skills on and off campus. Board members gain real-world experience and learn from thought leaders on domestic and international issues. Now in its second year, the Board has expanded from 20 to 30 members and includes students from leading universities in the U.S. and seven other nations.
• AJC Goldman Summer Fellowship. College students eager to engage the world through a Jewish lens work with senior AJC staff to learn about strategy, advocacy and the development of key programs in such areas as international affairs and interethnic relations. 
• AJC Project Interchange, which since 1982 has taken thousands of decision-makers to Israel to learn about its beauty, complexity and diversity for themselves and make up their own minds. Project Interchange has annually sponsored trips for college presidents and administrators that have led to fruitful collaborations with top Israeli academic institutions. This year also marked the inaugural delegation of private highschool administrators.
• University Presidents Summit on Combating Antisemitism. AJC, in partnership with Hillel International and the American Council on Education, convened in 2022 a summit with leaders from more than 40 institutions that provided them crucial tools to combat campus antisemitism and the marginalization of Jewish students on campus. Another summit is slated for 2024.

The “Back to School” campaign is closely aligned with the objectives of AJC's Task Force for implementing the White House National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which includes numerous educational recommendations that had been offered by AJC. AJC is ensuring the implementation of recommendations outlined in the U.S. National Strategy with detailed guides for compliance that will be shared with administrators as students return to the classroom .

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 offices across the United States, 14 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.