Photo credit: Hillel at Miami University
Submitted by Hillel at Miami University
“I do not speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” — Rabbi A.Y. Kook.
In February, Hillel at Miami University hosted an event in partnership with Ghana Student Association and the Nigerian Student Association called “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate” in the Armstrong Student Center. We wanted to invite other groups on campus that experienced hate to stand beside us in our call to share unity and peace on campus. Our goal was to collect as many signatures as possible from Miami students who want to stand up against hate on campus. We provided bagels and cream cheese and created space for conversation about the campus climate, what to do if someone witnesses hate and how to be an upstander. The event was a great success, with more than 100 signatures collected. Thousands of students walked by our table, and the effort reached thousands more through views, likes and reposts on social media.
We were proud to represent Hillel. There we saw so many students come up, get bagels, sign our petition against hate and have conversations about the work we are doing on campus to foster a healthy community. One student thanked us for having this event and shared how needed it was on our campus and in our world. That student made us realize how needed this event was not just to the Jewish community but to all students at Miami.
Hillel at Miami brought this event to Miami University after a series of antisemitic graffiti had been found in the residence halls. We and other students at Hillel wanted to stand up to the hate and show that our community is bigger and better than what a few individuals were doing.
At the same time, other important conversations were taking place. The Associated Student Government (ASG) at Miami University made a clear and meaningful statement last week by passing nonpartisan legislation that stands up to antisemitic behavior on campus and affirms that antisemitism has no place at Miami University. While they may hold different views about the world, they all agreed there was significant importance in signing off on legislation that fosters a community of caring among the students and names what antisemitism is, creating a clear path to recognize it, name it and report it.
This is a pivotal moment for the Miami University community. Our community of student leaders are upstanders on campus. They are not bystanders who allow incidents to happen and turn a blind eye. At Miami University, students care about their neighbors. Jewish and non-Jewish students alike take the responsibility of being part of a community seriously.
The nonpartisan legislation was championed by Nicholas Barry, though he was not the first to try. Former ASG Senator and an active student in the Jewish community at Miami, Matthew Lodge (‘25), had attempted to pass the official IHRA antisemitism definition several years prior. At the time, despite significant discussion and debate, the legislation was unable to move forward.
Nicholas saw the news headlines that followed Hillel at Miami’s statement in November, calling out antisemitism and racism in the residence halls, sharing that he “…knew that it was essential for our student government to take a clear stance that it is wrong to hate Jewish people for being Jewish.”
The legislation gained strong support in the week leading up to the vote. When it reached the student senate floor, it passed overwhelmingly. Nicholas’ leadership through this legislation reminds us the importance of allies in our communities. This and the simple act of sharing bagels across campus and how that can be a symbol to promote understanding across campus communities.
