Dear UVM Hillel Community,

I'm writing with an update on Jewish life at this current moment, following our Campus Climate Briefing with UVM’s Chief Safety Officer Michael Schirling. Please take a moment to read the materials below including our full statement and the university’s community support activities, and be in touch with any specific questions.

While there is always more work ahead, it’s appropriate to note the strong steps our university is taking to support our Jewish community. It is remarkable to look at this moment and reflect on how much positive change has occurred these past few months since the change in UVM’s policies to better support our students.

I know how much Jewish students have appreciated all the letters, emails, outreach to the university, and countless baked goods from local Vermonters. Thank you so much for supporting Jewish students at the University of Vermont.

Sincerely, Matt

Jewish life at the University of Vermont has been remarkably improved since April 3, 2023, when the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights resolved the investigation into antisemitism under a Title VI complaint from Jewish on Campus and the Brandeis Center for Civil Rights.

Since the resolution Jewish life has improved in tangible ways including:

• Jewish students report timely responses from the Bias Response Team and the Office of Equal Opportunity.

• The Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has hosted four large workshops on antisemitism since April 3rd, bringing institutional and academic insight to antisemitic hate speech and actions.

• Senior leadership from the university attended the University Presidents Conference on Antisemitism to listen and learn from experts in the field.

• The university convened scholars from across disciplines in a panel to thoughtfully articulate the historical roots of the war in Israel and Gaza during an at-capacity event.

• Hillel is in regular ongoing communication with UVM Police and the Division of Safety and Compliance to ensure Jewish student safety.

• The President and Provost have issued statements upholding Our Common Ground values about respect, openness, and tolerance for our community with messages specific to the Jewish community.

• Most importantly, UVM has updated its policies to prohibit bias and harassment based on shared ancestry, including antisemitism.

 While we have seen more students feeling comfortable disclosing antisemitic bias and harassment to our staff, we feel that is indicative of a culture that encourages reporting rather than one that seemed to stifle Jewish students' voices. Jewish students also report that they are largely able to fully express their Jewish identity without fear of repercussion or social ostracization. There remain isolated incidents of challenging conversations among friend groups related to Israel and Gaza, and of course the omnipresent onslaught of social media memes. However, UVM students are incredibly resilient and are able to approach the issues with nuance and depth that mirrors their academic pursuits on campus.

These leadership-level changes have led to an increase in Jewish clubs and organizations and higher levels of participation in Hillel programs. Prior to the OCR resolution, there was Hillel and Chabad. Now there is a Jewish Student Union recognized by the University of Vermont and 11 additional Jewish and Israel-oriented student clubs on campus. We have seen an increase in Jewish parents reaching out to Hillel during their on-campus visits and the Burack Hillel center at 439 College Street has seen an increase of nearly 40% in daily usage from students.

In short, Jewish life at UVM is thriving. Even as we face rising levels of antisemitism around the country and on campus, the Title VI resolution and subsequent policy changes on campus have helped Jewish students feel supported at UVM.

For questions, email Executive Director Matt Vogel at matt@uvmhillel.org or call 802.355.6695. If you’d like to support our efforts at this time, you can do so here. Thank you!

We need your help NOW to get Holocaust Education bills passed this year.

IN VERMONT …

The Vermont Holocaust Memorial is working on legislation (S.87) that would ensure that Holocaust education is taught to every student in Vermont. Holocaust education encourages students to promote empathy, social justice, human rights, and genocide awareness.

Here is the link to read S.87:

https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2024/Docs/BILLS/S-0087/S-0087%20As%20Introduced.pdf.

It is now under consideration by the Vermont Senate Education Committee.

If you, or anyone you know, lives in the Vermont counties of the Senators on the Education Committee (listed below), please send a short e-mail to them ASAP.

Below are talking points for outreach to the Senators, as well as information on how to find your Senator.

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Talking Points -

Below are some suggested talking points, but It would be best for you to write in your own words why you believe Vermont students must receive education about the Holocaust. E-mails to Legislators should be short and to the point. Subject line should be “Educate Vermont students about the Holocaust”. 

• By including Holocaust education in Vermont schools, students will develop:

  • a greater knowledge about the Holocaust than their peers and understand its value.

  • a more pluralistic attitude and openness to differing viewpoints. 

  • a greater willingness to challenge intolerant behavior in others and higher critical thinking skills.  

• Students and teachers need the tools to prevent genocide in the future - Holocaust education is crucial to prevent it from happening again. 

• There has never been a more important time to expand Vermont students’ educational opportunities regarding the Holocaust.

Find Your Vermont Legislator -

Below is a list of the Legislators on the Senate Education Committee.

If you are unsure of who your Legislator is, here is the link to find your Senator:

https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/search/2024

Select “by town” and use the drop down list to find your town. Then click “search”. That will bring you to the list of your Representative(s) and Senator(s).

Please, only send e-mails to your legislator. If you are not a constituent of any of the legislators listed below, but know of someone who is and can send an e-mail, please forward this information to them.

Please send e-mails to the following Senate Education Committee members if you are a constituent of theirs:

Vermont Senate Education Committee Members:

Sen. Brian Campion, Chair (D)

Bennington County

bcampion@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick, Vice Chair (D)

Chittenden County

mgulick@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. Nader Hashim (D)

Windam County

nhashim@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. David Weeks (R)

Rutland County

dweeks@leg.state.vt.us

Sen. Terry Williams (R)

Rutland County

tkwilliams@leg.state.vt.us