Presidential Task Force on Addressing Antisemitism

Presidential Task force on Addressing Antisemitism

The Presidential Task force on Addressing Antisemitism was launched in spring 2021 in response to regional and national attacks on members of the Jewish community, including those in Pittsburgh, Jersey City, and Chabad of Poway in San Diego County, as well as bias-motivated incidents on and around the SDSU campus. According to the Anti-Defamation League, since tracking began in the late 1970s, the Jewish community experienced the highest level of antisemitic incidents in 2019. SDSU is committed to improving our campus culture to ensure that all Jewish students, faculty and staff feel welcomed, supported and respected.

Priorities for Presidential Task force on Addressing Antisemitism include the following actions: 

• Creating a protocol for responding to antisemitism in collaboration with Inclusive SDSU.
• Assessing opportunities to address antisemitism across the curriculum.
• Providing recommendations on content related to antisemitism and creating a safe and supportive environment for Jewish students in New Student Orientation, and onboarding for faculty and staff
• Identifying opportunities to improve campus climate.
• Amplifying accomplishments of SDSU’s Jewish students, faculty and staff throughout the year.
• Increasing awareness of campus-wide events that promote learning about Jewish culture, history and diversity.
• Producing an annual report on incidents of antisemitism along with the activities of the  task force.  

Committee Members

The Presidential Task Force on Addressing Antisemitism is a multi-discipline body composed of faculty and staff. 

Jessica Nare
Chair
Assistant Vice President,
Student Affairs & Campus Diversity

Current Members

• Dani Bedau, Associate Professor, School of Theatre, Television, and Film 
• Fabienne Perlov, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
• Jonathan Graubart, Professor, College of Arts and Letters Political Science
• Rabbi Chalom, SDSU Chabad
• Peter C. Herman, Professor, Department of English
• Susanne Hillman, Professor, Department of History
• David Kamper, Associate Professor and Chair, College of Arts and Letters American Indian Studies
• Yiftach Levy, Information Technology Consultant
• Karen Parry, Executive Director of Hillel, San Diego
• Scott Walter, Dean of the University Library
• Rabbi Scott Meltzer, Lecturer, Study of Religion  
• Norah Shultz, Professor, Sociology
• Rabbi Devorah Marcus, Temple Emanu-El
• Anna Maya, Undergraduate Student
• Shira Cohen, Professor, Fowler College of Business
• Sara Brown, Regional Director American Jewish Committee, San Diego

Past Members

• Past Co-Chair, J. Luke Wood, Vice President for Student Affairs & Campus Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer
• David Cline, Professor, Department of History 
• Risa Levitt, Professor and Chair, Department for the Study of the Religion 
• Hillary Levison, Director of Annual Giving, SDSU Alumni
• Elana Metz, Student 
• Sophie Parker, Student 
• Mara Parker, Public Affairs Specialist
• Jack Schmidt, Student 
• Ari Weizman, Student