Presidential Task Force on Strengthening Community and Combating Antisemitism

Presidential Task Force on Strengthening Community and Combating Antisemitism

The Presidential Task Force on Strengthening Community and Combating Antisemitism, formally named 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. The task force group was renamed as the Presidential Task Force on Strengthening Community and Combating Antisemitism in Fall 2024.

Presidential Task force on Addressing Antisemitism 2023 Report (PDF)

Nomination Form

Priorities for the Presidential Task Force on Strengthening Community and Combating 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 Strengthening Community and Combating Antisemitism is a multi-discipline body composed of faculty and staff.

Randall Timm
Co-Chair
Senior Associate Assistant Vice President,
Student Affairs & Campus Diversity

Peter C. Herman
Co-Chair
Professor, Department of English and Comparative Literature

Current Members

• Fabienne Perlov, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
• David Cline, Professor, Department of History
• Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah, SDSU Chabad
• Yiftach Levy, Information Technology Consultant
• Karen Parry, Executive Director of Hillel, San Diego
• Rabbi Scott Meltzer, Lecturer, Study of Religion
• Maya Gerassi, Undergraduate Student
• Shira Cohen, Professor, Fowler College of Business
• Sara Brown, Regional Director American Jewish Committee, San Diego
• Ori Lerer, Undergraduate Student
• Gary Rotto, Director of Federal Relations
• Stefan Hyman, Associate Vice President, Enrollment Services
• Peter Atterton, Faculty, Philosophy
• Daniel Frey, Undergraduate Student
• Uri Halle, Police Officer
  
  

In the Spring of 2024, Members of the Presidential Task force on Addressing Antisemitism adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to inform the work of the task force group. This adoption, which is specific only to the work of the task force, supports the group's charge of "Assessing opportunities to address antisemitism across the curriculum." By using this widely recognized definition, members of the task force aim to enhance efforts in combating antisemitism effectively and consistently. The IHRA definition provides a framework to identify and address many contemporary forms of antisemitism, including those that may manifest in subtle or indirect ways.

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
• Rabbi Devorah Marcus, Temple Emanu-El
• Jonathan Graubart, Professor, College of Arts and Letters Political Science
• Risa Levitt, Professor and Chair, Department for the Study of the Religion
• Hillary Levison, Director of Annual Giving, SDSU Alumni
• Anna Maya, Undergraduate Student
• Elana Metz, Student
• Scott Walter, Dean of the University Library
• Sophie Parker, Student
• Mara Parker, Public Affairs Specialist
• Jack Schmidt, Student
• Norah Shultz, Professor, Sociology
• Ari Weizman, Student