On Friday, We Wear Teal to Hillel for Survivors

Statistics show that one in five women on American college campuses will be the victim of sexual assault.

That’s why I work every day to educate my campus on Title IX issues, as a student at Pace University and the executive director of PaceUEndRape.

Having watched my friends experience helplessness after assaults and debate if they should report to their universities, I felt compelled to act and educate my peers about the importance of Title IX protections. Returning to campus following winter break, it is clear that the #MeToo movement has injected a new sense of energy and urgency around sexual assault awareness on college campuses. But while the movement is growing, the Trump administration is also threatening to roll back vital Title IX measures, which would leave me and my peers defenseless.

I would hope that my Jewish community would stand alongside us in the struggle to ensure that Title IX guidelines are protected and enforced. So, I was furious to learn that Hillel International endorsed Trump nominee Kenneth Marcus to lead the civil rights division of the Department of Education. Marcus agrees with Secretary of Education Betsy Devos on rolling back crucial Title IX measures that ensure that women, LGBTQ people, and survivors of sexual violence have an equal right to education – measures that student activists like myself have worked hard to secure and protect.

While Hillel has supported sexual assault survivors in the past – such as by partnering with It’s On Us – Hillel has undermined its strong record by endorsing Marcus. A Hillel statement explaining the endorsement described Marcus as “an excellent partner and collaborative leader on… issues of critical importance to Jewish students.” Yet Marcus’s attitude towards Title IX protections – as well as his opposition or indifference to other key civil rights protections – demonstrates that he is not a true ally to students, Jewish or otherwise. So why is Hillel now falling short of its stated commitments to sexual assault advocacy and social justice?

Based on statements made by Hillel CEO Eric Fingerhut, who apologized this week in an open letter to students but did not rescind the endorsement, it is clear that Hillel endorsed Marcus because of one issue at the exclusion of all else –his track record of using civil rights law to suppress criticism of Israel on campus. This comes despite the fact that studies have shown Jewish students care more about ending sexual assault and promoting racial equality than silencing criticism of Israel on their campuses.

Hillel’s decision has provoked a strong reaction amongst Jewish students. “Hillel International’s choice to actively support Marcus has hurt me in ways I never imagined this community I placed so much trust in ever could,” a Jewish survivor told me anonymously. “The idea of losing Title IX protections is terrifying to me. Having to face my abuser through cross-examination or mediation feels like it could be as traumatic as my assault itself. Hillel’s endorsement has made me feel isolated, unsupported, and unheard.” This student is not alone. Since news of Hillel’s endorsement became public, many students have come forward to express disappointment in Hillel International’s decision.

Ten or twenty years ago, Hillel might have opposed the appointment of a nominee like Marcus. For most of its nearly hundred-year history, Hillel – the center for Jewish life on campus – has held up pluralism and open discourse as core Jewish values and key elements of a vibrant campus community. However in recent years, countering criticism of Israel has become Hillel’s leading priority, often at the expense of its students and their values.

For example, in the fall of 2015, Hillel launched a $22 million partnership with Mosaic United, a project led by Israeli Diaspora Minister Naftali Bennett, who’s known for censoring criticism of Israel and promoting an Orthodox-only vision of Jewish identity. And in the spring of 2016, Hillel expelled B’nai Keshet, Ohio State’s LGBTQ Jewish student group, for working on an event for LGBTQ refugees co-sponsored by JVP. By endorsing Marcus, Hillel is demonstrating once again that it is willing to choose a narrow political agenda over its students.

Since Trump announced his nomination of Marcus, Jewish organizations, including the National Council for Jewish Women, Jewish Women International, Open Hillel, IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace, and J Street have joined a broad range of civil rights groups in opposing Marcus’s confirmation. I, and many of my peers, hope that Hillel will join them.

In a moment when powerful people and celebrities are being held accountable for committing sexual harassment and assault, we must hold our communal institutions accountable as well. Rather than staying silent and allowing Hillel to speak for us, I and many of my peers are organizing petitions to Hillel International and letters to our Hillel directors, demanding that Hillel rescind its endorsement. This Friday night, students will wear teal – the color for Sexual Assault Awareness Month – to shabbat dinners and services to stand in solidarity with survivors and express our opposition to Hillel’s endorsement. As the #MeToo movement continues, Hillel must stand with its students and withdraw its endorsement of Kenneth Marcus.

Sydney Korman is a sophomore at Pace University and the executive director of PaceUEndRape. She is also on the steering committee of Open Hillel.