Jewish on Campus (JOC) is the movement of the Jewish future. We seek to revive pride in Judaism by encouraging a new generation of Jews through education, social media campaigning, and grassroots organizing. As a movement powered by students, we seek to end antisemitism on college campuses and beyond.
JOC was founded by six college students in July 2020 as an Instagram page to share reports of campus antisemitism. In our first month, JOC gained over 10,000 followers on Instagram. We harnessed this momentum to create change for Jewish students across the country. We established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization designed to amplify the voices of Jewish students in the fight against campus antisemitism. Our work focuses on education through social media and campus resources, research and data, student programming, and political advocacy.
As the voice of Jewish students in the United States, JOC’s work has been featured in major media outlets, including CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more. JOC has participated in several White House Roundtables on Antisemitism, United Nations High-Level Side Events on Globalizing Efforts to Combat Antisemitism, and convenings of global Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism. Additionally, JOC has met with numerous elected officials at all levels of government. Regarded as a critical stakeholder by the White House, 14 of the roughly 100 points in the White House’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism were based on JOC recommendations.
Social and Traditional Media. JOC uses its strong presence on social media platforms to amplify student experiences, speak out against antisemitism, cultivate Jewish pride, and offer educational resources. We use social media as a powerful tool to meet students where they are, sharing accessible content in the authentic language of students to more than 120,000 followers across social media platforms. JOC is frequently featured in news articles and interviews in both Jewish and secular media. Student voices are amplified across JOC’s social media platforms alongside traditional outlets.
Given our expertise in crafting social media strategies, we continue to successfully leverage social media platforms to share news about on-campus antisemitic incidents. With four years of experience, we have become a trusted source for campus-related information. We intentionally speak in the language of young people, using powerful videos and graphics to communicate about antisemitism and instill Jewish pride.
Advocacy. JOC brings the voices of Jewish students to the highest offices, including Congress and the White House. The White House’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism includes numerous JOC contributions, resulting in real, strong change. JOC uplifts student voices across the country to call for change from university administrators and elected officials. JOC creates action to counter antisemitism both at the campus level and nationally.
The JOC Student Union.
The JOC Student Union launched in 2023 as a vehicle for Jewish students in the United States to spearhead the fight against campus antisemitism. This student-powered effort aims to develop the next generation of Jewish leaders, bringing them together to share experiences and knowledge while providing the tools to educate peers, university administrators, and political leaders. Experts train student leaders to host student-led peer-to-peer educational sessions for Jewish and non-Jewish participants on their campuses. The Student Union program has grown each year, and JOC is currently establishing chapters at universities across the country. The chapters serve as hubs for advocacy both on and off campus. JOC chapters allow the leaders of the organization to connect with students across the country, expanding the network of JOC and further combating antisemitism at a national level.
Incident Response. JOC has received submissions from students who have encountered campus antisemitism since July 2020. In many instances, students who share their experiences with JOC are, understandably, more comfortable initially speaking with fellow students than with authorities or lawyers. Our peer-to-peer approach has been a hallmark of our organization since our founding and continues to guide the work we do each day. JOC’s campus response work is known by students nationwide. It is unique in its ability to gain students’ trust through authentic connections with their peers, thus making reporting incidents less intimidating.
After October 7, the number of antisemitic incidents reported to JOC increased tenfold. In addition to meeting with students seeking support, the JOC incident response team, composed of part-time student consultants, has met with numerous university administrators and inclusion offices to discuss measures to combat campus antisemitism, including incorporating antisemitism into anti-bias training and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and its examples.
Title VI Complaints. JOC, in partnership with the Brandeis Center, has filed four Title VI complaints with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Of note, JOC’s Title VI complaint against the University of Vermont was referenced as a successful example in the White House’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This marked a significant shift in tone from OCR, which, for the first time, explicitly cited anti-Zionist incidents as antisemitic. Understandably, many students are uncomfortable or may not feel safe revealing their names in Title VI complaints, which are public documents. Therefore, JOC offers to file Title VI complaints in our name to protect the identities of students who want to remain anonymous when filing. This allows complaints to proceed without exposing personal information. Throughout the complaint process, JOC provides crucial student-to-student support every step of the way.
Data and Research. Beyond posting important incidents of campus antisemitism on social media, JOC considers each submission we receive to be a crucial data point. Our most recent annual report, developed entirely by JOC student staff, vividly depicts the striking increase in submissions in October and November, coinciding with the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.
In September 2023, JOC partnered with Ipsos and the World Jewish Congress to publish findings of a national survey of Jewish and non-Jewish students measuring their perceptions of and experiences with antisemitism. Importantly, these data were analyzed by JOC’s student staff. Among the most notable findings, 84% of Jewish students surveyed consider antisemitism to be either an extreme threat or somewhat of a threat to America, compared to 64% of general public students. 57% of Jewish students surveyed reported witnessing or experiencing an antisemitic incident, whether on campus or in the general public. Our research is rooted in a commitment to understanding campus antisemitism by learning directly from the students experiencing it.
Julia Jassey is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jewish on Campus, the leading voice for Jewish students in the United States, combating antisemitism, engaging in grassroots activism, and advocating for the Jewish community. Her work has been recognized widely in the Jewish community and beyond, featured on CNN, CBS, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and other international news outlets. Working together with students around the country, she has advocated for students at every level—from university administrators to the White House as a contributor to the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. She was awarded at the Anti-Defamation League’s Concert Against Hate for her leadership in the Jewish community, and she was considered one of Algemeiner Magazine’s “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life” in 2021. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2023, where she studied Political Science and Jewish Studies.
Micah Gritz is the Chief Operating Officer of Jewish on Campus, the leading advocacy group for Jewish students in the United States. As a part of Jewish on Campus’ leadership team, Micah drives the strategic vision and brand for the organization. His work to support Jewish student advocacy has been recognized widely, from The Washington Post to The Hill, and in 2024, Micah was awarded the American Jewish Committee’s Sharon Greene Award for Campus Advocacy. Alongside his work at Jewish on Campus, he is an ICC Senior Geller Fellow and a member of the WJC JD Academy. Micah graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University in 2024, where he studied International Security and Judaic Studies.
Ella Messler is the Social Media Manager for Jewish on Campus, and a current fourth-year student at Brandeis University studying History, Politics, and Women, Genders, and Sexuality Studies. Ella is from Gaithersburg, Maryland, where she attended Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville. She has been working with Jewish on Campus since 2022, her first year of college. As Social Media Manager, Ella oversees Jewish on Campus’ platforms on Instagram, X, Threads, TikTok, Facebook, and Linkedin, as well as managing Jewish on Campus’ social media team and working to generate insightful and engaging content for each platform. Ella also has experience working with multiple other non-profit organizations, including those working for women’s representation in American politics, LGBTQ+ activism, and Jewish advocacy, and is passionate about preserving a place for Jews in progressive spaces. Outside of Jewish on Campus, Ella is an active member of Jewish life on her campus, including Hillel and the Brandeis Masorti Minyan.
Rose Goldstein is the Campus Affairs Coordinator at Jewish on Campus, supporting Jewish students in Jewish advocacy and grassroots organizing on their campuses. Raised in South Florida, she graduated from Wellesley College in 2024, where she studied History and Italian Studies. Rose was inspired to combat antisemitism after facing it at Wellesley, and she has spoken on CNN regarding these experiences. She has also worked as an intern for the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and she was a Lauder Fellow at the World Jewish Congress for the 2023-2024 cohort. In her spare time, she loves to run, read, and spend time with friends and family.
Jacob Blum is the Data Science Manager for Jewish on Campus. Jacob is an accomplished researcher, having been published across disciplines in the life sciences, medicine, and engineering. His research interests involve combining engineering practices and technological innovation to combat antisemitism swiftly and effectively. He has served as an advisor to Hillel International and worked with various prestigious academic institutions. He studied Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science at Tufts University.
Blake Ziegler is a Student Union Coordinator for the JOC Student Union. In this role, he supports the Union's programming and assists campus representatives in building chapters on their campuses. He joined JOC in 2021 through their student programming and started as a staff member in 2023. Blake graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he was heavily involved in Jewish advocacy at the local, national, and international levels.
Becky Cantor is a graduate student at North Carolina State University. Before working at Jewish on Campus’s social media department, they began as a representative for their school in the Jewish on Campus Ambassador Program. Being Jewish is something Becky brings to the forefront of everything they do, and they continue to pursue that interest through conducting linguistic research in online antisemitism.
Yana is a senior Healthcare Management major and Political Science minor at the University of Connecticut. She is from Brooklyn, New York and was raised as part of the Russian speaking Jewish community all my life, as her parents are both immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. She loves to travel, having studied abroad in Florence Italy and traveled to 10+ countries. She loves listening to music and going to concerts, most notably Coldplay, Drake, and Harry Styles. In her free time, she plays volleyball with her friends and watches soccer games. She is passionate about Jewish student advocacy and hopesto pursue a law degree in the future.
Adina Naftalin is a Student Union Coordinator for the JOC Student Union. As one of the Student Union Coordinators, she helps support the Union’s programming and the campus representatives. Originally from San Diego California, Adina is a student at Towson University and is expected to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies in the spring of 2025. She is finishing up her term as Towson Hillel’s student president and is very active in the Kappa Delta sorority and her student dance team, she also serves as a campus tour guide. Adina loves to travel having visited 11 countries so far and hopes to add more to her list.
Julia Jassey is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jewish on Campus, the leading voice for Jewish students in the United States, combating antisemitism, engaging in grassroots activism, and advocating for the Jewish community. Her work has been recognized widely in the Jewish community and beyond, featured on CNN, CBS, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and other international news outlets. Working together with students around the country, she has advocated for students at every level—from university administrators to the White House as a contributor to the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. She was awarded at the Anti-Defamation League’s Concert Against Hate for her leadership in the Jewish community, and she was considered one of Algemeiner Magazine’s “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life” in 2021. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2023, where she studied Political Science and Jewish Studies.
Ari Ackerman is a successful serial entrepreneur, strategic investor and proud philanthropist. His entrepreneurial history includes being the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bunk1.com, the enormously popular technology company that allows parents to see online pictures and send emails/Bunk Notes to kids at summer camp. In March of 2017, he had a successful sale and exit of Bunk1 to Private Equity firm Aquiline Capital Partners.
Prior to Bunk1, his career has included product management with Procter & Gamble and 4 years on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress. Ari has been fortunate enough to have been featured in dozens of media outlets including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, CNBC, the Today Show, the New York Times, Crain’s, and the Wall Street Journal.
Ari grew up in New York City and received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and an MBA with honors from Northwestern University (Kellogg). His philanthropic endeavors included serving on multiple boards such as the JCRC, Hillel, UJA, JFNA and he was recently the NYL Cabinet Co-chair for the Jewish Federations of North America. Notably, Ari has been honored by AIPAC, the JCRC was recently awarded the Beyond Duke Service and Leadership award from Duke University.
Ari has also recently launched Shma Talks, in which he interviews remarkable Jewish leaders about their Judaism. Importantly for baseball and sports fans, he is also a partner and board member in the Derek Jeter-led group that purchased the Miami Marlins in October of 2017.
Stephanie is co-founder & CEO of Her Campus Media, the #1 media company for college students & Gen Z and full-service youth marketing agency, which she co-founded as a Harvard undergrad in 2009. Across its brands Her Campus, College Fashionista, Spoon University, InfluenceHer Collective, and Generation Hired, HCM reaches 10MM+ monthly users on 1500+ college campuses, harnessing the power of its 50K+ community members, and connecting brands with Gen Z through its 360-degree suite of service offerings. Her Campus Media has been named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies and received the Campaign of the Year Award from Adweek. Stephanie is also an Innovation Fellow at Harvard, sits on the Boards of Jewish Women International (JWI) and Jewish on Campus, and has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. 30 Under 30. She lives in the Greater Boston area with her husband and two young children.
Dr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University and is a lecturer at Reichman University in Israel.
Dr. Wilf is the author of seven books that explore key issues in Israeli society. "We Should All Be Zionists," published in 2022, brings together her essays from the past four years on Israel, Zionism and the path to peace; the co-authored "The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace," was published in 2020.
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Michal Cohen is the Digital Advocacy and NextGen Communications Coordinator at the World Jewish Congress and previously served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Jewish on Campus for 2 and a half years. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, DC where she received her BA in Public Relations and Strategic Communications with a double minor in political science and Israel studies. Michal is a first-generation Israeli-American and grew up in Los Angeles, Miami, and Israel and currently lives in New York City. She is an avid writer about antisemitism on campus, the state of Israeli affairs, and her experiences as an Israeli-American. She has been published in over six publications, including The Washington Post, Ynet, and The Jerusalem Post, and in three languages.
Tzofia was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and has since lived in Chicago, Jerusalem, Brooklyn, and her current home in Tel Aviv. She is a co-founder of Jewish on Campus and is currently studying Middle Eastern Policy and Jewish and Israel Studies at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. Tzofia became Ba'al Teshuva in 2019 and works in the world of destigmatizing Hasidic life. She enjoys creating Jewish-centric artwork, rollerskating, and chassidus.
