What happens when kids go off to college?

Will our children feel safe on a college campus? Will they find a Jewish community? Will they have support? Can they be openly and proudly Jewish?

In the post-October 7 reality of anti-Jewish, anti-Israel rhetoric, and pro-terrorism rallies on Ivy League and other college campuses, these are burning questions for parents of Jewish high school students across the spectrum of affiliation.

This is why hundreds are expected at a Jewish college fair planned for October 11, presented by the partner organizations behind the Northern New Jersey Center for Jewish Teen Engagement — the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, the Jewish Education Project, and the Russell Berrie Foundation. (See box.)

“Families are hearing so much about what is going wrong on college campuses, and those concerns are very real,” JFNNJ’s CEO, Jason Shames said. “But that is not the whole story. We want students to know that resources exist to help them find the college community that is right for them.”

Jewish campus professionals from more than 50 schools and seven campus-based organizations, including Hillel International, StandWithUs, Jewish National Fund-USA on Campus, and Alpha Epsilon, will be on hand to answer questions. In addition, there will be representatives from 12 Israeli schools that offer international bachelor’s degrees, 11 Masa Israel Journey gap-year programs, and Friends of Israel Scouts – Garin Tzabar.

The list of representatives includes many from the colleges where the most headline-making anti-Jewish, anti-Israel incidents have occurred, including Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Rutgers, Stanford, and Michigan. Schools under Jewish auspices also will be represented — they include Touro University, Yeshiva University, and the Jewish Theological Seminary’s List College, which offers a joint undergraduate program with Columbia or Barnard.

Sara Miriam Liben, director of the Northern New Jersey Center for Jewish Teen Engagement, spearheaded the initiative.

“The list is intentionally diverse because Northern New Jersey has an incredible diversity of Jewish life paired with a deep drive toward academic excellence,” she said. “Jewish life on campus looks different for every student. Our goal is to make sure every teen, regardless of background or level of observance, can picture a thriving Jewish future for themselves.”

In his forthcoming book “American Intellectual Antisemitism,” former Columbia professor Shai Davidai — whose “we cannot protect your children from pro-terror student organizations” speech in October 2023 went viral — writes that many parents told him they were hesitant to entrust “their children and their money” to universities where Jewish students’ physical and emotional safety isn’t ensured.

Indeed, Ms. Liben said, “Jewish families — whether Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform — are more and more concerned about what student experiences will be like on campus. Will their children be faced with encampments and protests? Can they walk into Hillel or Chabad and explore what’s open to them, or will they walk away out of fear of being identified with a Jewish organization?”

There are practical questions to consider, too. Is there a Jewish studies major? Does the campus have kosher dining options? What kind of Sabbath experiences are available to traditionally Sabbath-observant and non-observant students? Are there opportunities for Jewish leadership and identity development? Is there a study-abroad option in Israel?

Ms. Liben contacted Jewish life representatives on dozens of campuses to pitch the idea of a college fair where all such questions could be asked and answered. She formed a committee of teens from Jewish, public, and non-Jewish private schools in North Jersey to compile a list of questions for participants to consider asking at the fair.

She pointed out the value to high school students of making these connections early in the discovery process. “Meeting Hillel, Chabad, and other campus professionals now can make it easier to walk through those doors once they arrive on campus,” she said.

The event is not an admissions fair, she emphasized. It is a service to the Jewish community as part of ongoing JFNNJ efforts to address campus antisemitism and prepare incoming freshmen for what they may encounter.

However, several schools’ Jewish life reps are bringing along admissions officers as well, to address issues including campus policies. Among these are UMass Amherst, Columbia University, Barnard College, NYU, Franklin & Marshall College, Dartmouth, High Point University, University of Rhode Island, Miami University, and Ohio State. Harvard is sending the executive director of its Presidential Initiative on Interfaith Engagement.

Ms. Liben, whose job entails working with 25 providers of initiatives aimed at keeping North Jersey’s Jewish seventh- to 12th-graders engaged in Jewish identity and leadership experiences beyond their bar or bat mitzvah, said the fair’s sponsors “hope students and parents will leave the fair knowing they are not alone and that the support, community, and resources are there to help Jewish students thrive.”

What: College fair

When: Sunday, October 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Where: Location provided upon registration

How to register: jfnnj.org/campusfair

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