Course Overview
Course Staff

Anti-Zionism, Holocaust denial,and conspiracy theories are prevalent on many college campuses, parading as thinly veiled guises for Jew hatred. In this course, students will examine these expressions and analyze the messages and materials that are being propagated against the Jewish people. The instructors will present real case studies, analyses and resources. They will also provide a wide range of effective responses with which to combat anti-Semitic incidents on campus. This course is presented in conjunction with the Israel Government Office of the Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Jerusalem.

Course Overview

The Jewish Agency web based initiative Combating anti-Semitism on campus will explore and examine the origins of Jew hatred and its expression on campuses today. The focus of the course will be to assist students in creating pro-active educational based initiatives that will respond effectively to Anti Semitism on campus. Emphasis will be placed on addressing the various expressions of Anti Semitism through building coalitions, leverage resources, and learn to work with the community.

Today's students are facing an anti-Semitism that is different from their fathers or grandfathers generations of quotas and boycotts. Today we find anti-Zionism, Holocaust denial and conpiracy therories to be quite acceptable on may campuses and a guise for Jew hatred. We will examine theses expressions and analyze the messages and materials that are being propagated against the Jewish people.

Real case studies will be presented and analyzed in order to dissect the messages in order of the participants to learn how best to combat anti-Semitic incidents on campus. We will provide analysis, resources, and effective responses to the arguments and strategies the various anti-Semitic organizations, professors, and campus media are using to spread hate against Jewish students.

We welcome your participation in this new and exciting course.

Target Audience: The course is primarily for students but Jewish professionals and other interested parties are welcome to participate.

Goals of the Course

• Examine origins of anti-Semitism today and its expressions in the community and on campus.
• Help students learn to identify anti-Semitic expressions emanating from students, professors or other elements, even if disguised as anti-Zionism/anti-Israel sentiment or historical revisionism.
• Provide students with tools necessary for analysis of anti-Semitic incidents as well as resources for effectively responding to anti-Semitic organizations, professors and campus media.
• Expose students to the various resources on campus and in the community as well as coalition building opportunities that can help students overcome anti-Semitism on campus.
• Address strategies for dealing with public and physical expressions of anti-Semitism on campus such as vandalism, physical attacks, intimidation, graffiti and racist flyers.
• Train students through case studies of actual incidents including analysis of anti-Semitic incidents, cartoons, articles/editorials, advertisements and flyers.
• Enable students to utilize the energy and outrage produced by anti-Semitism on campus and turn it into a pro-active opportunity to educate and inform.

Topics Covered:

• Introduction to anti-Semitism on campus
• Is this anti-Semitic? How to differentiate between what is and what is not
• Addressing the physical elements of anti-Semitism?
• Real case studies; Moving from re-action to pro-action

Time Commitment: 4 - 6 hours a week over a period of 4 weeks.

Back To Top

Course Staff

Michael Eglash has worked professionally as a Jewish educator for well over a decade both in Israel and the United States. Michael's expertise in and dedication to pro-Israel activism began as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During that time he was successful in creating an active organization that trained dozens of students in promoting and defending Israel and Zionism on campus.

He made Aliyah in 1993 and founded and directed Machon Masa, a project of the Jewish Agency. Masa became the premier activist training initiative for American students in Israel interested in helping Israel upon return to their campuses. In 1996 he became the Director of Hamagshimim in Israel, a Hadassah sponsored young adult Zionist movement in Jerusalem. As such, he helped create an absorption/community center for English speaking olim. Michael also hosted a weekly show on a local Jerusalem radio station, featuring guests and focusing on topics related to Israel and Aliyah. He also worked in the booming Israel and US technology sector between 1997-2001 as President of Marketing and Sales for Eclipse Media and as Senior International Sales Director of Adero a software provider based in Waltham, MA. Michael is co-founder of Upstart Activist.

Michael continues to travel to the US on speaking engagements at university campuses. He has lectured extensively to student groups, adult organizations, churches, synagogues, and university classes in Israel and the U.S. He has made numerous appearances on television and radio shows both in Israel and the U.S. Michael has written many articles addressing Middle Eastern politics drawing on his BA in Middle Eastern History and extensive time in Israel. He and his family currently reside in Mevasseret Zion, Israel.

Eric Esses is a veteran Israel activist who lived activism first hand on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin during the days of the first 'Intifada'. After graduating, Eric served as regional coordinator and then director of one of North America's premier Israel activist organizations, the University Student Department of the World Zionist Organization (USD). USD's objective was to educate students about Israel through campus educational programs, high-level seminars and extensive stays in the country. Under Eric's management, the USD flourished to become a powerful and persuasive pro-Israel voice on campus, even during the challenging days of the first 'Intifada' and the 1991 Gulf War. Eric initiated the creation of the acclaimed Israel Activist Primers on various subjects that provided students with fully packaged and actionable information.

Eric made Aliyah in 1992, at the end of four years of work at USD. After serving in the IDF, he was appointed the director of Project Otzma, a prestigious 10-month volunteer fellowship for North American college graduates. As director, Eric was responsible for managing a professional staff as well as supervising the activities of the program's 90 participants. Eric initiated and implemented several significant improvements in the program's structure and educational component designed to increase the program's long-term sustainability.

In 1998 Eric left Otzma and assumed a senior marketing position in an educational technology venture associated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Eric has also worked in the electronic publishing and knowledge management fields in recent years. Eric has a BA in biological psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He lives in a Jerusalem-area moshav with his family.

Back To Top