Silberberg, along with other students and faculty members, have created a task force to combat antisemitic behavior at IU, she said. The first initiative is called the “mezuzah project,” aimed to help both Jewish and non-Jewish people create allies with each other, she said. The project offers free mezuzahs to anybody who is Jewish and helps hang them on their doors, she said. For those who are not Jewish, they can put up a mezuzah without a prayer inside and have a sticker on the front saying, “I stand with my Jewish friends.”
“We would really love to see as many students who are comfortable putting mezuzahs on their door to do that, for the non-Jewish students to stand in solidarity with their Jewish friends and to show that they support their friends,” Silberberg said. “And then for the Jewish students to be able to proudly proclaim that they’re Jewish.”
Along with the mezuzah initiative, Silberberg said the task force is doing co-sponsorships with residence halls and training with residence life staff. This gives staff members the chance to learn more about antisemitism and how to better understand Jewish residents, she said.
While she has not personally witnessed antisemetic incidents, IU freshman Kaylee Werner said she continues to hear stories from her peers on antisemitic issues they have dealt with. Werner wears a necklace with her Hebrew name on it proudly, and she said she enjoys educating people on the necklace.
“I think education is incredibly important,” Werner said. “If people are willing to learn, then that’s the first step we can take.”