Brandeis Center’s President, Alyza D. Lewin, states that the “Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long. We are gratified that the University of Illinois has publicly acknowledged the urgency of the problem, has engaged in serious discussion with our community over the last couple of weeks in preparation of this statement, and has pledged to work with the Jewish community to implement remedies to address anti-Semitism on campus.” UIUC Acknowledges Zionism is Integral to Jewish Identity (Jewish Journal) ~ by Aaron Bandler ~ November 16, 2020 Read the Jewish Journal Article The university then outlined various measures to help combat anti-Semitism on campus, including creating an Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life, implementing educational programming on anti-Semitism, and re-evaluating their procedures for handling instances of anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination on campus. “Though these steps will further our shared goals, they alone will not effectively dispel the environment that many Jewish students have felt to be unwelcoming,” the statement concluded. “Thus, our collective and collaborative efforts will not end with these actions. The university, the undersigned organizations and Jewish students will meet before the end of the semester to discuss additional steps. We will work together to demonstrate that the University of Illinois is a place where people of all faiths, races, gender identities, ethnicities, national origins and viewpoints can live, learn and thrive.” Carly Gammill, Director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism, praised the joint statement. “We are encouraged and gratified by UIUC’s statement today acknowledging and condemning the many antisemitic acts on its campus in recent months and promising to take decisive action to help ensure a more welcoming environment for Jewish students,” Gammill said in a statement to the Journal. “The university’s recognition of Zionism as an integral component of Jewish identity for many students is a crucial step in this process. We are grateful to the organizations that worked so hard to help bring about this significant result and look forward to continuing our own work supporting UIUC students in this new campus climate.” Alyza Lewin, President of Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, similarly said in a statement to the Journal, “Jewish and pro-Israel students at UIUC have been subjected to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment for far too long. We are gratified that the University of Illinois has publicly acknowledged the urgency of the problem, has engaged in serious discussion with our community over the last couple of weeks in preparation of this statement, and has pledged to work with the Jewish community to implement remedies to address anti-Semitism on campus.” She added that the university’s statement “is a significant first step, but there is a long way to go. We look forward to working with the University in the days, weeks and months ahead to convert these words into concrete measures designed to improve the campus climate for Jewish and pro-Israel students.” The UIUC statement comes after it was announced in October that Jewish students had filed a complaint to Department of Education against the university, alleging that the university’s efforts to address anti-Semitism on campus have been “wholly inadequate” and in some instances the university has been “complicit.”