Jewish on Campus is the movement of the Jewish future. We seek to revive pride in Judaism by emboldening a new generation of Jews through education, social media campaigning, and grassroots organizing. As a movement of young Jewish people, we seek to end antisemitism on college campuses and beyond.
Jewish on Campus began as an Instagram campaign in July of 2020. With a staff entirely composed of students, the effort to expose stories of antisemitism on college campuses rapidly grew into a nonprofit organization that captured the attention of the Jewish community. In this short time, we have amassed a platform of well over thirty thousand individuals from around the world and have been featured by most Jewish news outlets, including The Forward, Tablet, Jewish Journal, and The Jerusalem Post, in addition to major news organizations such as Forbes, CNN, Politico, and The Washington Post.
Campus Action.
JOC's team has reports of over 2,000 unique stories of on-campus antisemitism. Given our position as a youth-run project, we work together with students on the ground of individual universities to run multilateral campaigns to combat antisemitism. This action will involve both administrative action (with the help of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law) and student-body action through social media and grassroots on-campus work to fundamentally change campus culture on the frontlines of student activism. Our organization is unique in its commitment to the authentic work of students themselves. Students have lived through the reality of modern antisemitism—thus, it is students who are best equipped to combat it.
Campus Studies.
To create strong campus action, we must first have a quantitative understanding of what changes must be made. As such, JOC conducts a series of studies with the goal of understanding the antisemitism that is growing on college campuses around the world. Guided by the 2,000+ stories that we have collected, we work with research institutions to understand how antisemitism manifests today: who perpetuates it, how is it presented, and what have universities done to halt it? With this understanding, present administrators with an in-depth understanding of their university's so that change may be made where it is needed the most.
Julia Jassey is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jewish on Campus, where she heads a staff from around the world as they respond to growing levels of antisemitism on college campuses. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as CNN and Forbes Magazine, and she has been recognized as a young voice leading the fight against antisemitism. Due to her advocacy work, she was an Honoree at the Anti-Defamation League’s 2021 Concert Against Hate. Julia was also awarded as one of Algemeiner Magazine’s “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life in 2021.” Julia has proudly served as a Brume and Allen Scholar at the American Sephardi Federation as well as the host of the “Nice Jewish Girls” podcast with Opendor Media. She does this while also attending the University of Chicago, and she is expected to graduate in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in political science and Jewish studies.
Micah Gritz serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Jewish on Campus. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Micah is a student at Tufts University and is expected to graduate in 2024 with a Bachelor's Degree in international security and Judaic studies. He has discussed campus antisemitism on panels for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Alums for Campus Fairness. Alongside serving his work at Jewish on Campus, Micah is a Lauder Fellow at the World Jewish Congress and serves as a member of Tufts Hillel’s student board.
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, where she heads a staff from around the world as they respond to growing levels of antisemitism on college campuses. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as CNN and Forbes Magazine, and she has been recognized as a young voice leading the fight against antisemitism. Due to her advocacy work, she was an Honoree at the Anti-Defamation League’s 2021 Concert Against Hate. Julia was also awarded as one of Algemeiner Magazine’s “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life in 2021.” Julia has proudly served as a Brume and Allen Scholar at the American Sephardi Federation as well as the host of the “Nice Jewish Girls” podcast with Opendor Media. She does this while also attending the University of Chicago, and she is expected to graduate in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in political science and Jewish studies.
Micah Gritz serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Jewish on Campus. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Micah is a student at Tufts University and is expected to graduate in 2024 with a Bachelor's Degree in international security and Judaic studies. He has discussed campus antisemitism on panels for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Alums for Campus Fairness. Alongside serving his work at Jewish on Campus, Micah is a Lauder Fellow at the World Jewish Congress and serves as a member of Tufts Hillel’s student board.
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.
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.