Students Attend ADL "Never is Now" Conference

 by Jordan Bitton, SSLI '26

Yesterday, high school students attended the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Never is Now conference. This conference was one of the largest summits on antisemitism and hate in the world. Students were able to listen to influential speakers that have been at the forefront of the modern fight against antisemitism.

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world, and they strive to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias. ADL is one of the global leaders in combating antisemitism and countering extremism, working to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive world for all.

The Anti-Defamation League’s Never Is Now Conference was a two-day event featuring many well-known speakers and attendees. Some of these big names included Gal Gadot, Montana Tucker, and David Schwimmer. Unfortunately, our high schoolers missed some of the bigger speakers, but the ones that they heard were engaging and informative.

The high school students enjoyed the conference and were able to learn skills to combat antisemitism. (Schechterli Instagram)

The conference began with students hearing from a panel of three current college students who spoke about their experiences with antisemitism on college campuses and their efforts to combat hate. One of the students, Barri Seitz, from the University of Texas at Austin, spoke about her journey as an advocate in her community. She shared, “I know what it means to be gifted with understanding this conflict and what it means to be Jewish and what it means to be a Zionist, and that so many of my friends, even though they are Jewish and practice Judaism, didn't have that experience.” Seitz added, “When we encounter antisemitism and hate on campus, someone has to take care of it. Make sure to always stay respectful and stick true to your Jewish values during these hard moments.”

Mark Kowalsky, one of our guidance counselors at Schechter who attended the conference with the students, asked the panel for their advice on how to deal with the difficult conversations about how antisemitism acts as a deal-breaker in the college decision for some families. The response he received was that it is important not to discourage a student from applying to these schools and instead to encourage them to become a force to combat antisemitism. Kowalsky shared, “The conference gave me great advice on Jews entering college. It empowered me to empower my students to be well equipped with the skills they will need if confronted with antisemitism on campus.”

Students then had the chance to hear from the CEO of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt. He spoke about keeping your dignity and pride in everything you do and being respectful of others. Greenblatt stated, “To people who see me and recognize my dignity as a Jew, I will meet them halfway and respectfully talk to them. Greenblatt continued, “Never, never, never apologize for your Zionism. Recognize the humanity of every individual, starting with ourselves. Listen to the other side and recognize their humanity, but not at the cost of your own.”

The students also had an opportunity to hear from members of The Jewish Education Project. This organization works to engage Jewish youth and their families in Jewish educational experiences that enable them to thrive as Jews and in the world.

Junior Shir Levenson said that she learned a lot about internalized antisemitism and what it means to have stereotypes for Jewish people. Levenson expressed, “When we have assumptions about other Jews, it affects our judgment and how we see other people. It is important to recognize those judgments and overcome the stereotypes so that we can bond and grow as a people.”

Sophomore Sara Rosenthal was engaged by the speakers and came out of the conference feeling “excited to take those next steps when I go to college and empowered to stand up for the Jewish people as a whole.” Rosenthal enjoyed the speakers from The Jewish Education Project and was interested in learning about “the difference between jokes and real, serious antisemitism.”

At the end of the high school session, students were encouraged to walk around and meet other students from different schools. An important part of solving problems and being a leader in your community is knowing your peers, and this helped students strengthen their connections to other schools just like ours. Rosenthal expressed, “It was nice to see other Yeshiva kids not just at sports games and engineering competitions but also in a space where we can talk about difficult things like antisemitism together.”

Levenson concluded, “I think it is just important to see that we have such a big community, and while sometimes I feel small, we really do have a lot of people who support us. Especially about Israel, we have a lot of people who are there for us, and that's a very meaningful thing.”

Jordan Bitton is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since November 2022. Jordan is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: Jbitton26@schechterli.org.