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IN THE NEWS

Why We Must Invest in the Campus Ecosystem

Six grantee leaders join Schusterman Co-President Lisa Eisen to share how their work ensures college campuses remain havens of critical thinking and dialogue.

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Published

September 15, 2025

Tags

  • Jewish Community
  • Jewish Life and Values
  • Israel Education and Engagement

College campuses should be safe and welcoming places of inquiry—where students, educators and people of all backgrounds can come together to learn and expand their engagement with one another. 

This has not been the case since Oct. 7, 2023. In fact, in 2024, one in three Jewish college students chose not to wear or display anything that identified them as Jewish—a striking reflection of the current campus environment.

In this article for eJewishPhilanthropy, Schusterman Co-President Lisa Eisen invites grantee leaders from Hillel International, Israel Institute, Academic Engagement Network, Israel on Campus Coalition, Repair the World, Birthright Israel and Adamah to share how they ensure college campuses remain places of growth and opportunity. At the most fundamental level, this includes making campuses safe and hospitable for Jewish students, students connected to Israel and students who want to learn about Israel and the Middle East region.

As Eisen writes, “The better we are at confronting antisemitism, defending nuance and promoting understanding on American college campuses, the stronger our outlook as a people and as a country will be.” 

Read the Op-Ed

This piece was published as part of eJP’s exclusive opinion column “The 501(C) Suite,” in which leading foundation executives share what they are working on and thinking about with the wider philanthropic field.

Lisa Eisen Profile Image
Lisa Eisen

Co-President, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

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