ST. LOUIS — The Jewish community at Washington University is coming together to support one another.
With the recent protests, many Jewish students at WashU are finding support at Chabad and Hillel, two of the most prominent Jewish organizations near campus.
"I don't feel scared to walk around campus or anything, but when I heard about the protests that happened a few days ago, I definitely did not want to go near campus because that was definitely really scary to hear about," WashU student Miriam Yankevich said.
The organizations have become an outlet for many students, including Yankevich, who are looking for safety and comfort during this difficult time.
"Recently, they've made an effort to have security at events. I think if there wasn't that security there, standing outside the Chabad House, I don't know if I would feel safe just given the climate of everything that's going on, but because they have put in such an effort to have security at any event going on, that has definitely made me feel safe," Yankevich said.
"There are nearly 2000 Jewish students on campus, which is a huge population of the school. And they know that, like, I hope all of them know that Hillel is open for them when they need a safe place," said Rina Gersten, IACT Coordinator for Israel Education with WashU Hillel.
Jordan Kadosh is with the Anti-Defamation League Heartland. He said antisemitic incidents have increased dramatically this past year.
"In Missouri, they quadrupled, more than quadrupled. In Illinois, they're up 97%. It's just been a lot. On campuses across the country last year, we tracked over 900 antisemitic incidents, and we see that it just continues," Kadosh said.
Rina Gersten says Hillel also provides emotional support, especially for students dealing with a lot on their plate.
"I've had so many students come and rant to me about everything, not just about Israel protests but also about finals week. It's a hard week to be a college student in general. So with all those stressors building up, I kind of help them relax," Gersten said.
Yankevich says she knows that support will always be there, "It's been really great to see the Jewish community supporting one another and really being there for one another."
Gersten said that when it comes to reaction to the protests and the school's response, some Hillel students appreciate the heightened security on campus, while others don't.
Hillel says they've been providing extra support to students since the protests and continue to use all their resources for whatever they need.
Many students are also dealing with the stress of graduation.
Today, we learned Washington University is making a few chances for commencement next month.
The Arts and Sciences undergraduate ceremony and the university-wide Commencement ceremony will require tickets to enter.