December 2024
Hayley Kupinsky

In some ways, a lot has changed since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. On the other hand,  we students know that the antisemitism we are facing on university campuses isn’t new. I’d like to posit that the type of antisemitism we have seen on campuses hasn’t changed—it is simply unmasked, the offenders emboldened. What has changed, however, is how our Hillel chapter has become stronger, supporting more students than ever before. But before I tell you what has changed since Oct. 7, I’d like to take you back to the fall of 2021, to my very first day of university, to illustrate what has not. 

It was the first day of Welcome Week, when incoming students have a chance to tour campus and meet peers. A friend and I were handed a copy of the Silhouette, the McMaster student newspaper, and began flipping through the pages of articles, when one caught our eye. It was called “Zionism at McMaster: What does the MSU’s (McMaster Student Union) support of a pro-Israel club mean for Palestinian students?” The “pro-Israel club” was Hillel – the only Jewish club on campus. The author went on to describe Hillel as a “propaganda mouthpiece” and advocated for the MSU’s support for BDS to be applied to Hillel’s club status. 

To see this blatant hatred towards the only Jewish club on campus published in a school newspaper on my very first day of university came as a complete shock. I saw this article before I even attended a Hillel event, but by virtue of Hillel being the voice of Jewish students on campus,  I had been labeled as a supporter of apartheid, genocide, and ethnic cleansing before classes had even begun. 

Looking back, I think the most disturbing aspect of this incident is imagining students like my classmates who told me that I am the first Jew they ever met, reading this article before they had ever had a face-to-face encounter with someone from our community. I wonder how this article primed them to think about Jews, about Hillel, and about Zionism, and informed their views in a post-Oct. 7 world. 

Much has changed since September 2021. When I read that article, I had yet to even become a member of Hillel, or walk through our doors. Now, I’m the president of McMaster Hillel. I’ve found myself reflecting on this experience recently and even went back to read the article last month before making a presentation opposing university divestment from Israel to the McMaster board of governors.

While antisemitism on campus has taken on new forms, the one idea that has stayed consistent is that of “anti-normalization.” Anti-normalization, which is a core value of many anti-Israel groups and BDS campaigns, is the idea that engaging with Jews and Israelis gives credibility to the State of Israel, and thus these organizations oppose any form of open dialogue with groups like Hillel. This idea, which I was introduced to on my first day of university, isn’t new, but is brought to the forefront of campus culture through efforts to isolate Hillel, which still persists today. 

Now that I’m in my fourth year of university, I’m able to look back on my years at Hillel and appreciate how much our club and the students who have been part of it have grown more resilient despite all the challenges they face. More than ever before, our community has leaned on one another, welcomed Jews who needed a safe space, and found allies in unexpected places. On my first day of university, when handed that newspaper article, I could never have imagined I would one day lead the very organization singled out. Yet, I couldn’t imagine a more meaningful way to spend my time at McMaster. 

Hillel Ontario’s motto this year is “Hinenu – We Are Here,” and I think it perfectly encapsulates how we have stood strong in the face of campus tensions. 

Instead of minimizing our presence on campus, we’ve enhanced it. To commemorate the 1,200 lives lost on Oct. 7, 2023, and raise awareness about the 101 hostages still held in Gaza, we have held memorials and exhibits on campus. We’ve also embraced new ways to celebrate our culture through  a series of events highlighting Ethiopian, Sephardic, and Ashkenazi traditions. Our annual Israel Week was held in late November. We also hosted DJ Artifex, who is a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre for a  “We Will Dance Again Party.” This event was a reminder that in the face of tragedy, we will never relinquish our pride in being Jewish. 

Jewish pride is a powerful antidote to antisemitism and a defiant act of resilience that strengthens our community from within. Not only are we here—we belong here and are here to stay.

Hayley Kupinsky is president of McMaster Hillel.