May marks Jewish Heritage Month, a time when we honor the contributions of Jewish Americans and celebrate Jewish culture and its impact on our national fabric. Here at the University of Washington, we are fortunate to be home to Hillel UW and Chabad UW, as well as the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, which offer opportunities for comradery, celebration and learning.
This year HillelFEST celebrated the amazing impact that Amee Sherer has had in her decade leading Hillel at the University. The Stroum Center celebrated its 50th anniversary, and this winter, Chabad House hosted the first ever JewDub concert in Red Square to celebrate Jewish pride.
Sadly, Jewish Heritage Month is also an opportunity to reflect on the long shadow that antisemitism continues to cast across the world. This was most recently made all too clear by the murders of Israeli embassy staff members Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim Yaron, a poignant reminder that too many Jewish community members everywhere, including right here on our campuses, fear for their safety and that of their loved ones.
There is a better way, and I implore every member of our UW community to reach for it — to engage in dialogue over destruction, to seek common ground instead of conflict. As a democracy and multicultural society, we must show that we are capable of talking across our differences and of tolerating disagreement without resorting to violence.
Together, we must build a society in which peaceful actions beget peaceful outcomes and in which dialogue fosters understanding and progress toward a more just world.