Matt Eidson | 90.5 WESA | January 15, 2025
Pittsburgh universities and the District Attorney’s office are taking steps to identify and address hate-fueled aggression toward Jewish people on college campuses.
University representatives from around the Pittsburgh area attended “Combating Antisemitism” training this week. The event was presented by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office and the international group StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism together with Carnegie Mellon University and the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education.
Organizers sought to teach attendees how to identify instances of antisemitism by, among other things, offering in-depth discussions about Jewish identity.
Law enforcement officials for Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh were among attendees.
Carly Gammill is the founding director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism, an international organization founded in 2001 that seeks to address “the continued rise of antisemitism within the culture and around the globe” through education and collaboration. She said the training was intended to define antisemitism for people charged with maintaining safe spaces.
“[C]onfusion really revolves around the interplay between Jewish identity and the Jewish ancestral homeland of Israel,” Gammill said. “And so there will certainly be discussion of that as well.”
Antisemitism, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, refers to a “certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The training was initiated by Ilan Zur, Deputy District Attorney with the Violent Crimes, Firearms, and Narcotics Unit in the Allegheny County DA’s Office. Zur recalled that his friend Julie Paris — the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for StandWithUs — approached him several months ago with the idea of partnering with the DA’s office to offer antisemitism training in Pittsburgh.
Zur reached out to both Carnegie Mellon and the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education to discuss and coordinate training. He said the training, specific to law enforcement, is timely.
“I just think this is extremely important in light of where we are today with the spike in anti-Semitism in the world and specifically on college campuses,” Zur said. “I think it's important to have this discussion to educate and hopefully get to a place where, you know, we can ultimately end this hatred.”
“Unfortunately, hate exists,” said Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala in a news release. “To address hate, besides enforcing our laws, which we are prepared to do, discussions like this, often get better results.”
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