Noah Lederman
Noah Lederman, a Jewish college sophomore at Columbia University, began his Jewish advocacy journey when he joined the Student to Student program at his high school, a local initiative in Orange County, CA, dedicated to educating his peers about Jewish culture and ways to combat antisemitism.
To Lederman, it was apparent from how little the majority of students knew about Jewish history that “their actions were motivated more by ignorance than hate.” He has repeatedly discussed the power of education in fighting “the lies spread about Israel and the Jewish people” and dismantling harmful tropes.
Lederman has said his experiences with the STS program, from a peer ambassador to team leader, enabled him to speak out against the antisemitism he has personally witnessed at Columbia. After routinely protesting and being interviewed by media, Lederman quickly became a leading voice in conversation about college campus antisemitism. When invited to the White House, Lederman discussed the rapid increase of antisemitic incidents on college campuses and actionable steps for the administration.
The Nashville Community
In response to the presence of neo-Nazis in their city, the community of Nashville came together to send a message that hate is not welcomed in Nashville. Around 400 attendees gathered at a pro-peace rally organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville holding homemade signs and cheering as speakers and musicians encouraged peace and unity in their community. The president of the Jewish Federation opened the event by saying, “in the face of this darkness, it is time for all of us, Jews and non-Jews, to stand together and say ‘enough.’”
Attendees at the event represented a wide range of faiths. Judy Saks, part of the progressive group Nashville Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, said, “what was so heartening to me was the number of non-Jewish Nashvillians who came to support our community.” A number of members of the neo-Nazi group the Goyim Defense League attempted to disrupt the event but the community held strong.
