Return to Campus Update
Hopkins Hillel is excited to welcome students back to campus this semester. We are committed to maintaining a welcoming, safe, and healthy community. If you are coming back to campus please fill out this Return to Campus form.
We are happy to continue offering free Friday night Shabbat dinner to students who register in advance. Saturday lunch will also be available for purchase. All meals will be grab and go. If you would like to register for any Shabbat meals please complete this Shabbat Grab and Go Meal Plan form.
All other kosher meal plans should be reserved directly through University Dining.
If you have any questions about our plans to reopen or about kosher dining please contact Monica, mdavis@jhu.edu.
A Note to the Community
Dear friends of Hopkins Hillel,
Hopkins Hillel recently received reports about an incident of alleged anti-Semitism within the Johns Hopkins University campus. I wanted to take a moment to provide you with as many facts as I can, and update you on how we have been advocating for our Jewish students and Jewish community at Johns Hopkins.
The alleged actions of a teaching assistant threatening to reduce the grades of Jewish students violated both federal law and University policy that protects all students from discrimination or harassment based on religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other protected categories. For Jewish students in the class to face the threat of academic punishment due to their religion or country of origin is simply wrong.
Johns Hopkins Hillel and The Associated, as well as the Baltimore Jewish Council, have been working with the University since we first learned of the incident. We understand that the University has specific legal processes in place for investigation and discipline, and we are calling on the university to ensure that this is handled fairly and appropriately.
Hopkins Hillel is engaged with university administrators and the Provost’s Office to ensure the matter is investigated thoroughly and appropriate action is taken. We are also working together with our community partners to ensure Johns Hopkins University remains a safe and welcoming campus for Jewish and Israeli students.
The Hopkins Hillel team is committed to creating a vibrant, engaging and safe experience for our Jewish community at Johns Hopkins, and fighting anti-Semitism on campus is one of our highest priorities. If there are any students who believe that they may have been a victim of this act of anti-Semitism, please contact our Hillel Director, Noam Bentov, at nbentov1@jhu.edu or call 919-951-4009 so that we can provide support and assistance with the University process.
At the University’s request, I am sharing their statement here:
On behalf of President Daniels and the university, we thank you for taking the time to write to us about your concerns. We are aware of an incident of alleged anti-Semitism and potential abuse of authority in the discharge of academic responsibilities on our campus, and while we are constrained in what we can share with you and others about matters such as these, we wish to assure you that we take seriously any and all allegations of discrimination, harassment, or other misconduct – including anti-Semitism. Any link between grading and bias runs counter to our values and policies, and we are taking all necessary steps to ensure that does not occur.
Please know that the Johns Hopkins University is firmly committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff and students. This commitment applies to all academic programs and educational policies administered by the university. Our Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) is responsible for assisting me and other university officers in the implementation and enforcement of our equal opportunity and harassment/discrimination prevention policies.
In accordance with federal privacy laws, we are not at liberty to comment on specific student matters. But please be assured that when OIE becomes aware of concerns in this area, assessment and prompt follow up begins, and appropriate action results.
For more information on our Discrimination and Harassment Policy & Procedures, please visit our website here. And, if you are aware of any Johns Hopkins University community members or affiliates who were personally impacted by this incident, or who may have relevant information to share, please encourage them to contact the Office of Institutional Equity at oie@jhu.edu or 410/516-8075.
We appreciate the efforts of our local Jewish community to raise awareness of anti-Semitism, and we are eager to work with them to ensure that it has no place on our campus.
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Sunil Kumar
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
John Toscano
Interim Dean, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences