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Orthodox Union pitching ads condemning antisemitism to more than 20 campus newspapers
(JTA) — The Orthodox Union is seeking to run a full-page ad in more than 20 university newspapers across the United States reprinting the text from a congressional resolution denouncing antisemitism on college campuses.
“Thank you Congress for standing with Jewish students on campus,” reads the all-caps headline of the ad, which is printed in red and blue text on a white background. Following a description of the resolution, it says, “Where do you stand in this moment of truth?”
The ad has so far been accepted for publication in five papers. It is running at a time when tensions are high on North American campuses in the month following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the launch of Israel’s ensuing war against the terror group in Gaza. Jewish students have faced death threats on multiple campuses, and pro-Palestinian groups at schools across the country have celebrated or endorsed the Hamas attack.
In light of that climate, the O.U., an Orthodox umbrella group, said it wanted to send a message of reassurance to Jewish students — and an admonition to those who celebrated the Oct. 7 violence. So far, seven schools’ papers have accepted the ad.
“With rising antisemitism across America’s college campuses, we at the Orthodox Union felt it crucial to show Jewish students action was being taken to support them in these challenging times,” Nathan Diament, the O.U.’s executive director of public policy, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a statement.
“Purchasing ads in university newspapers that display the resolution passed nearly unanimously in Congress denouncing campus antisemitism also serves as a reminder to college students siding with Hamas that they are on the wrong side of history,” he added. “American Jewish students have the right to live freely and safely, and we will continue protecting this right in whichever way possible.”
The O.U. has reached out to more than 20 newspapers, including some on campuses whose names have become associated with inflammatory statements and actions, and where donors and professors have called on administrators to do more to protect Jews.
They include the University of Pennsylvania, which has lost donors who called for a more robust response to antisemitism; University of Massachusetts Amherst, where a student was arrested for punching a Jewish peer; Cornell University, where a student was arrested for threatening to “shoot up” the kosher dining hall; Columbia University, where someone was arrested for assaulting an Israeli student; and others.
The non-binding resolution, introduced by Rep. Burgess Owens, a Republican from Utah, passed last week 396-23. Among other clauses, the resolution states that the House of Representatives “condemns the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” and calls upon college administrators to condemn antisemitism on their campuses and protect their students.
The ad has been accepted for placement at Santa Monica College and Western University, which share a newspaper; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Maryland; Washington University in St. Louis; and Binghamton University.
Some papers did not respond to the O.U.’s inquiry. The University of Chicago, which had initially accepted an ad placement, later retracted that decision, saying they do not accept political advertisements, according to an email shared with JTA
Josef Katz, director of marketing and communications for the O.U., said the organization chose universities that already have an established Orthodox Union-Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus program, which aims to engage students in Orthodox Jewish life.
“We want to make sure that everyone feels safe and respected on these campuses, and do what we can to work with schools to make sure that these protests — it’s getting worse than protests in some cases, where there’s assaults, people fearing for their lives — are being addressed appropriately,” Katz said.
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The post Orthodox Union pitching ads condemning antisemitism to more than 20 campus newspapers appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.