Thankfully though, we persevered. Like many schools this past year, Towson University had a Boycott Divestment Sanction (BDS) resolution pass through our Student Government, this was a low point for many Jewish students at Towson.  

But again, we persevered. We created group chats with students who would speak at the student Senate meeting and helped each other edit our speeches so they would be within the time limit. 

We also attempted to meet with different senators to explain why they should’ve voted no on the resolution; this was less successful. 

In total Towson Hillel was able to get three meetings with members of the Student Government. While the BDS vote did pass, it did not pass unanimously. 

One member abstained and one member voted no. The senator who voted no was one of the three people we were able to meet with.  

While this was a huge loss for the campus Jewish community it showed us just how strong we are. Not even an hour later our Hillel staff and alumni bought all the snacks you could think of to make sure we were eating — I know, how very Jewish mother of them — and while most people would look at the whole situation as purely negative the rest of the Towson Jewish community saw something else.  

The last year was rough, but it taught us as a Jewish community that we are all here to support each other. And thanks to The Associated we at Towson were able to feel that support throughout the rest of the year and we continue to feel that support as we start our 2024-2025 school year. With your support we are ready to combat new challenges and continue to give our students the same safe and welcoming environment that I found at Towson Hillel.