At a time when hate continues to spread throughout our country, it is so important that students understand the root causes and are prepared to handle it once they graduate from high school. Since Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism has spiked globally. Specifically, in the United States, antisemitic actions have spiked on college campuses and American cities such as New York and Los Angeles.
The task that institutions have had to face is drawing the line with these protests and determining what classifies as going “too far.” Many colleges and universities have done a poor job of holding students accountable for their actions, and when students do get caught, many end up being let off the hook.
I asked myself the question of “What should the proper punishment be?” in regards to the increase of antisemitism on campus. However, I had trouble answering this question and did not decide on a final answer. I thought, “Well, it depends on the severity,” and “it depends on whether violence was involved.” It was not until May 3, 2025, that I saw a response that I felt was the best way to handle an antisemitic situation.
On this day, at a Barstool Sports bar on Ransom Street in Philadelphia, a group of college students decided to engage in a hateful and disgusting act. The group of students ordered a customizable club sign that read “F*ck The Jews” on it. The video of the sign quickly went viral on social media and caught the attention of many. However, the acts taken by these students were made known to the founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, who happens to also be Jewish.
Portnoy quickly posted a video on his Instagram account.“I’ve been shaking,” he wrote. “I’ve been so mad. I’m gonna make it my life mission to ruin these people, like I’m coming for your throat.” Portnoy was extremely hot-headed at the beginning of the situation, which is understandable; however, he quickly shifted his approach.
Portnoy ended up deciding that ruining these people was not the right approach, but actually turning this into a learning experience was a much better opportunity. Portnoy vowed and stated that he would pay for these students to travel to and tour the Auschwitz death camp in Poland, where approximately 1.1 million Jews were murdered.
In regard to this decision, Portnoy stated, “Let’s try to turn a hideous incident into maybe a learning experience.” This was the moment I realized what the proper response was. The only way to improve the way that people think in this country is to teach them. Teaching and learning about antisemitism is so important and necessary for limiting it in the future.
Throughout the past year, I have tried to do various things to expand my knowledge on the history of antisemitism and its impacts on Jews throughout the world. I learned about the stereotypes associated with Jews and also learned about how antisemitism started and how it has been able to be spread through lies and hateful rhetoric.
Throughout my time in high school, I have tried my best to become informed and knowledgeable when it comes to antisemitism. I became an ADL campus envoy this spring and have also been serving on the teen leadership board of Friendship Circle in the Hartford area.
The reason I brought up the incident at the Barstool bar in Philadelphia earlier was because even with my training and involvement within the Jewish community, I still wrestled with the idea of how to handle the various antisemitic incidents across the country. However, seeing how Portnoy handled the incident truly changed the way I viewed these incidents. He initially was angry, as many would be, but he quickly understood that teaching someone is so much more valuable than ruining them. He chose to try and make a difference. He did not try to “cancel” these kids or destroy their lives, but he tried to help them learn about their mistakes. He chose to send them to Auschwitz in hopes that a place where they could see the devastating effects of antisemitism would get students such as these to realize the severity of their actions.
Learning about antisemitism is the best way to stop it from growing and get it to decrease in the country. Learning is the answer to all types of hate and problems that continue to plague our country. I think going forward, KO can truly inform students on the hate that continues to spread throughout the country. It is up to middle school and high school institutions, such as KO, to teach their students and hopefully raise a generation that isn’t riddled with antisemites but a generation that understands people of all cultures.
