Last month, I sat in a Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) board meeting listening to reports of Jewish life on our campuses and how higher education institutions are struggling to balance free speech with student safety. As someone who grew up in Las Vegas watching our city transform from a desert town into a thriving metropolis, I never imagined I’d be fighting antisemitism on the very campuses that helped build our community’s future.
I’m honored to join The Vegas Voice as your newest columnist. My journey here has been shaped by service.
First as a U.S. Army combat veteran, then as a mentor to the Veterans Treatment Court, also as a volunteer suicide prevention instructor for the state, and as a trustee for Congregation Ner Tamid. Now, as an elected regent on the NSHE Board, I’ve become an outspoken voice in the fight against campus antisemitism.
When Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, the reverberations reached our Nevada campuses within weeks. Protests too often crossed the line from legitimate criticism into outright hatred, with Jewish students targeted simply for existing.
As both a proud practicing Jew and an unapologetic Zionist who recognizes Israel as the Jewish homeland, I couldn’t stand by and just watch.
My efforts to create policies protecting Jewish students while preserving academic freedom have drawn both praise and condemnation, earning local and national attention. But here’s what I’ve learned: the forces driving campus antisemitism don’t exist in isolation. They’re connected to broader questions about foreign policy, education funding, and how we prepare the next generation for a complex world.
My wife, who deserves sainthood for her patience, often reminds me that our son, like thousands of other Nevada students, will inherit whatever educational system we build today. That’s why this fight matters beyond Jewish students.
As a columnist, I’ll explore connections between foreign policy, global conflicts, and college campuses and examine why antisemitism has found fertile ground in institutions supposedly dedicated to enlightenment. I’ll share insights from my unique insider position that may surprise you, and I’ll be unabashed about addressing antisemitism both on our campuses and in our communities.
The decisions we make will echo through generations of Nevada families. I hope you’re ready to dig in with me.
