The Jewish College Exchange is centered around Jerome Ostrov’s free college guide, entitled “Finding the Right School in the Age of Campus Anti-Zionism,” a regularly updated (on line) nearly 800 page volume that explains the BDS phenomenon, chronicles the unprecedented campus hostility toward Israel since October 7, 2023, and surveys the academic and anti-Israel environment of more than 125 colleges and universities favored by Jewish students. The guide may be read free on this website by clicking the “College Guide” button on the homepage and above. The “Jewish Campus Resources” button on the homepage and above provides links to many other prominent Jewish campus resources as well. There is also a “Trending BDS News” button on the homepage and above that provides links to breaking news involving BDS activities on campus.
Learning about the Jewish environment on a given campus is important. But, an understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict is essential to counter the pressures Jewish students will encounter on campus, particularly after Hamas’ deadly rampage through southern Israel on October 7, 2023. To aid in this effort, Appendix C of the College Guide contains a “Guide to Israel and Palestine for the New Jewish College Student.” The links provided by the “Jewish Campus Resources” button on the homepage and above should also prove invaluable in understanding and explaining the competing considerations underlying the conflict.
Even with all of the foregoing, a sense of Jewish identity is essential for the prospective Jewish college student who hopes to stand his or her ground once on campus, especially in light of the post-October 7, 2023, antisemitic hostility that has overtaken many of the schools sought after by Jewish students. Lessons learned at home, in synagogue, at Jewish camps and schools, and during trips to Israel are, of course, the essence of such identity. Even so, for many young persons, a sense of what it took to get them to where they are is often lacking as is the Jewish motivation that comes from such a sense of awareness.
To fill in this gap, Ostrov has authored three historical novels (“In Ways Unimagined,” “Someone Waiting for You,” and “Heroes All”) centered around World War II, the Holocaust, and the creation of the State of Israel. All may be read free on this website by clicking on the “Jewish Identity Novels” button on the homepage and above. Through the pages of these novels, prospective Jewish College students are made aware of the past sacrifices required for the unparalleled Jewish lives they now live, and, by extension, the importance of promoting on campus the values underlying those sacrifices.