Editor’s Note: Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach’s complete title has been corrected from “Hillel Center,” and the amount of signatures received for the organizations has been edited based on the event’s final signature count, changing from 600 to 900. 

On Feb. 6, Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, a Jewish campus organization on Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus, hosted its fourth annual “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate”  campaign, which was started in an effort to combat campus-wide antisemitism or hate against individuals of Jewish faith.

Now celebrating its fourth year, Hillel commits to teaching FAU community members to spread awareness against antisemitism in exchange for a bagel with cream cheese. 

Senior Danielle Cohen volunteers for Hillel. She reveals her pride for the campaign as they reach 600 signatures and her thoughts on what this pledge means to her.

 “The community is supportive of us, and that they’re not going to use slander or hate speech against us,” Cohen said. “I stand against antisemitism. I really cherish our community, and I want to make my voice known.” 

By the end of the day, the pledge was able to reach over 900 signatures.

“Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate” was founded in 2020 at the Hillel at the University of Florida. The campaign was originally launched to bring awareness to students about antisemitism, or discrimination against Jewish people, and all forms of hate speech.

But Hillel isn’t the only group that fights against hate. Eden Hevron, a junior at FAU and president of Owls 4 Israel, has also joined to strike back against hate. Owls 4 Israel is a pro-Israel club on campus with a mission to immerse students in Israeli culture, traditions, and history.   

“Together, Owls 4Israel, Hillel, A Phi, Student Government, a lot of us have collaborated, and it’s kind of this nice and wide campaign to combat antisemitism and take a stance against University antisemitism,” Hevron said.    

According to Hillel International, antisemitic incidents rose by 700% from 2022-2024. Spencer Gold, a junior at FAU, amplifies the importance of fighting against hate, specifically noting this rise in antisemitism. 

“I think hate specifically against Jews is on the rise, and it’s important that we get together and branch out to the broader community,” Gold said. “It’s really enjoyable to be out here with all my peers; just helping feed the community is nice, and helping spread awareness of the broader hate in our community.”

Sam Grizelj is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, contact Grizelj at samgrizeljofficial@gmail.com.