Against the Backdrop of Rising Antisemitism, Touro University Memorializes the Holocaust
Touro Campuses Nationwide Illuminate in Observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
/filters:quality(70)/prod01/channel_38/media/touro-college/communications/images/featured/2025/Montana4.JPG)
As colleges around the country continue to grapple with antisemitism, Touro University - the largest university under Jewish auspices in the country - illuminated campuses around the country in yellow today in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, joining New York State’s Yellow Lights initiative and a global moment of reflection honoring the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
Participating campuses included Touro institutions in Nevada, California, and Montana, with additional campus lightings underway in Harlem and Middletown, New York. Yellow – the international color of Holocaust remembrance – serves as a visible symbol of memory, education, and the enduring responsibility to confront antisemitism and hate. This tribute is a call to action to other universities to step up and stand against antisemitism.
“As the largest university under Jewish auspices in the country, Touro University has a role to play in educating the next generation of leaders about how to root out antisemitism in their communities,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University and New York Medical College. “The simple act of illuminating our campuses and raising awareness of the day is part of a larger effort to help educate the communities we’re in about the importance of standing up for what’s right.”
The illumination initiative, started in 2022 by New York State, initially focused on landmarks, including the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Niagara Falls, Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, airport terminals, and prominent bridges. While landmark participation varies year-to-year, Touro’s involvement underscores the role academic institutions play in remembrance, education, and confronting hate.
By lighting campuses nationwide, Touro brings this act of remembrance beyond major landmarks and into communities where education, healthcare, and public service shape daily life. The coordinated effort reflects the University’s belief that education is a critical grassroots response to antisemitism – one that begins with historical truth, ethical inquiry, and an examination of how dehumanization, silence, and moral erosion can take hold.
As antisemitism and hate crimes continue to rise globally, Touro’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day recognition seeks to educate students and the community about the perils of silence and the role higher education and society writ large have to play in ensuring it never happens again.
