This Monday, Daniel Solomon ’26 accepted the American Jewish Committee’s Sharon Greene Award for Campus Advocacy on behalf of Chabad of College Hill. The award recognizes Chabad of College Hill’s efforts to combat antisemitism and strengthen the Jewish community on campus.
Solomon traveled to New York City to receive the award and delivered remarks at the AJC Global Forum 2025, discussing Brown’s continued support for the Jewish community.
“Brown was not immune from the tidal wave of antisemitism seen on college campuses,” Solomon said in his remarks at the event. “We thoroughly confronted where freedom of expression — the bedrock of any great university — meets antisemitic hate, which must never be tolerated or normalized.”
Solomon currently serves as the chair of the Student Organizing Committee on Antisemitism, which was founded in 2022. The committee works to bring speakers to campus and collaborates with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to conduct campus-based research on Jewish life and antisemitism, among other initiatives, according to Solomon.
“Daniel has been a leader in the Brown Jewish community, serving as a liaison between students and different institutional groups on campus,” said Malcolm Furman ’27, a student member on the committee. “He has a clear conception of the state of the Jewish community at Brown and what the community’s needs and priorities are.”
Victoria Zang ’26, a co-founder of the SOCA and President of Chabad of College Hill, explained that the committee was formed after a threat was made to Brown’s Hillel building in 2022.
“SOCA was born from necessity: a student-led movement to demand that our University recognize the realities of antisemitism on campus and to insist on meaningful action,” she wrote in an email to The Herald.
“This award speaks volumes into how our community grapples with antisemitism and how we have gone about countering antisemitism,” Solomon said in an interview with The Herald. He emphasized this ongoing work on campus, noting “how Brown’s administration, chaplains, professors and students have all had a hand in that effort.”
A large part of the committee’s role is collaborating with Brown’s administration to ensure that they are aware of student concerns regarding antisemitism, Zang explained.
“It’s been so meaningful and productive to work with Brown’s administration,” Solomon said. “Brown’s approach to countering antisemitism is nuanced, thoughtful and collaborative and reflects the wide diversity of Jewish life on Brown’s campus.”
Solomon added that this ongoing collaboration has been a key part of efforts to support Jewish life on campus, such as establishing the kosher kitchen in the Sharpe Refectory in 2023 and leading discussions with administration members in the wake of Oct. 7, 2023.
But he noted that despite what he calls “periods of antisemitism and hatred,” the Jewish community at Brown has remained thriving.
“Jewish joy,” he said, “has been the soul of our journey in countering antisemitism.”
Solomon explained that the Chabad House recently had to expand their space to accommodate the large number of students attending Shabbat dinner each week. “That is both a physical and symbolic metaphor for just how vibrant Jewish life continues to be at Brown,” he said.
“Brown Chabad has been so much more than just a community space for me — it has been a second home,” Zang said. “This award is not just a recognition of what has been done — it’s a testament to the resilience, pride and hope that define our Jewish community.”
While the award recognizes Chabad of College Hill specifically, Solomon emphasized that it’s an award that the entire Brown community should celebrate. Speaking to those gathered at the Global Forum on Monday, Solomon said, “Before you today, I have never been more proud to say, ‘I am a Jewish student at Brown University.’”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Student Organizing Committee on Antisemitism collaborated with the Office of Institutional Research. SOCA collaborated with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for the campus-based research. The Herald regrets the error.
