Exclusive: Robert Kraft's org holding Black, Jewish student "unity" dinners in 14 cities

An organization founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is hosting a series of college "unity" dinners between Black and Jewish students.Why it matters: Amid rising antisemitism and an increase in anti-Black hate on college campuses, Black and Jewish leaders want to reset a historic civil rights coalition.Driving the news: The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) tells Axios that the unity dinners will begin mid-September in New Orleans, bringing students together from Tulane, Xavier, Dillard and Loyola universities.Dinners will then continue in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Philadelphia and Houston as part of a 14-city tour.The effort will invite students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as well as from schools like Rice, Temple and the University of Houston.Zoom in: Organizers say the unity dinners are aimed at rebuilding the historical bonds between Black and Jewish communities that go back decades before the Civil Rights Movement. Dinners will include conversations about anti-Black racism, antisemitism and ongoing misunderstandings on campuses.What they're saying: "We're watching what people are saying and hearing on social media...and you can see a significant rise and normalization of tropes and hate speech," FCAS President Adam Katz told Axios.Katz said the unity dinners are a "powerful intervention" against hate and battles against stereotypes that need to be confronted before they fester and evolve into something dangerous. "It's been, frankly, so inspiring and so powerful," Katz said of previous unity dinners before the launch of the new tour.State of play: Hate crimes in the United States last year hit their second-largest total since the FBI started keeping data, the agency said this week.The numbers show that anti-Jewish hate crimes are still near or around record levels, analyst Brian Levin told Axios.Liberal and conservative-leaning organizations have been at odds over how to fight antisemitism on college campuses.The intrigue: The FCAS unity dinners seek to avoid those conflicts and have brought in Hillel International and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) as partners."For 80 years at UNCF, we've relied upon partnerships with the Jewish community to support education in our community," Michael Lomax, UNCF president and CEO, told Axios."It just felt like doing something would enable a next generation of young, Black and Jewish leaders to meet one another and to think about what they might do to address hate."Adam Lehman, Hillel International president & CEO, told Axios that isolation and polarization hit Jewish students after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel."When we saw this opportunity to partner with such an incredible organization like UNCF and the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in a way that would counter that trend, I was very excited, and our whole team at Hill International was eager to learn," Lehman said.Context: FCAS operates with 20-30 employees and is backed by a $100 million matching gift given in 2023 by Kraft.

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