The Purpose of PAN-JAC
Mission
The Pan-University Jewish Alumni Coalition (PAN-JAC) is a nonpartisan organization that serves the Jewish alumni community by fostering connections, developing resources, sharing information and best practices, celebrating Jewish culture and tradition, and combating antisemitism in all of its forms, including anti-Zionism.
Why PAN-JAC
Alumni from colleges across the country formed PAN-JAC in the fall of 2024, following a year of antisemitic, anti-Israel protests disrupting US campuses. Higher education struggled to combat this bigotry and failed to provide academic rigor on the subjects of the Middle East and the history of Israel and the Jewish people. This created an information vacuum that allowed binary frameworks like oppressor/oppressed and settler-colonialism – which vilify Jews, spread disinformation, and delegitimize Israel – to flourish.
PAN-JAC seeks to unite Jewish stakeholders and allies across all campuses, support them in launching their own Jewish alumni associations, and help them proactively address inaccuracies and biases in the narratives being taught on college campuses and amplified by antisemitic individuals and groups. PAN-JAC also aims to empower students, faculty/staff, alumni, and parents to support positive Jewish identity and Jewish institutions on campus.
Why a Resource Library
PAN-JAC compiles fact guides, articles, op-eds, and talks by experts on Jewish/ Israeli history and antisemitism. PAN-JAC also develops its own resources, including: the step-by-step handbook “Anti-Zionism IS Antisemitism: A Guide for Higher Education” and pro-Israel templates to be used by our members, students, and allies to get ahead of critical issues.
Strategic Initiatives
Create Campus JAAs: PAN-JAC helps alumni set up Jewish alumni associations on their campus by pairing them with alumni mentors who have experience creating thriving JAAs. Why? Because Jewish alumni need to be part of the conversation at EVERY college.
Events: We provide timely assistance to individuals and organizations that wish to organize events for students and alumni that promote collaboration, community-building, and education. Events include webinars, speakers, film screenings, and in-person gatherings
Security: In collaboration with partners, we augment visibility and availability of resources that train and enhance security for Jewish students on campus.
Partnerships: We strive to amplify what is already effective and point our members to essential resources with groups whose programs and content align with our mission.
Membership: We invite Jewish alumni and students, parents, faculty/staff, and allies to support PAN-JAC’s mission. By completing a form with prompts for basic (vetted) information, members can be added to our email update list and join PAN-JAC committees, where their ideas and commitment will be put to effective use.