‘Speech is protected, violence is not’: UF President Ben Sasse honored at UF Hillel

Sunday night, UF Hillel members held their second annual leadership dinner but this year was more important than ever.

“Speech is protected, violence is not, vandalism is not,” UF President Ben Sasse, shared.

Sasse addressed the crowd while being honored at UF Hillel’s leadership dinner. He was given a ‘golden bagel’ for his continued support of Jewish students since the war in Gaza broke out more than 100 days ago.

“At the University of Florida, we reject any determinisms that reduce men and women to pre-determined imputable categories,” Sasse said.

He says he supports students first amendment rights but will never support violence and hate.

“I mean the community here has been absolutely incredible. It feels so nice to have so many people in my corner,” student director of ‘Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate,’ Cadi Schwartz shared.

Sasse says he even personally paid to replace a banner outside of a Jewish fraternity, after it was vandalized four times.

Shelby Schultz, a UF student says she never thought something like this would happen to Jews again after the Holocaust but feels grateful for the community and leadership at UF.

“I have felt fear just as I’m sure Jewish people felt 80 years ago,” Schultz said.

This dinner kicked off the ‘Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate’ initiative which started back in 2020 to go along with national bagel day to start conversations about antisemitism.

“So I feel really lucky to go to UF and have that support from my administration because I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t,” Schultz shared.

She took a trip to Poland over winter break to see Holocaust camps.

“It just brought a whole new meaning thinking that something like that is happening today, and people are still being persecuted just because they are Jewish. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed,” Schultz said.

On Wednesday, Jan. 31, more than 325 students will go around campus to to hold conversations and collect pledges.

“Make sure that every body knows that never again is now,” Schultz shared.

Sixty-two campus organizations are partnering with Hillel for the initiative.