Since October 7, young Jewish women have been facing antisemitism that targets them as Jews and as women—including denial of sexual violence, threats to their safety, and exclusion from sexual assault support groups.
They watched the double standard applied to Israeli (and by extension, Jewish) women. That they were not believed or somehow deserved what happened to them. They heard "by any means necessary" to justify rape.
Their social media is filled with hate. They're hiding their identity. They've stopped dating. They're losing friends.
JWI commissioned a national survey of young Jewish women across 35 states and Washington, DC to understand not just what they're experiencing, but what they need right now.
Join us Wednesday, April 15 | 4:00–5:00 PM EDT / 1:00 PT / 2:00 MT / 3:00 CT.
You'll hear from the evaluation firm that conducted the study, the CEOs of JWI and Jewish on Campus, and Nova survivor Noa Beer. You'll learn about the new initiatives JWI is launching—grounded in our decades of work with trauma survivors—to help them navigate this traumatic moment and grow, lead, and lift our communities.
Speaker Bios:
Noa Beer is a speaker and delegation leader whose work explores post-traumatic growth, resilience, and the role individuals play in breaking cycles of fear, hate, and violence.
A survivor of the Nova Festival massacre on October 7th, Noa has shared her story on international stages, including the United Nations and across the U.S. and Europe. Her work began as testimony, but has since evolved into a broader conversation about what comes after trauma.
Through her experience working with global audiences, policymakers, and intergenerational voices - including Holocaust survivors - Noa brings a unique perspective that bridges personal stories with wider societal questions.
Today, she focuses on how we process trauma, how narratives shape our reality, and how conscious choices, even in the most difficult circumstances, can influence the direction of our lives and our communities.
Her work invites audiences to move beyond witnessing, toward responsibility, connection, and the possibility of change.
Jennifer Grossman is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Shalom Tikvah, a nonprofit mental health organization serving Jewish families in the Baltimore and Silver Spring communities. A graduate of the University of Michigan with a Master’s degree in Education, Jennifer has devoted her career and personal mission to strengthening families and building compassionate, supportive communities.
Philanthropy has always been a core value for Jennifer. After chairing Jewish Volunteer Connection for four years, she led a family mission to Israel focused on voluntourism—an experience that inspired the founding of Shalom Tikvah. Now in its ninth year, the organization serves over 100 families annually through a unique whole-family model designed and implemented by her partner, Dr. Nicole Glick.
In her role as Founder and COO, Jennifer oversees operations and community engagement. She created The Volunteer Village, a dynamic network of community members who rally around Shalom Tikvah’s most critical families, providing hands-on support and care beyond the therapy room.
Shalom Tikvah delivers intensive, data-driven clinical and wraparound services—including individual, marital, and family therapy; psychoeducational testing; school consultation; IEP guidance; and case management. Services are provided in families’ homes, schools, and in the organization’s Pikesville office. No one is ever turned away based on insurance coverage or ability to pay. Families receive an average of four hours of services per week, creating real, lasting change.
Jennifer is also deeply involved in the broader Jewish community. She is active with AIPAC, serves on the boards of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) and Beth El Congregation, and continues to advocate for causes that reflect her passion for service and justice.
She lives in Baltimore with her husband and their three children.
Meredith Jacobs is CEO of Jewish Women International. Founded in 1897 as B'nai B'rith Women, JWI is dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. Since assuming the role of CEO in 2020, Meredith has shepherded the development of numerous JWI initiatives focusing on ending gender-based violence; advancing access to economic security; and amplifying Jewish women's leadership. Among the many initiatives are the Collaborative of Jewish Domestic Violence Agencies; Here for You: a Jewish communal response to domestic violence; ReStart: job readiness for survivors; and the expansion of Young Women’s Leadership Network.
In the aftermath of October 7th, Jacobs led JWI’s partnership with the Seed the Dream Foundation to co-found I Believe Israeli Women — a global movement standing in solidarity with Israeli women and men and fighting the denial of and disinformation about the sexual atrocities committed by Hamas. IBIW's international work includes coalitions of Jewish organizations as well as global feminist activists who stand in solidarity with Israeli women.
Meredith is an award-winning journalist and former editor-in-chief of Washington Jewish Week, she was the force behind the ground-breaking report "On Land and Online: Conflict-related sexual violence and the social media battlefield." She is the author of The Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat (HarperCollins) and co-author, with her daughter Sofie, of the bestselling series of interactive journals, Just Between Us (Chronicle Books). Prior to joining JWI, she founded ModernJewishMom.com, the first Jewish parenting website (now part of Kveller), and was the host of the WYPR radio show, Connecting Family and The Jewish Channel television holiday specials, Modern Jewish Mom.
Named one of the “50 Most Influential Jews of 2020” by The Jerusalem Post, Meredith has been published in the New York Times and has appeared on MSNBC (MS NOW). She is a sought-after speaker, moderator, and writer. Her opinion pieces appear frequently in outlets such as JTA, eJewishPhilanthropy, and the Forward. She is on the advisory councils for Jewish on Campus and for Kehilanu an Israeli non-profit, founded post 10/7, shifting trauma from an experience of isolation into a pathway for connection, meaning and mutual support. Jacobs served on the Women’s Economic Empowerment Council for the State of Maryland and the expert panel on Improving Access to Services for Domestic Abuse Victims in the Military, sponsored by the Department of Defense. She earned a B.A. in English from Haverford College and holds an M.S. in business from Johns Hopkins University.
Julia Jassey is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jewish on Campus, the leading voice for Jewish students in the United States, combating antisemitism, engaging in grassroots activism, and advocating for the Jewish community. Her work has been recognized widely in the Jewish community and beyond, featured on CNN, CBS, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and other international news outlets. Working together with students around the country, she has advocated for students at every level—from university administrators to the White House as a contributor to the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. She was awarded at the Anti-Defamation League’s Concert Against Hate for her leadership in the Jewish community, and she was considered one of Algemeiner Magazine’s “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life” in 2021. She was also recognized as a 2024 Woman to Watch by Jewish Woman International, honored as the year’s Young Women’s Impact Network honoree. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2023, where she studied Political Science and Jewish Studies.
Jana Sharp is the founder and principal of Sharp Insight, LLC, an evaluation firm devoted to supporting organizations in measuring and strengthening their impact. Since 2013, Sharp Insight has partnered with over 100 organizations in the nonprofit, foundation, and public sectors, and has provided evaluation training to over 5,000 professionals. Jana is responsible for Sharp Insight's vision and management, and she provides strategic oversight of each engagement. Initially drawn to the field of evaluation through her work in education and public health, Jana is continually inspired by the challenge of bridging research and practice. Jana earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Public Health from the University of Maryland. She is a Spanish speaker and has twice served as an international public health volunteer in Venezuela. As a former middle school teacher in the New Jersey and Illinois public school systems, Jana carries with her a passion for supporting youth-serving organizations. Jana is a member of the American Evaluation Association and the Washington Area Evaluators.