TORONTO – Standing Up for Education, a community advocacy group, plans a continent-wide initiative called The Greatest Friday Night Dinner Initiative on October 10, 2025.
The campaign asks people of all backgrounds to host inclusive Friday night dinners to support students facing antisemitism on university campuses.
Organizers said the event is intended to show students they are not alone and that hate has no place in campuses or communities.
The call comes amid what Jewish campus groups say is an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents.
Hillel International reported 2,334 antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses in the 2024 to 2025 academic year. That figure represented an increase from 1,853 incidents the previous year, according to Hillel.
Stand Up for Educationโs outreach materials describe the October 10 event as both a community response and a fundraising effort.
The groupโs one-pager invites hosts to register, to expand guest lists to people of any race or religion, and to use peer-to-peer fundraising to support programming.
The document says the dinners will provide safe spaces for conversation and education. It calls the night more than a dinner and says this is a movement.
Organizers urged media to cover the initiative, to feature student voices, and to spotlight grassroots solutions that build resilience and community safety.
The materials encourage outlets to highlight how ordinary people can counter division through local hospitality and dialogue.
Advocates and campus groups said the dinners aim to fill a gap left when students report feeling isolated or unsafe.
Independent campus climate research and surveys conducted for Hillel have documented that many Jewish students report experiencing or witnessing antisemitism since October 2023.
Researchers and campus advocates argue that community responses, including hospitality initiatives, can help reduce isolation and underscore institutional responsibility for student safety.
The initiative is being promoted across social media and community networks.
Stand Up for Educationโs website includes guidance on hosting inclusive Shabbat dinners and materials for organizers.
The group said it will offer incentives and fundraising tools for hosts who register.
Students and Jewish community leaders welcomed the idea as a practical show of support.
Some campus Jewish groups said immediate, local acts of solidarity can complement longer-term efforts to hold institutions accountable and to secure campus safety measures.
The Greatest Friday Night Dinner Initiative is scheduled for Friday, October 10, 2025.
Organizers said registered hosts will receive materials and instructions ahead of the date.
They urged anyone interested in hosting or attending to consult the campaign one-pager and the Stand Up for Education website for registration and resource links.
This article is based on verified information from StandUpforEducation.org, the organizationโs October 2025 event one-pager, Hillel International, The Times of Israel, and the NORC campus climate materials.