Sunday morning, as the Jewish community finished their holiest of holidays, Yom Kippur, the AEPi fraternity at Emory University was vandalized as two swastikas were painted in the front of their house. The Jewish community and students standing in solidarity decided to dress in blue to rally for awareness and stand against the hate that was initiated.

Emory student and proud Israel activists Blake Mars expresses his feelings as he encountered the hate crime. An alarming wake-up call to all, Blake beautiful explains himself:

“Just five months ago, I participated in the March of the Living and walked from Auschwitz to Birkenau alongside 10,000 Jews from around the world. We were convinced that we could never allow anti-Semitism to resurface again. In my short time at Emory, I’ve considered this intellectually stimulating environment a safe haven for Jews, but seeing swastikas drawn in my own backyard is real, disgusting, and scary. This is a wake-up call to not just Emory students, but to all my friends on college campuses: we can no longer be complacent of Anti-Semitism and deliberate hatred. Take a stand to wipe out intolerance of any sort and ensure the acceptance of everyone in your communities.”

As the school year on college campuses is well under way in most of the United States, we have to stand firm for our Jewish identity. For too long has the Jewish community around the world been pushed around and hated. No longer will we allow this to happen. We must rally together as a community.

It is our responsibility to raise awareness and communicate the harsh realities. The Jewish people know too well that if we don’t stand up for ourselves — who will. Regardless of the campus you find yourself stand for the Jewish people and change the brand to one based on realities and personal expression.