A sense of urgency and unity filled the South Brooklyn Republican Club’s monthly meeting on May 6, as the community turned out in overwhelming numbers to hear from one of the nation’s most prominent young Jewish voices — Shabbos Kestenbaum. The event, held at 3051 Nostrand Ave. in Marine Park, was packed amid an escalating national crisis of antisemitism, particularly on America’s college campuses.
The evening’s guest, Shabbos Kestenbaum, 26, has become a forceful advocate for Jewish rights and campus safety. A Harvard Divinity School graduate, founder of the Jewish on Campus Legal Aid Society, and nationally recognized speaker, Kestenbaum catapulted into public view earlier this year when he filed a landmark lawsuit against Harvard University. The suit alleges that the institution failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from systemic antisemitic harassment, threats, and intimidation.
