The Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism (CCAA) will soon launch its first college chapter at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
The chapter, set to start in fall 2026, marks continued growth for the Coalition, founded in October 2023 at a Franciscan University conference on "Nostra Aetate and the Future of Catholic-Jewish Relations at a Time of Rising Antisemitism."
"The CCAA is proud that Franciscan University serves as the founding Catholic home of the Coalition," Simone Rizkallah, founding member of CCAA and manager of Jewish-Christian partnerships at the Tikvah Fund, an influential Jewish think tank, told EWTN News.
She said CCAA is open to adding more chapters at other colleges and universities, to the extent student leaders elsewhere also take the initiative to do so.
"The launch of this new campus chapter is a sign of hope, born from the initiative of two Gen Z students: one, a former antisemite, whose perspective was transformed through friendship with the other, a Catholic Zionist," she said. "Their story is a powerful witness to the possibility of conversion, dialogue, and authentic friendship."
Colin Reitmeyer, president of CCAA's Franciscan University chapter, told EWTN News the chapter's goals for the new academic year include starting conversations "with those under the sway of antisemitic propaganda, leading them to rethink their deeply flawed ideology."
"We seek to befriend them, help them see why their ideology is flawed, and help them better embrace the Church's position on the Jewish people," Reitmeyer said.
He said the chapter also aims to "spread awareness to unaware students about the rise of antisemetism, and how they can combat it" as well as foster greater appreciation of Jewish culture. This latter goal, he explained, involves "going beyond merely stopping antisemitism and cultivating philosemitism."
Curt Stambaugh, an associate scholar at Franciscan University's Veritas Center for Catholic Ethics in Public Life, will serve as the chapter's sponsor.
Stambaugh traced the impetus for the organization of the chapter back to a campus debate on U.S-Israeli relations. Students directed questions to him during the session, where he met Reitmeyer and learned students wanted a grassroots group to counter antisemitism.
