(CHICAGO, August 10, 2026) — Hindu and Jewish community leaders from across the United States gathered in Chicago on August 10 for the inaugural Hindu-Jewish Coalition of America (HJCA) Leadership Summit, focused on strengthening cooperation between the two communities and building a durable alliance to confront antisemitism and Hindu-phobia. The summit was held under the theme, “Strengthening Our Communities. Building Our Future. Standing Together.”
The daylong conference brought together leaders from about 14 organizations for discussions on campus allyship, India-Israel relations, political cooperation and the future priorities of HJCA.
Peggy Shapiro, Executive Director of the Center for Combating Antisemitism, a division of StandWithUs, serves on HJCA’s Founding Executive Council and moderated the summit’s session on “Allyship on Campus and Beyond.” The panel included StandWithUs educators Hailey Stern and Rebecca Fine alongside Jewish and Hindu campus and community leaders. Panelists for the community engagement session included Avi Posnick, Executive Director StandWithUs Northeast and Yossi Held, StandWithUs Midwest Executive Director.
The summit marked HJCA’s significant step toward translating Hindu-Jewish solidarity into sustained education, advocacy, civic engagement and collaboration, with a particular emphasis on supporting the next generation of Hindu and Jewish leaders.
