About 400 people are expected at a sold-out Friday conference at the UNLV Student Union aimed at confronting antisemitism, bringing together Jewish and non-Jewish community members, educators, law enforcement and local leaders for a day of training and discussion. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and focuses on recognizing antisemitism, responding to hate and giving attendees practical tools to speak up.
The Rising Above Together conference is a joint effort between UNLV and the Anti-Defamation League's Desert Region, according to KTNV. Programming includes a morning keynote conversation between UNLV President Chris Heavey and national ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, moderated by Boyd School of Law dean Leah Chan Grinvald, per event details published by UNLV. Registration was required in advance, and UNLV offered it free of charge to faculty, staff and students with a current university ID and email address.
Nevada's Incident Numbers Behind the Urgency
Organizers are framing the conference against a backdrop of rising reported incidents in the state. ADL figures cited in local coverage put Nevada's 2025 total at 78 antisemitic incidents, including six assaults. ADL senior regional director Jolie Brislin said the figure represents a 5.4% increase compared with 2024, the station's report notes, and described antisemitism as having become normalized.
Brislin said antisemitism is a societal problem that requires a whole-of-society approach, according to the same account. Nationally, the ADL tracked 6,274 antisemitic incidents across the country in 2025 — a 33% drop from the 9,354 incidents tabulated in 2024, but still five times the number recorded a decade earlier, the organization reported in its own audit of antisemitic incidents.
A Mixed National Picture: Fewer Reports, More Assaults
That national audit paints a complicated trend. While harassment and vandalism incidents fell significantly in 2025 from record highs the previous two years, physical assaults reached their highest level ever recorded, according to the ADL. The organization also reported an average of 17 antisemitic incidents per day nationwide in 2025, up from an average of eight per day between 2020 and 2022.
One bright spot in the data: incidents on college and university campuses dropped sharply, falling 66% from 1,694 to 583, per the ADL's figures. That decline stands in contrast to the campus setting chosen for Friday's conference, where organizers say they want attendees to leave with resources they can carry back to their own schools, organizations and communities.
Sessions Target Schools and Radicalization
Part of the day's programming is aimed squarely at educators. A Clark County School District session will give teachers and administrators tools to recognize and respond to antisemitism in educational settings, KTNV reported. Separately, UNLV's event listing describes an afternoon panel featuring Parents for Peace that will examine how radicalization happens, its effects on young people and families, and ways to prevent it.
The conference arrives as a separate statewide effort takes shape outside the university. A Nevada Antisemitism Working Group has begun developing a strategic plan to combat antisemitism, expand education and support houses of worship of all faiths, according to FOX5 Vegas. That group's work is intended to help shape priorities for Nevada lawmakers heading into the 2027 legislative session, the station reported.
