UNLV and the ADL held a conference on antisemitism weeks after a man held a 'Hitler was right' sign in Summerlin

What happened

UNLV and the Anti-Defamation League hosted a daylong conference on antisemitism and hate on Friday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. A capacity crowd of 400 filled the second floor of the university's Student Union. The event, called Rising Above Together: Conference on Antisemitism and Hate, brought together national leaders, educators, community advocates and experts for panels, discussion and breakout sessions.

According to the Review-Journal, the gathering examined the causes and effects of the rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, along with ways to counter it. UNLV President Chris Heavey said, "We know that this is the right time to be having this conversation."

A local incident in Summerlin

Sign near Jewish temples

Jolie Brislin, the ADL's regional director, opened the conference by recalling an Oct. 16 incident in which a man stood on a street corner holding a sign that read "Hitler was right." The Review-Journal reported that it happened at Lake Mead Boulevard and Hills Center Drive in Summerlin, near several Jewish temples.

Brislin said the ADL then received calls and messages from people who were upset, angry and scared. They asked how this could be happening in their own community. Pointing to the crowd, she said, "This is what we are doing about it."

Reaching beyond the Jewish community

Brislin said the conference was meant to draw in people from across the community so they understand what is happening, recognize antisemitism and feel able to speak up. "The Jewish community cannot fight antisemitism by only talking to other Jews about antisemitism," she said.

National numbers presented

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt gave the keynote address alongside Heavey. He said antisemitic incidents have reached high-water marks in five of the last six years and that the country is "breaking the wrong kind of records." He cited more than 6,200 incidents in 2025, or roughly 17 a day.

Greenblatt said Jews make up 2 percent of the population but are affected by 15 percent of overall hate crimes in America. Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft said Jewish Americans face intimidation, threats, harassment and acts of hate because of who they are and what they believe. "That should concern every one of us," Naft said.

How UNLV and officials framed the response

UNLV's campus climate

In an interview with the Review-Journal after his address, Greenblatt said the ADL assesses 150 universities every year and sees something positive at UNLV. "UNLV is one of those places that has not been an environment so characterized by hostility," he said. He added, "There may still be room for improvement."

Heavey has a background in clinical psychology. He said anxiety can turn into insecurity, and that insecurity combined with ignorance can leave people looking for scapegoats. He also pointed to the politics of extremism driven by social media and called events like the conference a chance to push back.

Senate task force

Democratic Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen described forming the first bipartisan Senate task force on antisemitism in 2019 with Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. She said the group has grown from two members to more than half of the Senate, with equal numbers from both parties.

A student view

UNLV student body president Kelechi Odunze said the university is one of the most diverse in the country, but that "diversity alone doesn't create belonging." He said, "Belonging takes work," and called for people to come together on issues that divide them. More local gatherings and civic events are collected in our community coverage.

What to watch next

• The ADL's yearly assessment of 150 universities, where Greenblatt said of UNLV, "There may still be room for improvement."
• The work of the bipartisan Senate task force on antisemitism that Rosen co-founded, which she said now includes more than half of the Senate.
• Community response to the Oct. 16 sign incident in Summerlin, which Brislin said left residents asking what will be done about it.