LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The OCU Chronicle, a new student newspaper created for students by students, officially launches today, May 13, 2025, providing a bold, unapologetic platform for Jewish voices and allies around the world. The OCU Chronicle will be available via Substack and will publish quarterly.
The OCU Chronicle is incubated by business leader and human rights activist Mandana Dayani through her organization, The Calanet Foundation, in partnership with Our Campus United (OCU), a platform for students facing antisemitism on campus. The OCU Chronicle was created in direct response to the increasing exclusion and censorship of Jewish students in mainstream campus media. After meeting with students nationwide, The OCU Chronicle’s founders heard one theme repeated time and again: Jewish students are being pushed out of their own campus conversations.
“It is completely unacceptable that Jewish students on campuses are being excluded, censored, and targeted. For thousands of years, as people tried to push Jewish people out, we just created something better and more impactful,” said Mandana Dayani. “The OCU Chronicle is more than just a publication — it’s a declaration of presence and a celebration of identity. We’re building a space that amplifies Jewish joy, honors our culture, and strengthens a global community that refuses to be pushed to the margins.”
“I’ve spoken with so many students who’ve been silenced, defamed, or misrepresented by university newspapers — platforms that are supposed to be inclusive and reflect all perspectives,” said Yasmeen Ohebsion, co-founder of Our Campus United. “It’s been incredibly inspiring to build this project alongside dozens of students and give them a safe space to share what’s truly on their hearts and minds.”
More than just a newspaper, The OCU Chronicle is a new kind of student publication: one that celebrates identity, encourages free expression, and puts joy and resilience front and center. Each quarterly issue will include Jewish-founded shoppable items, curations, gift guides, music and TV lists, in addition to thought leadership, opinion pieces, interviews, and explorations of faith.
What you’ll find in The OCU Chronicle:
- Bold student opinion pieces and on-the-ground reporting
- Jewish cultural commentary, recipes, and lifestyle content
- Real stories from students navigating identity, community, and campus issues
- Features from Jewish founders, thought leaders, and allies
- A vibrant, unfiltered platform that goes far beyond politics and religion
Launching in time for graduation season, the first issue will include content from author Dara Horn, Rabbi Steve Leder, author and Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation For Defense of Democracies Jonathan Schanzer, Congressman Daniel Goldman, Miami Marlins owner Ari Ackerman, Moshe Oinounou of Mo News, Allison Statter of Blended Strategy Group, CEO of the Nova Festival Exhibit Josh Kadden, brand builder Erin Kleinberg, Excuse My Grandma’s Kim Murstein, along with countless student voices including founding members of OCU, Shabbos Kestenbaum, Eden Yadegar, Noa Fey and Ben Sherman. The next issue is slated for fall, just in time for back-to-school — and the next wave of campus discourse.
To subscribe to The OCU Chronicle, visit https://theocuchronicle.substack.com/.
Media Contact:
Ashley Demoff
[email protected]
SOURCE Calanet Foundation
