Antisemitism is so pervasive on college campuses throughout the United States that it “has reached a crescendo,” with 55% of all students responding to a survey by a grassroots watchdog antisemitism organization saying they had been victimized at least once on campus.

StopAntisemitsism conducted a survey on 25 college campuses, taking the top five with the largest Jewish populations in each of five categories: Ivy League, liberal arts, state schools, public schools and private schools. Several schools in the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan Area were among those surveyed—Columbia, New York University, Princeton and Rutgers universities and the City University of New York (CUNY), where Brooklyn College was particularly singled out. Among those Brooklyn College, Columbia and NYU fared the worst, each receiving an F.

In an interview with The Jewish Link, StopAntisemitism’s Executive Director Liora Rez said she had surveyed many schools in recent years and had come across many egregious situations, but even so the situation at CUNY stood out.

“I have yet to come across any college that is infested with such antisemitic rot and Jew-hatred,” she said. “A majority of students do not feel safe there. In order for CUNY to retain its funding and show it is serious about fighting antisemitism the whole house has to be cleaned out, including the chancellor, the union head, from top to bottom.”

Faring best among the area schools was Princeton University, which received a B-minus,“actually a pleasant surprise amongst the Ivies,” according to Rez. Most of the Ivy League schools did not fare well, but students at Princeton said they were comfortable being outwardly Jewish on campus. Additionally, the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel last year failed to win student approval on campus.

Rutgers earned a C-minus rating in the middle of the pack. Overall, seven of the 25 schools received F ratings, including the University of Southern California, University of California-Berkeley, Swarthmore College and Yale University—and three received an A: Tulane University, Brandeis University and the University of Pennsylvania, which received an A-minus.

“We are seeing pervasive antisemitism infecting higher education in America at an alarming rate,” said Rez. “Colleges should be a place where students come to grow, learn and push forward in life. Instead campuses are becoming breeding grounds for Jew-hatred.”

The 16-page “Antisemitism on U.S. College & University Campuses” report card could be used as a guide for parents of high school students looking to see which colleges are protecting the welfare of their Jewish students, said Rez, who called the statistics “grim” and a reflection of a trend “that desperately needs to change.”

The report used four parameters to judge each school: Protection, encompassing how the school reported and its administrative reaction to antisemitic incidents and its willingness to work with Jewish advocacy groups; Allyship, including efforts by the college to speak out against antisemitism and if Jews are included among diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies; Identity, such as if Jewish students feel safe or do they need to hide their identity on campus and whether they being held responsible for Israel’s actions; and Policy, if the school has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism or if there is a Students for Justice in Palestine organization or if a BDS resolution has been proposed or defeated.

Additionally, two surveys, one to each university—only three universities responded—and one to Jewish students, which received hundreds of responses, were sent out. Only 28% of student reporting said their school administration takes antisemitism and protecting Jewish students seriously.

Among the issues the report found to be prevalent was discrimination against Jews for their support of Israel not being taken as seriously as discriminatory acts against other marginalized groups and that Jews were often viewed as a “white, model-minority” and excluded from DEI discussion. Because antisemitism is a low priority in DEI, inclusion of the IHRA antisemitism definition is rarely considered and is often “brushed off,” as a freedom of speech issue, according to the report. Such issues could be given a boost if universities adopt the IHRA, a non-legally binding resolution adopted in 2016 by its 31 member countries, including the U.S., stating that “antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” and cites several examples, including the “targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity.”

At CUNY, particularly at Brooklyn College, students felt the administration turns a blind eye to Jew hatred, Jewish students aren’t included in DEI initiatives, they don’t feel safe and feel a need to hide their Jewish identity and support for Israel, although no BDS initiatives have been presented.

At Columbia students “overwhelmingly” feel the school’s administration doesn’t consider their safety a priority, although it does include Jews in its DEI initiatives; students report “a hostile and antisemitic environment” when expressing their identity or Zionist beliefs, and BDS resolutions have been passed.

AT NYU students said the administration doesn’t give antisemitism proper attention, although the administration did fill out the survey. Jews are included in DEI initiatives and the university has adopted the IRHA antisemitism definition, and although they feel safe in being openly Jewish, students feel “vilified” for the actions of Israel, and BDS resolutions have been passed.

At Rutgers students feel the administration does take their safety seriously, but Jews aren’t included in DEI initiatives, and many students feel “extremely intimidated” expressing support for Israel and unwelcome in certain campus spaces because of their Zionist beliefs, although no BDS have been presented.

At Princeton Jews do not always feel the administration takes their safety seriously, they aren’t included in DEI initiatives, and although they feel comfortable being openly Jewish they are not comfortable expressing support for Israel and feel they are being held responsible for Israel’s actions. Although there has been no Israel apartheid week, students have erected mock anti-Israel walls and a BDS resolution was presented but not passed.

Rez said she has continued to get requests from many schools to be surveyed and encouraged Jewish students to get involved in student government where they can stand up for their rights, make their concerns known and push schools to ensure there are safe spaces for Jewish students. The full report can be viewed at www.stopantisemitism.org. 

By Debra Rubin