Nearly all Jewish college students and alumni who participated in a recent survey by Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) said anti-Semitism is a problem on college campuses, with three-fourths describing it as a “very serious” issue.
Among the 312 enrolled students and 194 alumni from different Jewish affiliations who took part in the survey, released on Monday, 95 percent said anti-Semitism was a problem on their current or former campus.
In addition, 79 percent of respondents said they experienced or heard firsthand accounts of “offensive or threatening anti-Semitic” comments; 69 percent avoided certain places, events and situations out of fear because they were Jewish; and nearly half of current students believe anti-Semitism is getting worse on their campus. Further, 44 percent of respondents said they experienced or heard firsthand about being physically threatened because they are Jewish.
Some of the respondents in the ACF survey shared their firsthand experiences with campus anti-Semitism, which included Holocaust comparisons, Jewish stereotyping and the use of anti-Semitic tropes. Negligence on the part of the school administration was “consistently cited,” ACF said.
“These findings illuminate the troubling reality on U.S. campuses—anti-Semitism is increasingly a pernicious threat, with Jewish students under siege,” said ACF executive director Avi D. Gordon.
He added, “Today’s universities take great pains to embrace and protect students from all races, religions, and backgrounds. But Jewish students are often left to fend for themselves against discrimination. Administrators must take immediate steps to remedy this situation, and alumni should work with administrators, students and allies alike to rid their alma maters of hate.”
