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Poll: More than a third of Jewish students hide their identity at college

Hillel International found fear, sadness among surveyed undergraduates.

Pro-Palestinian Rally in Cambridge, Mass.
A pro-Palestinian rally in Cambridge, Mass., on Oct. 10, 2023. Credit: Flickr via Wikimedia Commons.

New research shows the extent to which the war provoked by Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack has spilled over to university campuses.

Hillel International commissioned the Benenson Strategy Group (BSG) to poll 300 Jewish college students between Nov. 14-15.

They found that a broad majority—84%—said the war was affecting them, with 68% describing themselves as sad and 54% as scared.

Statistics on Jewish students feeling a need to hide their identity (37%) correlate closely with those saying they know about acts of hate or violence on their campus (35%).

“The hate that fueled Hamas’s attack on Israel has rapidly spread to college campuses, leaving Jewish students feeling both unsupported and unsafe,” said Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International. “The data show that it’s getting worse.”

Lehman noted that “when Jewish students need to feel safe, supported and protected by university presidents and administrations more than they ever have before, Hillel International is working day and night to ensure universities are taking concrete actions to protect Jewish communities on campuses.”

The deliberate targeting by Tehran and by its proxy Hezbollah of civilian areas in Israel and in other neighboring states violates all humanitarian norms and is absolutely prohibited.
“It’s a great victory for the First Amendment right to free speech, including the right to draw attention to bigotry and hateful speech,” Paul Eckles, of the Brandeis Center, told JNS. “We commend our client for having the courage to speak out.”
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JNS sought comment from Aria Fani and received an autoreply, “On leave until September. Will not check email with capitalist frequency.”
A spokesman for the Ivy told JNS that the school believes being required “to create lists of Jewish faculty and staff, and to provide personal contact information, raises serious privacy and First Amendment concerns.”
The new program adds “America First foreign policy lectures” and shifts focus to merit and core diplomatic skills.