Combating anti-Jewish and anti-Israel hatred on university campuses has been an arduous process this past year, requiring an all-hands-on-deck approach. In the face of pressure from alumni, student groups and government agencies, some campuses have enacted new or updated policies. Despite the efforts, bias, harassment, vandalism and extremist rhetoric continue to undermine the safety of Jewish students and faculty on too many campuses.
The prestigious Harvard University, an Ivy League school, recently agreed to a major settlement. The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Harvard students in May claiming years of “cruel antisemitic bullying, harassment and discrimination.”
As part of the settlement, Harvard’s existing Non-Discrimination and Anti-Bullying Policies will be updated to incorporate the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and to use IHRA when evaluating complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination and harassment. Additional steps include recognizing “conduct that would violate the Non-Discrimination Policy if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the policy if directed toward Zionists.”
“When fully and faithfully implemented, this agreement will help ensure that Jewish students are able to learn and thrive in an environment free from anti-Jewish hate, discrimination and harassment,” said Kenneth L. Marcus, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center.
The new administration takes bold action
U.S. President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order, Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, to reinforce his first-term Executive Order regarding Title VI civil-rights complaints. The order directs federal agencies to identify and utilize all available civil and criminal legal tools to combat antisemitism on campuses, including prosecuting and holding accountable perpetrators of unlawful harassment and violence.
It also mandates comprehensive reporting from key agencies on civil-rights violations, encourages the use of civil-rights enforcement authorities, and calls for monitoring and the potential removal of foreign individuals involved in anti-Jewish activities. Details regarding the order’s implementation have not been disclosed, but it received some bipartisan congressional praise.
Some groups hailed it as a means to deport foreign students who support Hamas and who violate the civil rights of Jewish students. Brandy Shufutinsky, director of Education and Community Engagement at North American Values Institute, said that “individuals who are in our country by invitation should have that invitation rescinded when they engage in behaviors that violate the civil rights of our citizens.”
Other groups are alarmed that the order targets specific groups of students, potentially taking legal action without due process. Free-speech rights also are at risk of being violated. National Council of Jewish Women: “Policies designed to protect Jewish communities should address antisemitism in all of its manifestations and from all corners of society. Antisemitism should never be weaponized.”
The new executive order contains other directives, including the “formation of a multi-agency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Its first priority will be to root out antisemitic harassment in schools and on college campuses.” This initiative builds on former President Joe Biden’s U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
Additional measures include launching an investigation of campus antisemitism by the independent U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. More than 60 lawmakers recently reintroduced the bipartisan Holocaust education bill. The U.S. Department of Justice also announced a multi-agency task force to combat antisemitism, and the U.S. Department of Education announced an investigation into five universities: Columbia University; the University of California, Berkeley; Portland State; Northwestern University; and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. This initiative will help tackle a growing backlog of civil-rights complaints.
Campus climate update
The recently released Campus Climate Report: Campus Antisemitism One Year After the Hamas Terrorist Attacks, was conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, Hillel International and College Plus. It included stories from Jewish students about the harassment they face on campus:
- “I have been a victim of antisemitism on this campus, and sadly, these incidents have become a new normal for my Jewish peers.”
- “The campus became extremely polarized. Attacks both verbal and physical were common and Jewish friends had to hide their faith to be socially accepted.”
The ADL’s recommendations from a year ago have finally been enacted on some campuses to enforce student conduct codes, investigate anti-Israel groups for glorifying terrorists and establish task forces for addressing antisemitism. Despite these efforts, StandWithUs reported that many students still feel forced to hide their Jewish identity and need to be cautious when participating in certain campus activities.
More work is needed
Recent events spotlight major issues remaining on certain campuses. On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 60 Ohio State University students protested outside a Jewish student center where Israeli veterans wounded in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, spoke about their experiences. OSU Students for Justice in Palestine protesters chanted for an “intifada” (violent attacks against Israelis) and condemned the injured soldiers as “war criminals.” Student Adam Kling said threatening Jews 6,000 miles from Israel does nothing for Palestinians.
Calls to “globalize the intifada” by SJP chapters and other anti-Israel groups are common. The University of Michigan announced that it suspended its SJP chapter for up to two years after masked activists protested outside the homes of university officials. Florida banned two SJP chapters last year. Columbia University remains a hotbed of antisemitism. Anti-Israel vandals recently poured cement down toilets and vandalized buildings with red paint.
University faculty are also a source of division on campus. Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, condemned the City University of New York system’s faculty union boycott vote against Israel. The university also condemned the vote. In response, Students, Alumni and Faculty for Equality on Campus filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights against the boycott. New York City Councilmember Inna Vernikov said they are “clearly telling us that none of them are unbiased enough to mold the minds of the next generation.”
Points to consider:
- Hate hurts us all; hatred towards Jews should receive equal outrage.
“This is not just a Jewish issue, it is an American issue. When one community feels unsafe or unwelcome, the entire academic mission is compromised. Antisemitism on college campuses undermines the foundational values of higher education and threatens to normalize hate in broader society.” — ADL CEO and national director Jonathan Greenblatt and Hillel CEO Adam Lehman
Silence enables hate. No religious or ethnic group should be left to fight discrimination alone. Allies of Jewish students must stand in solidarity, speaking out with the same urgency and outrage reserved for all forms of bigotry.
- Cautious optimism: new measures hope to foster safer campuses for Jewish students.
Universities across the country are slowly beginning to shift from inaction to accountability. Schools are recognizing their role in fostering safe environments by updating anti-discrimination measures and enforcing their student conduct codes to ensure that Jewish and Zionist students can engage, learn and lead without fear. Slurs, vandalism and threats create an atmosphere of fear that continues to be a challenge. More universities are responding to concerted efforts by alumni, student leaders and public condemnation to implement zero-tolerance policies against antisemitism, ensuring Jewish and Zionist students feel as safe and supported as anyone else.
- Harvard settlement affirms Zionism is an integral part of Jewish identity.
More than 80% of American Jews believe that Israel is an essential part of what being Jewish means to them. The State of Israel embodies a deep connection to Jewish history, religion, culture and the aspiration for a homeland. Dismissing Zionism as mere politics overlooks its history and profound cultural and spiritual relevance. The Harvard University settlement with the Brandeis Center serves as a new model for recognizing Zionism as part of Jewish identity. Harvard’s non-discrimination policy now includes recognition that “for many Jewish people, Zionism is a part of their Jewish identity. Targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the policy if directed toward Zionists.”
- Education on Jewish history and the Holocaust are needed to combat hate.
Education is the antidote to anti-Jewish hatred. Ignorance about Jewish history, culture, religion and the Holocaust creates fertile ground for hate to fester. There is no quick fix. This is why Jewish cultural awareness, including Jewish American Heritage Month, and Holocaust education must be included in K-12 schools and ethnic-studies curricula. Education fosters empathy, challenges stereotypes and equips students with the knowledge to stand up against hate wherever they encounter it.