News

eJewish Philanthropy: Antisemitism on Campus is a Crisis We Must Address Together

Author

Adam Lehman and Jonathan Greenblatt

Date

January 31, 2025

Editor’s Note: President and CEO of Hillel International Adam Lehman and CEO and National Director of ADL Jonathan Greenblatt shared their thoughts with eJewish Philanthropy on what Jewish students need from their universities in order to combat antisemitism.

“Antisemitism on Campus is a Crisis We Must Address Together” was originally published in eJewish Philanthropy on January 30, 2025. To read the complete article, please visit ejewishphilanthropy.com.

“Although we each lead a major Jewish organization, today we address you not just as CEOs but also as fathers of current and recently graduated Jewish college students. Our children’s experiences, and the experiences of so many Jewish students today, are so different from when we were in college. And we’re not talking about TikTok, digital textbooks and AI chatbots; we’re talking about the rise of antisemitism on college campuses. 

Across the United States, Jewish students are facing a crisis. According to a survey we conducted together with College Pulse, more than 83% of Jewish students have witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked the Jewish state. In this campus environment, more than 40% feel the need to hide their Jewish identity, and 1 in 4 have taken extra security measures to protect themselves. These numbers are more than statistics. They reflect the lived experiences of a large number of Jewish students who are being marginalized, excluded and subjected to other forms of bias and discrimination.     

One student surveyed poignantly shared that in the months since Oct. 7, ‘there was no respect for the safety of all students. Antisemitism was rampant and the campus became extremely polarized. Attacks both verbal and physical were common and Jewish friends had to hide their faith to be socially accepted.’

This survey provides a sobering snapshot of life for Jewish students today. Antisemitism manifests on campuses in various ways, including offensive and demonizing comments about Jews or Israel and vandalism targeting Jewish spaces and even individual student dorm rooms and apartments. We found it particularly stunning and alarming that more than 1 in 4 Jewish students reported observing antisemitic activity or statements by faculty members. 

Nearly half of non-Jewish students surveyed expressed agreement with statements rooted in antisemitic tropes, such as ‘Jews weaponize anti-Jewish prejudice to silence criticism of Israel.’ We also found that non-Jewish students who hold extreme anti-Israel attitudes were more likely to minimize the issue of antisemitic prejudice on campus. Antisemitism has become pervasive and normalized, deeply affecting campus culture.

This normalized hostility and discrimination has profound consequences. Jewish students report withdrawing from social activities, hiding their identities and views and feeling unwelcome in their classrooms. In numerous cases, Jewish students have even chosen to transfer out of schools altogether in order to get away from pervasively hostile conditions. These are red flags that demand immediate attention from university leaders.”

The post eJewish Philanthropy: Antisemitism on Campus is a Crisis We Must Address Together appeared first on Hillel International.

News

Colleges Must Support Their Jewish Students Without Equivocation

Author

Adam Lehman and Jonathan Greenblatt

Date

October 17, 2023

As published by Newsweek on October 16, 2023.

The heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians have been devastating. We can’t even begin to express the pain being felt across the Jewish community as we watch the endless and mounting stories of the more than 1,300 children, teenagers, parents, grandparents, and entire families who have been murdered, kidnapped, and held hostage simply for being Jewish. Depending on the moment, we feel simultaneously caught between anguish and anger; horror and despair. 

It’s the same complex and debilitating swirl of emotions being felt by hundreds of thousands of Jewish students on college and university campuses across the country, and around the world. Students who for years have been marginalized and ostracized because they expressed their authentic connection to and love for Israel, even as antisemitism in the U.S. has risen to historic levels. Students who have, far too often, not received enough support and leadership from their campus administrations.

Faced with the news that Hamas intentionally targeted civilians in such vile and brutal ways, committing numerous crimes against humanity, Jewish students need – and deserve – to have their university leaders and others on campus recognize the trauma that’s been inflicted on them, and provide them with the space and support to process and to grieve for their Israeli families, friends, and loved ones. Instead, they have too often heard from those university leaders misplaced platitudes about cycles of violence and the need for unity and understanding, effectively gaslighting one of the most heinous acts of terrorism against civilians that the world has ever seen.  

Let us be clear: There is no way to justify Hamas’ war crimes and unconscionable atrocities. These Israeli civilians were not collateral damage caught in the crossfire. They were the direct target of a regime designated by the U.S., the EU, and dozens of other nations as an international terrorist organization. A regime whose charter calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state. We need you to unequivocally support our students and to take urgent action to eliminate and prevent the increasingly hostile environment for Jewish students on campuses today. To suggest otherwise insults the memories of those who were murdered, and the plight of 150 hostages whose lives continue to hang in the balance.

Some campuses are getting this right. Emory President Gregory Fenves denounced the war crimes committed by Hamas, and wrote, “The reality of Jews being senselessly murdered and taken as hostages will not soon leave my mind, and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.” President Ben Sasse at the University of Florida said, “I will not tiptoe around this simple fact: What Hamas did is evil and there is no defense for terrorism. This shouldn’t be hard.” And University of Miami President Julio Frenk noted the community’s deep ties to Israel, and offered the full mental health support resources of the university to support all students experiencing anxiety or stress, including Jewish students. Condemning terrorist atrocities and showing compassion for Jewish students in a statement as these universities have done should be the lowest common denominator for supporting the Jewish community. 

So, what do our Jewish students need from you? 

First, they need to hear their campus leaders like you speak up and unequivocally condemn this heinous terrorist attack against Israeli civilians. Equivocating statements bemoaning the “cycle of violence” inherently blame the victims and fail both Jewish students and the wider campus community. This is too important a moment to fall back on platitudes and false moral equivalencies. Your Jewish students deserve better. 

Second, campus leaders like you need to show up for your students, and be a visible presence at vigils and other solidarity events bringing together Jewish students and their allies on campus. Let Jewish students know they are not alone, that they are not being asked to hide who they are, and that they are not in danger when they express their connections to and support for Israel — the Jewish homeland and the largest Jewish community in the world. 

Third, campus leaders must take concrete steps to protect Jewish students and Jewish student organizations who are already being subjected to increasing incidents of harassment, intimidation, and vandalism. At a time when other students and student groups on campuses across the country are actively demonizing and blaming Israel for the wanton violence that has been inflicted upon Israeli civilians, and celebrating Hamas’ violence as justified acts of “resistance,” campuses have both a moral and a legal obligation to act. Universities need to work with Hillels and other Jewish student groups to ensure their safety in the face of these threats before an antisemitic incident or attack occurs on your campus. 

While the above steps are critical in this moment, they are not sufficient for the future. Administrations must also take steps consistent with the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism to root out the underlying issues that contributed to the antisemitic rhetoric we are seeing on many campuses the past few days.

That means developing clear and transparent non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies that protect against the harassment or exclusion of “Zionists”; promoting clear and transparent mechanisms for students to report hate incidents and acts of antisemitism to campus administrators; and ensuring clear and transparent communication from campus leadership regarding steps taken in response to reported incidents.

It will also require the urgent creation of cross-disciplinary task forces or advisory councils, in consultation with Hillel and other Jewish campus partners, to review, address, and improve Jewish student life on campus. Participating in programs like Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative, which works directly with university administrators to educate them on the history and modern manifestations of antisemitism, is critical.

And it will require university leadership to remain nimble and proactive in responding to and preventing antisemitism, to keep open lines of communication with Jewish organizations on campus to respond to needs in real time, and to regularly evaluate whether additional proactive steps are needed to ensure a safe, inclusive, and equitable learning environment for all students, including Jewish students.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to serve as a resource and partner to you in this critically important and urgent work. And we are watching for and counting on your leadership in this challenging moment.

The post Colleges Must Support Their Jewish Students Without Equivocation appeared first on Hillel International.