Duke University has 810 Jewish undergraduate students, representing 12% of the student population, and 700 Jewish graduate students, representing 6% of the graduate student body. There is a Hillel, Chabad, Jewish Greek life organizations and the Duke Center for Jewish Studies.

What’s Happening on Campus?

Following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, there have been antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents on campus. For instance, in October 2023, the University’s East Campus bridge was painted with the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” There was also at least one rally on campus where that phrase was used.

Duke’s student government president made headlines in 2021 when he vetoed a request for the campus chapter of Students Supporting Israel to receive official recognition, after other students accused the group of supporting “settler colonialism.” The decision was reversed by the student government a few months later.

Duke has been accused of hosting antisemitic speakers in the past, including Mohammed El-Kurd during Israeli Apartheid Week in 2022. El-Kurd has compared Israelis to Nazis, negated the historic Jewish connection to the Land of Israel, and vilified Zionism and Zionists.

In April 2024, during an anti-Israel demonstration, a flag of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), a designated terrorist organization, was displayed by protestors. A number of students also walked out in protest as Jewish-American comedian Jerry Seinfeld spoke during a commencement ceremony in May 2024.

University Policies and Responsive Action

Since October 7, the University has made increased security available for Jewish spaces on campus, and the Middle East Studies Department has hosted various events related to Israel and Jewish life. The University and the Director of Jewish Life at Duke have taken steps to provide additional personal and academic resources to students. The Duke student government has endorsed the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism.