Pomona College has 200 Jewish students, representing 12% of the student body. As one of the five undergraduate colleges in the Claremont Colleges system, Pomona College offers access to a Hillel and Chabad and a campus rabbi.

What’s Happening on Campus?

Numerous antisemitic incidents have been recorded on campus, even before October 7. In January 2023, antisemitic flyers were distributed in Claremont, including on campus, and in early 2023, a student who had hung an Israeli flag from his dorm window found it had been cut in half. In April 2023, a flyer for a campus Israeli Independence Day Event was re-posted with comments including “Have you no shame, you bloodthirsty baby killers.” 

In February 2024, the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) organization held a campus-wide BDS referendum vote, resulting in overwhelming campus community support of divestment from companies linked to Israel and in support of an academic boycott of Israel. Pro-BDS flyering has also occurred, including in spaces where it is banned, such as dorms.

With Pomona being part of the wider Claremont Colleges system, it is important to note that some incidents may have been perpetrated by non-Pomona students.

In May 2024, pro-Palestinian protestors abandoned their encampment in favor of protesting at the commencement ceremony. This protest follows a Title VI complaint filed against Pomona College, which alleges that the College campus is a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students.

University Policies and Responsive Action

Pomona has condemned antisemitism when incidents occur; this includes actions taken via the official college podcast. The College is also a current participant in Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative, and collaborates closely with a local community rabbi, as well as the rabbi serving the campus as part of the Claremont Colleges Chaplains.

In December 2023, Pomona announced that it had added shared ancestry as a category in its anti-harassment policies, updating its non-discrimination policies to call attention to antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias.  

In advance of the February referendum vote, President G. Gabrielle Starr sent a college-wide email expressing concerns about the impact this referendum has on Jewish students and how the “referendum raises the specter of antisemitism.”

Pomona has investigated complaints and held judicial hearings on potential student code of conduct violations related to anti-Israel demonstrations. Moreover, during an April 2024 student-led anti-Israel demonstration that saw 150 students storm an administrative building and refuse to leave, Pomona College President Starr warned the students to leave or face disciplinary consequences. Following that event, several participants were arrested, and President Starr publicly announced that Pomona students who participated will be facing suspension and that participating students from other Claremont Colleges will be banned from Pomona’s campus.