The University of Oregon (Oregon) has a Hillel, the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience, a Chabad and Jewish Greek life on campus.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In April 2024, a coalition of student groups set up a solidarity encampment known as The Popular University for Gaza on the campus lawn. In May 2024, a number of anti-Zionist student and faculty groups released a statement titled "Joint Statement on Antisemitism," reiterating calls for divestment and claiming that antisemitism is weaponized to silence criticism of Israel. That same month, the Oregon Student Senate passed a BDS resolution.

In October 2024, anti-Israel protesters harassed students attending a vigil for the victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, shouting comments including, "Rot in hell," "Colonizers out," "Free Palestine" and flipping off the attendees. That same day, on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, a speaker at an anti-Israel protest stated, “On this day, one year ago, the Palestinian people bravely launched a coordinated effort against the Zionist state of Israel…They have every right to fight back, they have every right to rebel. We must make a clear and resounding call for the victory of the Palestinian Resistance and the fall of Zionism.”

In November 2024, a Jewish student's photo that was hanging on their dorm room door was vandalized with a swastika, and a yellow ribbon placed on the door to raise awareness for victims of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel was torn down.

This was followed by the Oregon SJP and Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine chapters staging a protest in November 2024, which displayed signs calling for BDS and honoring “martyrs.”

University Policies and Responsive Action

In November 2023, members of senior leadership attended the Western Region Summit on Antisemitism in Higher Education. In Fall 2023, a small group of faculty and staff began collaborating with the aim of developing educational events on the Israeli-Palestine conflict.

In May 2024, the University hosted the “Bridging Divides: Understanding Antisemitism and Islamophobia” event, aimed at fostering dialogue and understanding. That same month, the university issued statements denouncing BDS resolutions passed by the student senate and highlighting that academic boycotts are antithetical to the free exchange of ideas and creation of scholarship.

During the summer of 2024, the Division of Equity and Inclusion piloted a program designed to address fears and misconceptions about Jewish and Arab communities, leading to a series of educational sessions planned for the 2024-25 academic year.

In response to the discovery of antisemitic flyers on campus in November 2024, the administration was quick to condemn these incidents and initiated an investigation into the matter.

The University regularly engages with representatives from the Jewish community, including leaders and staff of the Hillel and Chabad and Jewish staff and faculty members. The Oregon Hillel Director has also served as a member of the President’s Diversity Advisory Community Council since its inception more than a decade ago.

In addition, the University has an inter-institutional partnership with three Israeli universities to promote study abroad and has plans to expand such partnerships further.