The State of Play on Campus: A Disturbing Rise in Antisemitism that Demands a Full Scale Response

The Jewish community faced unthinkable tragedy on October 7th, when the terrorist group Hamas committed mass atrocities against thousands of Israelis, including murder, torture, dismemberment and rape. As the global Jewish community mourns our collective trauma, one could imagine a world in which Jewish students were comforted on campus with supportive words, candlelight vigils, and an understanding community mobilizing to support their needs.

Instead, increasing numbers of Jewish students face continued trauma, as many of their peers overwhelmingly turned against them. Instead of being supported, Jewish and Israeli students face harassment, anti-Israel demonstrations and protests, and threats of violence. Antisemitism has been allowed to simmer on campus for years, and now it has reached a boiling point.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has led the anti-Israel charge. SJP’s antisemitic campaign against the “normalization of Zionism” has long been used to exclude and marginalize Jewish students. Now, the national group is endorsing and glorifying terrorism as legitimate “resistance"; in order to "Free Palestine,” the group says, it will require “Not just slogans and rallies, but armed confrontation with the oppressors.”  SJP and its chapters pose a real threat to the mental and physical health and wellbeing of Jewish students and staff. School administrators have buried their heads in the sand for too long, failing to take basic steps to address the increasingly hostile environment on campus. It is time to take action before the situation deteriorates even further.

Across the country, SJP chapters have made their viewpoints clear. “We reject the distinction between ‘civilian’ and ‘militant.’ We reject the distinction between ‘settler’ and ‘soldier,’” The George Washington University SJP wrote, “A settler is an aggressor, a soldier, and an occupier even if they are lounging on our occupied beaches.”

The SJP chapter of CUNY Law strongly affirmed the “right to armed resistance.”  The SJP chapter at Tufts University said the attack made by "liberation fighters" exhibited "creativity." The University of Illinois SJP chapter shared a video which shows what appears to be a Hamas terrorist filming himself from inside the home of an Israeli family during the attack. Since the Hamas attack, at least three chapters referred followers to Resistance News Network (RNN) – part of an encrypted messaging application that shares violent images and videos of attacks on Israelis and disseminates Hamas propaganda – and five others routinely shared RNN content even before October 7, 2023.

One would hope that professors would be a moderating force, providing support to students directly impacted and using their own voice to speak out against terrorism, antisemitism, and hate. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case, as we have seen teachers supporting their rhetoric, endorsing their behavior and even offering extra credit for participation.

Across the country, there are multiple examples of university professors condoning Hamas’s actions. At Cornell University, a professor publicly declared during a rally that Hamas’s attack was “exhilarating” and “energizing.”

Over 50 members of Georgetown University’s faculty joined a statement on the “Situation in Gaza,” which included language rejecting the Jewish people’s connection to Israel and rejecting Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. The statement continued, “We watch as Israeli politicians brag about the atrocities they plan to commit and are shocked to see many U.S. leaders showing support for Netanyahu’s plans, some even cheering on the bloodletting” – a false claim employing language which can be perceived as a veiled reference to blood libel, an age-old antisemitic conspiracy theory.

There have also been reports of professors or TAs engaging in potentially discriminatory conduct in the classroom. At Stanford University, an instructor reportedly asked Jewish and Israeli students to identify themselves during class and told those students to stand in the corner, while telling other students that “This is what Israel does to the Palestinians…Israel is a colonizer.” The University removed the instructor from teaching responsibilities, and an investigation is ongoing.

An Assistant Professor at UC Davis tweeted that, “One group of ppl we have easy access to in the US is all these zionist journalists who spread propaganda & misinformation,” and that, “They have houses w addresses, kids in schools…they can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more” alongside a knife, hatchet, and three blood drop emojis. UC Davis’s Chancellor has since condemned the post, and the University is investigating whether this post violates campus policies.

It’s not just antisemitic rhetoric that we’re concerned about. At Cooper Union in New York City last week, a group of protesters reportedly bypassed the point where entrants are supposed to scan their IDs and subsequently began banging on the windows and doors of the library while shouting, “Free Palestine!” The visibly Jewish students inside were terrified and were forced to call upon the NYPD to help escort them out of the building. The following day, a demonstration near Tulane University’s campus spiraled out of control when protesters clashed in a physical altercation. The fight appeared to have stemmed from an attempt to light an Israeli flag on fire. And this past weekend, at Cornell University, law enforcement and the FBI were called in response to violent online threats targeting Cornell Jewish students as well as the center for Jewish life on campus.

In response to the current crisis, ADL is working closely with and supporting our campus partners, including Hillel International, Chabad on Campus International, Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Jewish Grad Organization, Olami, and additional Greek life partners Alphia Epsilon Phi, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Delta Tau, and Zeta Beta Tau.

We are first and foremost calling for universities to distance University leadership from dangerous, antisemitic rhetoric and to investigate whether SJP and other student groups’ conduct is in violation of university codes of conduct or any other relevant criminal or civil laws.

We are also urging campus leadership to proactively use all tools at their disposal to ensure there is a safe and welcoming campus climate.  Several of these steps are outlined in ADL’s recommendations, consistent with the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.

At a time when Jewish students are feeling increasingly vulnerable, ADL is urging universities to:

1. Ensure that antisemitism awareness education is included in new student orientation programming, DEI programming, and training on discrimination and harassment. 
2. Define antisemitism on campus by endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (“IHRA”) Working Definition of Antisemitism and relying on it when investigating reports of antisemitic harassment and discrimination on campus. The definition is used by over 1,100 governments, universities, NGOs, and other key institutions and was embraced by the White House’s U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
3. Create an ongoing Task Force or Advisory Council to review, address, and improve Jewish life on campus. Ensure that Hillel and Chabad leadership are included and consulted.
4. Review and update policies and protocols as needed on how best to support students when there are antisemitic or other hateful speakers and/or events on campus.

We are also urging campus law enforcement to:

1. Reach out to Jewish student leaders and/or local Hillel and Chabad chapters on campus, to ensure a point of contact in the event of an emergency, and to convey that campus law enforcement and public safety is available in a time of crisis.
2. Plan ahead by making sure there is an adequate public safety presence during protests and demonstrations and an immediate response in cases where there is harassment, violence, or any other criminal activity.
3. Ensure all school/university processes are followed so that students can safely congregate to express their viewpoints.

We are at a moment where long simmering tensions on campus are boiling over; our students are feeling threatened and intimidated; and parents are questioning whether it’s safe to send their kids to certain schools.

ADL and our campus partners are focused on improving campus climate and ensuring students are safe, but we cannot do it alone. Students, parents and alumni are communicating their needs and expectations. This moment calls for direct action by university leadership and by those in a position to influence university leadership – including elected officials. Universities cannot meet this moment by simple fidelity to principles of academic freedom and full and free debate. They must recognize – as our courts always have – that nothing prevents university presidents from using their own voices to distance universities from any attempt to justify, glorify, and gloss over terrorist attacks targeting civilians. And they must recognize that there are times that speech crosses a line and is no longer protected. Campus leadership must make clear now that they will use all tools at their disposal to keep their students safe. Students, parents, alumni and partners deserve clear assurances and plans. Anything less is irresponsible.