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Why Campus Antisemitism Matters

(Tablet) Leonard Saxe - Title VI of the Civil Rights Act obligates a university to protect members of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from discrimination. Under the act, Jewish students must be treated in the same way as those who are members of other protected groups. But many universities seem not to acknowledge the problem. In the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, as reports of antisemitic incidents spiked, my colleagues and I launched a program of research to document Jewish young adults' experiences of antisemitism. Since the war began, we have conducted surveys with nearly 7,000 Jewish young adults across the U.S. Not surprisingly, we found that antisemitism experienced by Jewish students is now far more prevalent than in the past. Many respondents commented that they were afraid to be recognized as Jewish. Schools with the highest levels of antisemitic hostility include elite private universities in the Northeast, as well as large public universities in California and the Midwest. 1/3 of the Jewish students reported personal experiences of insult or harassment. Many said that they were blamed for Israel's actions because they were Jews. Respondents expressed far greater concern about antisemitism emanating from the political left than from the political right, even among those who identified as politically liberal. Historically, Jews have been the "canary in the coal mine" and anti-Jewish discrimination has often served as an early warning of broader societal turmoil. Confronting antisemitism on campuses is therefore not only important for members of the Jewish community, but also for higher education and the aims of civil society. The writer is professor of Jewish Community Research and Social Policy at Brandeis University and director of the Cohen Center for Contemporary Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute.
2024-02-08 00:00:00
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