San Francisco State University has announced a plan to address antisemitism after a recent survey revealed that 65% of Jewish students feel at least some need to hide their Jewish identity on campus.
The survey results were part of the university’s Campus Climate Assessment Report, a 34-page evaluation of SFSU’s campus environment released Oct. 28. The survey also found that 11% of Jewish student respondents experienced antisemitism at least occasionally, while 44% feel they are blamed for the actions of the Israeli government.
The report and recommendations for changes come after years of conflict and controversy at the university, two lawsuits and charges of “institutional antisemitism.”
The findings are the result of an 18-month collaboration between S.F. State, San Francisco Hillel, Hillel International and the Academic Engagement Network, as part of Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative. The AEN is an educational nonprofit dedicated to promoting Israel on college campuses. The initiative works with college administrations to “ensure a positive campus climate in which Jewish students feel comfortable expressing their identity and values, free of antisemitism, harassment, or marginalization.”
The SFSU survey of 87 Jewish student respondents, as well as 158 non-Jewish students and 115 faculty and staff members, found that while the majority of Jewish students have not personally experienced antisemitism, they did not feel supported by the administration when antisemitic incidents occurred. Sixty percent of students who encountered antisemitism said they were unsure how to report it to the university.
Many students reported feeling ambivalent about the way Israeli-Palestinian issues are treated on campus, though 25% said they felt diverse views on the matter are not respected in classroom settings.
The full survey results can be viewed here.
For years S.F. State has been in the national spotlight for controversial activities perceived as antisemitic. In 2016, a speech by then-Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was disrupted by anti-Israel protests, and in 2017, S.F. Hillel was excluded from a campus “Know Your Rights” fair for its support of Israel. The incidents led to a pair of discrimination lawsuits against SFSU; a settlement required the university to hire a Jewish student life coordinator and earmark $200,000 for “educational outreach efforts to promote viewpoint diversity.”
Controversy continued in 2020 and 2021, when an SFSU professor invited Leila Khaled, a former Palestinian militant and member of a U.S.-designated terrorist group, to speak at virtual events.
S.F. State was one of the first universities to join the Campus Climate Initiative, which now includes over 40 participating universities, including San Diego and San Jose State universities.
SFSU developed its plan in response to the report’s findings. Among the action items are adding antisemitism education to its campus anti-bias and antiracism trainings for students and faculty, the university said, and compiling a digital library of resources on antisemitism on the school’s Division of Equity & Community Inclusion website.
The university also has pledged to support Jewish students in tangible ways, including ensuring they are included in campus events and facilitating campus-wide dialogue on antisemitism. It also plans to post S.F. Interfaith Council’s religious holiday calendar to its Academic Affairs website to help students more easily seek accommodations in and out of the classroom.
S.F. Hillel interim executive director Abigail Karlin-Resnick said her organization will be working closely with the university to execute the plan, which also aims to create “a culture of belonging and inclusion for Jewish students that encourages their enrollment, retention, and graduation at SFSU.”
“It’s an important first step,” Karlin-Resnick said.
According to a press release from S.F. Hillel, “At a university where antisemitic incidents have occurred with all too much frequency over the years, the [Campus Climate Initiative] statement demonstrates the administration’s commitment to inclusiveness and unequivocal support for Jewish students, creating a model for other universities to follow.”
Jewish studies professor Marc Dollinger called the plan “ambitious” but said he believes it will go a long way toward addressing issues raised in the survey. Dollinger was on the advisory committee that crafted the recommendations and has taught at the university for more than 20 years.
“I think a lot of it is going to be hard to implement, because what makes this action plan so powerful is it actually addresses the challenges we’re facing,” he said.
Dollinger said he is confident the university administration is committed to making changes. The advisory committee will continue to monitor progress on the plan’s recommendations.
“Our new president [Lynn Mahoney] is fantastic and is engaging…and working really hard to let us know that she understands and wants to make things better,” Dollinger said.