Recently, the Anti-Defamation League released its Campus Antisemitism Report Card. Bay Area universities fared very poorly: Like all UC schools, Berkeley was given a D. Stanford, where I teach, received an F.
The narrative underlying the ADL report, like that of many Jewish parents, to me seems misplaced. The implicit expectation is that universities are going to solve America’s present antisemitism epidemic. That’s unrealistic.
There are schools where Jewish students remain largely untouched by pro-Palestinian vitriol — but at others, antisemitism is part of a new normal. On Feb. 26 at Berkeley, for example, a violent pro-Palestinian mob shut down an event with an Israeli speaker, forcing outnumbered police to evacuate the largely Jewish audience through a back door, eliciting dark memories of Jewish helplessness from days gone by.
Notwithstanding, universities will continue to venerate freedom of expression and its protection. It’s a critical part of their cultural DNA. This commitment is manifested in self-restraint and a natural disinclination to intervene. It means that antisemitic and anti-Israel voices will continue to be heard on campuses.
To be sure, policies can be improved. Most schools are trying to better address the sudden tsunami of hatred towards the Jewish state and the Jewish people. Campus police intercede more frequently.
This began at Stanford, where 18 pro-Palestinian activists were arrested for disrupting a university event. (Several other sound measures by the school administration make me wonder about the criteria informing ADL’s grading system. As a professor, I know that if everyone is failing, expectations probably should be revisited.)
Administrators at USC, Columbia, Northeastern, Texas, NYU, and Yale finally followed suit. Even Berkeley’s city police eventually made progress in criminal investigation of pro-Palestinian hooligans. This is important, but hardly the paramount priority.
Because most of all, we must do more for ourselves. As a community, we can better prepare our young people for the new reality. Jewish students can fight back.
As I teach at Stanford and give lectures at universities across America, I typically speak with Jewish students and hear about challenges they face since Oct. 7, the waves of malevolence and antisemitic abuse.
For students who maintain Jewish affiliations, it is especially difficult. I empathize with them. I also understand the concern for their welfare and disappointment with university administrations. But I have also come to believe that the Jewish community’s present approach may be ill-advised. We need to rethink our efforts and focus on empowering our students, so that they can better confront these conflicts with confidence and without fear.
Generally, university students today are more vulnerable to antisemitism and anti-Israel vitriol than their parents were. Social media exposes them to obscenities and reprisals; students with the temerity to post pro-Israel or Jewish messages often find themselves defriended, the target of loathing and ridicule. Administrators’ indecision and faintheartedness unwittingly can encourage violence and anarchy.
I spoke with a Bay Area student who described sudden isolation at meals in her sorority after taking openly pro-Israel positions. Students have been attacked, usually verbally, with anti-Jewish epithets.
My heart goes out to them. But I feel worse for many other Jewish students who have been unable or unwilling to soldier through the insults and ignore antisemitic drivel. Some Jewish students have gone “Marrano”, sheepishly removing Stars of David as they cease identifying as Jews.
The hard truth is that antisemitism remains rampant in the U.S. The FBI reported that in 2022, there were 1,305 hate crimes committed against Jews, six times more than against any other religious group. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 8,788 antisemitic incidents in 2023, more than double the number in 2022, which itself shattered a 40-year record.
Of course, antisemitism should not be seen as only a Jewish problem. We can expect partners in this fight. University administrations must do their part. But this vile pathology is not going to disappear overnight.
Jewish young people should be given tools to stand up to antisemitism. This process should begin long before they turn 18. It should involve affiliating more actively with Jewish institutions; inculcating meaningful knowledge and values; creating a personal relationship with Israel; instilling a sense of pride in Jewish heritage and community; and if things get worse, perhaps even teaching self-defense skills.
Coddling Jewish kids surely is not an effective strategy. Being Jewish has never been easy. Children in Israel have always faced daunting military challenges when they turn 18. Sadly, American Jewish youth now encounter their own trials.
As long as the present environment on campuses persists, Jewish students will need to show more grit and greater resilience. Encountering vandalism at Jewish settings, pro-Palestinian encampments, seeing swastikas or anti-Israel graffiti on walls; or even being called a “dirty Jew” is unpleasant. But this doesn’t mean that Jewish students should feel defenseless or unsafe. They are talented and tough enough to handle a little turbulence. It also doesn’t mean they need to ghettoize themselves. They can still have a wonderful college experience.
A smart response to college antisemitism would involve strengthening Jewish societies on campus — groups like StandWithUs, Students Supporting Israel, Israel on Campus and Birthright. In many universities I heard students praise local Hillels and their many services, from free Friday night dinners to intramural sports. They offer a community: a safe space on campus, where Jewishness can be celebrated.
Among David Ben-Gurion’s most commonly quoted axioms was his call to action: “It’s not important what non-Jews think; What’s important is what Jews do.” Yes, we need to demand that universities do what they can to protect Jewish students. But first we need to help Jewish students stand tall during these challenging times.