3000% spike in campus antisemitism post-Oct. 7

Flunked out: 3000% spike in campus antisemitism post-Oct. 7

Adi Nirman

A disturbing new report from StopAntisemitism reveals an unprecedented surge in antisemitic incidents on US college campuses in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, with Jewish students facing increasing harassment, exclusion, and safety concerns.

The organization's 2024 College Report, which evaluated 25 higher education institutions across the nation, documented a staggering 3,000% increase in antisemitic incident reports compared to the previous year, forcing the watchdog group to triple its staff size to handle the flood of submissions.

The report paints a troubling picture of campus life for Jewish students, with more than half reporting direct experiences of antisemitism at their schools. According to the survey, 55% of Jewish students have been victims of antisemitism, while 43% feel compelled to hide their Jewish identity from classmates out of fear. Perhaps most concerning, 72% of students reported feeling unwelcome in certain campus spaces simply for being Jewish.

The institutional response to these challenges has been notably inadequate, with only two out of 25 surveyed schools responding to requests for information about their handling of antisemitism – a sharp decline from seven respondents the previous year. The report also found that 67% of Jewish students say they are completely excluded from their school's DEI initiatives, while 69% report being blamed for Israel's actions.

Several prestigious universities received failing marks in the report's grading system. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) saw its grade drop from a C to an F following multiple incidents, including a three-week pro-Palestinian encampment where participants called for violence against Jewish students. The evaluation considered multiple criteria: protection measures, allyship initiatives, identity support, and policy implementation.

"These higher education institutions have utterly failed to protect its Jewish students, allowing harassment, exclusion, and violent antisemitism to thrive unchecked," organization Founder and Executive Director Liora Rez said.

StopAntisemitism is proposing a comprehensive reform package for universities, suggesting that campuses adopt standardized definitions of antisemitism, expand their diversity and inclusion policies to explicitly include Jewish students, and establish clearer protocols for responding to antisemitic incidents from both students and faculty.

Some institutions have demonstrated more effective responses to these challenges. Baylor University and Clemson University received higher grades for their stronger support systems and more proactive responses to antisemitic incidents. However, the overall findings suggest a systemic failure in protecting Jewish students across American higher education.

"Jewish students should not have to consider their own safety when choosing which school to attend," the report concluded, emphasizing the urgent need for institutional change. The study found that 43% of current Jewish students would not recommend their school to fellow Jewish students, highlighting the depth of the current crisis.