Nearly 75% college students and recent college graduates view antisemitism as “a very serious problem on campus,” according to a recently released survey.
Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) published the survey on August 30 after interviewing 312 students and 194 alumni from March 25-June 14. The survey found that 94% of respondents viewed campus antisemitism as a problem today and in recent years and 74% of those viewed it as “a very serious problem.” Only 19% viewed it as “somewhat of a problem” and 5% as “not much of a problem.”
When asked if antisemitism is or was a problem on their campuses, 95% answered in the affirmative; 50% of those viewed it as a “minor problem” while 45% viewed it as a “major problem.” Forty-eight percent of current students viewed antisemitism as a major problem on their campus while 47% viewed it as a minor problem; among recent graduates, those numbers were 39% and 57%, respectively. Forty-seven percent of current students said that the problem was worsening on their respective campuses.
Regarding antisemitic incidents themselves, 33% said they had been subjected to antisemitic comments in person; another 33% said they knew of someone who was subjected to antisemitic comments and 13% said they both experienced antisemitic comments and knew of someone else who was subjected to antisemitic comments. Those numbers were 20%, 40% and 9%, respectively, when it came to faculty members making antisemitic comments and 14%, 27% and 3%, respectively, on being threatened with antisemitic violence.
Eighty percent of students and recent graduates said they usually or always felt safe identifying as Jewish on campus––especially when they attended Jewish events––but 69% said they sometimes or always avoided certain places or situations on campus out of concern for their safety. Fifty-five percent of students who go to private schools felt like antisemitism was getting worse on their campus; that number was 45% for those going to public universities.
Some examples of antisemitic incidents highlighted in the report included a female student at a northeast school being called a “k— b—-” and a female graduate from UC Berkeley who said that she had a professor who “began asking me antisemitic questions related to economic libel and the Rothschild conspiracy theory” since Rothschild is her last name.
“These findings illuminate the troubling reality on U.S. campuses—antisemitism is increasingly a pernicious threat, with Jewish students under siege,” ACF Executive Director Avi D. Gordon said in a statement. “Today’s universities take great pains to embrace and protect students from all races, religions, and backgrounds. But Jewish students are often left to fend for themselves against discrimination. Administrators must take immediate steps to remedy this situation, and alumni should work with administrators, students, and allies alike to rid their alma maters of hate.”
Jewish on Campus tweeted, “We now have cold, hard, statistical evidence that antisemitism is rising on college campuses and becoming a major issue for Jewish students. Of course, we’ve been saying this for a long time, but maybe now you won’t ignore us.”
We now have cold, hard, statistical evidence that antisemitism is rising on college campuses and becoming a major issue for Jewish students. Of course, we’ve been saying this for a long time, but maybe now you won’t ignore us. https://t.co/IbGjdE1Qup
— Jewish on Campus (@JewishonCampus_) August 31, 2021
