The AMCHA Initiative announced on Dec. 11 that the organization has developed an “Anti-Zionist Faculty Barometer” ranking more than 700 universities and colleges on a 0-5 system, with a “5” (extreme) being the worst ranking.
Universities with the 5 rating included Columbia University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Stanford University, Yale University and Georgetown University. Among those with a 4 (severe) rating were CSU Long Beach, Sonoma State University, Occidental College and the University of Virginia. Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University headlined schools with a 3 (significant) rating; DePaul University and George Washington University were included in the 2s (moderate). Vanderbilt University and Carnegie Mellon University were in the 1 (minimal) and 0 (negligible) rankings.
The factors went behind each ranking included the number faculty members at the schools who boycott Israel, if the campus has a Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) chapter and how active that chapter has been on campus and the number of anti-Israel statements issued by university statements. In September, AMCHA published a report finding that FJP was “pivotal” in the rise of campus antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
“While much attention has been paid to the antisemitic behavior of anti-Zionist students and student groups and the inability or unwillingness of school leaders to address it, the enormous influence of anti-Zionist faculty on campus climate is often overlooked because much of it happens away from public view.” – Tammi Rossman-Benjamin
“While much attention has been paid to the antisemitic behavior of anti-Zionist students and student groups and the inability or unwillingness of school leaders to address it, the enormous influence of anti-Zionist faculty on campus climate is often overlooked because much of it happens away from public view, in classrooms and conference halls, at faculty and academic senate meetings, and via internal communications,” AMCHA Director Tammi Rossman-Benjamin said in a statement. “However, our research indicates faculty might be the most determinative variable when it comes to attacks on Jewish students.”
