Hotspots of Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Hostility on US Campuses

Key Findings:

This study aims to assess the current situation and identify “hotspots”—campuses where antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment are especially acute. The study also aims to understand the relative prevalence and particular manifestations of hostility at different campuses, and the ways in which hostile climates influence the lives of Jewish students. This report is based on findings from a spring 2016 survey of Jewish undergraduate students at 50 US campuses.

One key finding of the present study is that in terms of hostility to Israel and antisemitism, university campuses are quite different from one another. In addition, hostility to Israel experienced by students at some campuses does not appear to diminish their emotional connections to Israel.

Specifically in terms of the variation in antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility across campuses: 

• CUNY-Brooklyn, Northwestern, and many of the schools in the University of California system, are “hotspots” where the majority of Jewish students perceive a hostile environment toward Israel, and over one quarter perceive a general environment of hostility toward Jews on their campus.

• At Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Illinois, hostility toward Jews and antisemitic harassment are relatively high but do not seem to be highly connected to criticism of Israel.

• Respondents at several large private universities, including U of Miami, Wash U, and Syracuse perceive very little hostility toward Israel, and virtually all of these respondents disagree that there is a hostile environment toward Jews. 

• One of the strongest predictors of perceiving a hostile climate toward Israel and Jews is the presence of an active Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) group on campus.

In terms of the relationship between hostile environments and students’ connections to Israel, the study found that:

• Even when they experience antisemitism and hostility toward Israel, Jewish young adults’ connection to Israel remains strong.

• The most Jewishly engaged students are the most likely to perceive hostility to Jews and Israel on their campus.

• On many campuses more than one third of Jewish students feel at least a little uncomfortable expressing their opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A significant minority of Jewish undergraduates are uncomfortable expressing their opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because they feel they do not know enough to enter the conversation.