The Racialization of American Jews and Antisemitism on College Campuses

Key Findings:

Jewish scholars commonly face both overt and coded antisemitism, particularly in academic spaces that claim to prioritize equity and inclusion. Many Jewish concerns are dismissed under the assumption that Jews are white, despite the racialized nature of antisemitism.

The author’s book, Antisemitism and the White Supremacist Imaginary, explores the contradictions in how Jews are racialized—seen as white by some (such as social justice activists) and as nonwhite by others (such as white supremacists). The exclusion of Jewish identity from diversity and equity frameworks exacerbates antisemitic experiences, particularly on college campuses, where Jewish students have faced harassment, violence, and exclusion, especially after the October 7th attack on Israel.

The accounts of two Jewish doctoral students, Rebecca and Cindy, illustrate these issues. Rebecca, an Orthodox Jew, was subjected to both microaggressions and overt hate but was excluded from discussions of marginalization. Cindy, who has North African heritage, found that her experiences were acknowledged only when she referenced her father’s dark skin. Their stories reflect the broader struggle of Jews to have their experiences of antisemitism recognized.

The author argues that Jewish racialization, historically and today, does not fit neatly into the Black/white racial binary dominant in the U.S. Despite their skin color, Jews have faced racial discrimination, including in higher education and employment. Antisemitic stereotypes, such as the “Jewish nose” or accusations of dual loyalty, demonstrate that Jewish racialization extends beyond appearance. The author concludes that antisemitism remains deeply embedded in societal structures, yet contemporary social justice frameworks often fail to address it.

Jewish racialization in contemporary America is (paradoxically) particularly prevalent in academic and activist spaces. Although Jews have historically faced racial discrimination, they are now often categorized as white, a shift that emerged in the late 20th century when Jewishness was reframed as ethnicity rather than race. This categorization erases the racialized nature of antisemitism and the experiences of nonwhite Jews. Ironically, being racialized as white has enabled antisemitic exclusion, as seen in higher education, where Jewish students and scholars face discrimination while their concerns about antisemitism are dismissed. 

The demonization of Zionism and its false equation to white supremacy (a narrative with roots in Soviet propaganda) has justified the marginalization of Jewish students and professionals, particularly since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. Jewish students have been attacked, Jewish institutions vandalized, and Jewish individuals targeted as supposed symbols of oppression.

This racial framing also extends to economic and professional discrimination. Jewish authors, artists, and academics have faced blacklisting, while social justice movements have justified antisemitic rhetoric under the guise of anti-racism. The case of UC Berkeley professor Erwin Chemerinsky exemplifies this trend.

The broader implications of this phenomenon include the erasure of Jewish history, with claims that even Holocaust victims were white. This revisionism extends to the justification of Hamas’s actions, despite the group’s explicitly antisemitic and genocidal ideology.