Nearly all Jewish college students and alumni who participated in a recent survey by Alums for Campus Fairness said antisemitism is a problem on college campuses, with three-fourths describing it as a "very serious" issue.
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Among the 312 enrolled students and 194 alumni from different Jewish affiliations who took part in the survey, released on Monday, 95% said antisemitism was a problem on their current or former campus.
In addition, 79% of respondents said they experienced or heard firsthand accounts of "offensive or threatening antisemitic" comments; 69% avoided certain places, events and situations out of fear because they were Jewish; and nearly half of current students believe antisemitism is getting worse on their campus. Further, 44% of respondents said they experienced or heard firsthand about being physically threatened because they are Jewish.
Some of the respondents in the ACF survey shared their firsthand experiences with campus antisemitism, which included Holocaust comparisons, Jewish stereotyping and the use of antisemitic tropes. Negligence on the part of the school administration was "consistently cited," ACF said.
"These findings illuminate the troubling reality on US campuses – antisemitism is increasingly a pernicious threat, with Jewish students under siege," ACF executive director Avi D. Gordon said.
He added, "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."
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
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