A comprehensive Anti-Defamation League survey reveals that an overwhelming majority of Jewish students on US campuses – 83% – have directly experienced or witnessed antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023. The study found that 41% of Jewish students felt the need to conceal their Jewish identity, while a quarter of Jewish students reported having to implement security measures. Two-thirds of Jewish students expressed a lack of confidence in their university's capability to prevent antisemitic incidents.
The new survey, jointly conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, Hillel International, and College Pulse, indicates that 83% of Jewish students on US campuses have encountered or witnessed some form of antisemitism in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7.
Notably, more than a quarter (27%) of surveyed Jewish students reported witnessing antisemitic behavior from campus staff members, a stark contrast to the mere 6% reported by non-Jewish students. The study further revealed that two-thirds (66%) of Jewish students – along with 60% of non-Jewish students – expressed skepticism about their university's ability to effectively prevent antisemitic incidents.
The climate on US campuses has grown increasingly volatile as widespread protests and encampments emerged, systematically excluding Jewish students from academic spaces. The situation has become so severe that some Jewish students have been forced to rely on security escorts to safely navigate campus grounds amid reported incidents of violence.
The crisis reached a critical point in December 2023, when the presidents of three prestigious institutions – Dr. Claudine Gay of Harvard University, Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Sally Kornbluth of Massachusetts Institute of Technology – faced congressional questioning over their institutions' failure to adequately protect Jewish students. In the aftermath of their controversial testimony, both Penn's President Magill and Harvard's President Gay stepped down from their positions.
