Jewish students brace for anti-Israel protests as academic year begins

Jewish students are bracing for renewed anti-Israel demonstrations at campuses around the world as the new academic year begins, with Jewish campus groups sharing their concerns about escalating rhetoric while also maintaining some optimism about new protest regulations and the strengthening of Jewish identity.

Hillel International president and CEO Adam Lehman, World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) president Yana Naftalieva, and Chabad on Campus International CEO Yossy Gordon related to The Jerusalem Post in interviews last week the difficulties that their Jewish students had experienced in the previous academic year, which included bullying, physical altercations, protests, and the occupation of campus buildings and grounds by anti-Israel actors following the October 7 massacre.

“Last year for them was horrible; there was an unprecedented increase of antisemitism on campuses,” said Naftalieva.

Lehman said that there had already been protests at campuses that had been hotbeds of political unrest last year. Hillel heard from students about a mix of emotions, with many excited to begin or resume their academic journeys, but with the worry how anti-Israel protests may interrupt the experience.

Safety was a chief concern for students last year, and these fears were repeatedly verbalized to WUJS about the return to school. Naftalieva shared their worries about the potential for physical assault and verbal assault. Students wondered whether the encampments would be allowed to return, and whether they would be more intense than before.

Lehman said that “with escalating rhetoric and tactics by activists, we [Hillel] continue to be concerned about safety.”

An August 30 episode at the University of Pittsburgh confirmed fears about the potential for attacks against Jewish students this year. A group of Jewish students was attacked by an assailant with a glass bottle when walking from a Hillel event to a Hillel Shabbat dinner. Two students were treated at the scene. Lehman said that the incident was frightening not only because the students were targeted for being Jewish, but because of the “real physical threat” that had manifested.

Gordon also said that students could face harsh and threatening behavior from their peers this year, as well as menace from outside “paid agitators.”

While an escalation in rhetoric worried Lehman, he also noted that the early trend of a shift “in composition and tenor of the protests we’re seeing this year” could also backfire on the anti-Israel activists.

“We are seeing smaller groups of students and nonstudents, and their messages and tactics are more radical, and that makes it even easier for the public and administration to see them for what they are,” said Lehman.

Hillel will continue to invest in the physical infrastructure at its Hillel facilities, but it also relies on the universities themselves and municipal police to rise to the occasion to address real threats. Gordon said that he couldn’t predict what others would do, but said that Chabad on Campus would remain vigilant and had established security measures for its Chabad houses.

Physical safety and bullying

Physical safety is not the only concern that students have shared with WUJS, with many worried about ostracization for their Zionist identities. Naftalieva said that students are anxious that pro-Israel views could see them excluded from clubs, and not allowed to participate in the full campus experience like other students.

Even Jewish campus groups like Hillel have been the targets of institutional ostracization, with protesters seeking to excise the organizations from campus. Anti-Israel activists had demonstrated against Hillel at Hunter College, Baruch College, and Toronto Metropolitan University. According to Lehman this added to the sense of intimidation that many experienced last year.

“They have been specifically targeting Hillel in ways we’ve not seen before,” said Lehman. “It strips away even the pretense of the protest activities being about Israel and geopolitics and presents the protests as purely motivated by the targeting of Jewish identity.”

Hillel was being targeted, Lehman explained, because in general any group connected to Israel is seen by anti-Israel activists as collaborators in Israel’s military actions in Gaza, and more specifically, Hillel continues to promote programs “for students to create connections to Israel.”

Gordon said that, the previous year, students had to endure classes in which faculty members taught “bigoted things,” and there were activists who legitimized the October 7 pogrom. The constant anti-Israel chants were being hammered into them, creating an atmosphere of intimidation. Further, most Jewish students had encountered or known someone who experienced antisemitism on campus. These conditions led some to hope to not be identified by their peers as Jews so that they could avoid harassment.

Post-October 7

After October 7, Jewish students understood that it was not always safe to wear a kippah or place a mezuzah on their door frames, said Naftalieva. These Jewish symbols made them targets for physical attacks and ostracization, and students were concerned that they could once again become visible targets this year.

While some Jewish students were hiding their identity, non-Zionist Jews were emphasizing theirs to be used as tokens by anti-Israel groups, according to Naftalieva, an attempt to present them as the “good Jews” while casting their opponents as the “bad Jews.”

Naftalieva said that both WUJS and Jewish students had grown concerned about how anti-Zionist Jewish groups had increasingly claimed to represent Jewish students.

“They claim to represent the Jewish people and students, and it’s not correct,” said Naftalieva. “We know that the majority of Jewish students on campus support the State of Israel, advocate for the release of hostages, and create awareness about October 7.”

Gordon doesn’t think that appeasing antisemites will defeat the hatred, and insisted that taking pride in Jewish identity and embracing Judaism would allow students to stand strong against antisemitism. There were many students who had concealed themselves, he said, but many had also sought a greater connection to their heritage.

“Our centers have seen a 40% surge in participation since October 7,” said Gordon. “We have to embrace those coming and as resources to those who are hiding.”

WHILE GORDON and Lehman were worried about the challenges of the year, they also expressed optimism about the opportunity to engage with Jewish students and being able to enrich their academic year.

Lehman said that while Hillel is aware that the academic year might be a “mess,” it is optimistic about the longer-term prospects for Jewish life on campus. Record levels of fundraising would help Hillel expand programing further than ever before.

In September, Chabad on Campus teams are scheduled to travel to 49 campuses in a van filled with “everything you need for a pop-up Jewish festival,” including speakers systems, booths, and artwork, and permits to set up on university quads.

Gordon said that Chabad on Campus is tasked with providing for the needs of Jewish students, which requires adapting as those needs change. In the same way that Chabad on Campus had focused in Israel on providing support to students being drafted into military reserves, the organization had to adapt “by being even more supportive, even more frontline in our support of Jews and of Israel,” which included programming related to the ongoing hostage crisis.

“From our perspective we are looking forward to a year in which we will be able to engage with more Jews than ever and provide them strength,” said Gordon.

University administrations had a few semesters to learn and adapt about how to address the needs of Jewish students, as well as the aggressive encampments and protests. Lehman said that Hillel and other Jewish groups had successfully advocated for widespread changes in policies and acceptable protest conduct, noting a September 3 agreement with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that saw discrimination and harassment of Jewish students based on Zionist aspects of their identity prohibited. The legal landscape had also changed due to 1964 Civil Rights Act Title VI settlements “elevating the bar for what is required by universities to address antisemitism.”

Naftalieva said that while there are new regulations at many universities, students are still concerned about the way in which administrations may react to antisemitic incidents. She is not optimistic that antisemitism will be expelled from campus, but hopes that administrations will take swift action.

The WUJS president noted that the responses to anti-Israel activism depend on both institution and region. In Australia, the University of Melbourne had “given up to the encampment” and agreed with demands to disclose information on investments. Many institutions in the US had taken a strong stance on protests and antisemitism, but she said that just on Monday night a mezuzah was allegedly removed in a Harvard University dorm.

“It took them a lot of time last year to take action, but I think they will be acting faster this year,” said Naftalieva. “But they need to not just act fast, but also firmly.”

Some anti-Israel activists, according to Lehman, are avoiding the new restrictions, “pursuing more aggressive activities adjacent to the campus” where the restrictions do not apply.

Lehman said that these overall changes are not enough to preempt radical protests, but over time would change the playing field that regulates the campus climate. Anti-Israel groups were attempting to also level the playing field, shifting the focus of their divestment debates from the student government level to that of university corporations. The Hillel CEO gave the example of Brown University, whose corporation will vote in October on a student proposal to divest from any companies connected to Israel. Lehman said that Hillel was advocating against the proposal.

Gordon said that it was not yet clear if anti-Israel activists would renew encampments or find new ways to protest, but that the greatest tool the Jewish people has at its disposal is the love between one’s fellow Jews.

Lehman, Naftalieva, and Gordon affirmed that Hillel, WUJS, and Chabad on Campus would be there to support students, regardless of the challenges of the new academic year. •