Academia’s antisemitism problem is not new - opinion

Around the globe, reports of antisemitic attacks are skyrocketing. 

Such actions are not unusual when Israel is at war, but this time, it feels different. We see open and unabashed calls for violence, especially in academic settings. Since Hamas’s attack on Israel, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) clubs have not only come out to support Hamas but also to cheer the death of Israelis. 

While these events are eye-opening for many, they should not be. Jewish students have endured similar occurrences for decades. 

Colleges and universities are meant to serve as bastions of learning. Ideas and beliefs are designed to be challenged in these institutions. But for Jewish students, this has been a disguise to challenge our existence. Universities across the globe have become the grounds for “pro-Palestine” marches. 

Antisemitism on US college campuses: An old phenomenon

At Harvard University, 30 clubs signed a letter standing with Hamas in the name of “resistance,” and there is no reason to believe they will face any consequences for their actions. 

We can only do so much in the court of public opinion – universities have to draw the line when students are calling for the harassment and death of Jewish students. 

At Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a Jewish student’s dormitory door was set on fire, and no other dorm was vandalized. What if this student had been killed? When will these learning centers take this seriously? 

For years, I witnessed students calling for another Intifada at my alma mater, Arizona State University. 

Every time our Jewish student community demanded action or change, we would get a pat on the head and some kind words from the staff. We have no usage for provost pleasantries. When we finally said enough and forced the creation of a Jewish Cultural Coalition, we were dragged through bureaucratic absurdity, clearly meant to outwait our collegiate careers.

In response to the events in Israel, a Stanford professor had all Jewish students in a required course stand up and move to the corner of the room. Once they were in the corner, he addressed the lecture hall: “This is what Israel does to the Palestinians,” and then proceeded to compare Israel to those who carried out the Holocaust. 

While Stanford has suspended the professor, no actions can undo the impact that this will undoubtedly have had on the students. 

We need more university presidents in line with former US senator Ben Sasse now at the University of Florida, who spoke with the utmost clarity on Hamas’s “dehumanizing” and “evil” actions. 

Campus Chabads have quickly become places of shelter – we have crossed the Rubicon. We need fundamental changes in how we address SJP-style groups on campus who exist to threaten the safety of others. 

This is not a matter of differing beliefs or ideology; this is about campus groups calling to advance the mission of terrorist organizations. 

We all saw the same videos and images; we watched a father relieved that his 8-year-old daughter is dead rather than in Gaza, as he knows Hamas’s treatment of hostages is worse than death. 

Anyone celebrating what these people have gone through should be disqualified from public discourse. 

The rot in academia runs deep and needs to be pulled out root and stem. It is not enough for universities to say that these groups do not speak for them. 

We are done being told Jewish students are valued members of the community only to receive silence when put in danger. 

This problem has been festering for years, a scourge on our supposed places of higher thought. We should all pay attention to how provosts and college presidents respond and be ready to pull our donations. We owe nothing to those who coddle us as our existence is questioned. 

The writer was awarded the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Activist of the Year Award in 2020 & 2021. He serves as engagement chair for the Young Republicans National Federation.