ADL Blasts Colleges on Antisemitism Efforts, Says They Need to 'Wake Up'

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) blasted university administrators, saying they "need to wake up" and protect Jewish students amid a spike in antisemitism on campuses.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive officer of the anti-hate organization, said in an online statement on Wednesday that Jewish students in the United States are "experiencing a wave of antisemitism" that continues to mount as the Israel-Hamas war rages on.

"University administrators need to wake up and recognize that Jewish students uniquely need protection now – and policymakers must step up, provide resources and enforce Title VI," Greenblatt said.

To better understand the current climate for Jewish students on campuses, the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research and Hillel International conducted a survey of more than 3,000 American college students, of which 527 were Jewish, from 689 campuses nationwide.

The survey, which was facilitated by College Pulse and released on Wednesday, gauged responses from students before and after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that started the war.

"The topline results, presented in this report, highlight concerning trends that underscore the urgent need to protect Jewish students on campus and foster an inclusive and safe educational environment for all," the survey, which was released on Wednesday, states.

Hamas on October 7 led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, killing 1,200 people in the Middle Eastern country. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza, according to the Associated Press, as more than 13,000 Palestinians have been killed since the violence broke out, officials from the health ministry in Gaza said.

In addition to the people killed in the militant group's initial attack, Hamas took more than 200 hostages, including numerous children. Last week, Israeli and Hamas forces engaged in a four-day ceasefire, during which it was agreed that 50 hostages would be released by Hamas in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israel.

The war has inflamed tensions, causing Muslim and Jewish families across the world to deal with the fallout. In Germany, a group tracking antisemitism in said Tuesday that it has seen a dramatic spike of antisemitic incidents in the country since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last month.

The ADL said the uptick in antisemitism because of the war has been reported at university campuses all over the U.S., with students saying they feel less safe.

Before the start of the conflict in the Middle East, 67% of Jewish students said they felt physically safe on campus while only 46% felt physically safe after October 7, according to the survey by ADL and Hillel International, a Jewish college organization.

"Jewish students are experiencing a wave of antisemitism unlike anything we've seen before, but shockingly, non-Jewish students barely see it," Greenblatt said. "Since the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, Jewish students feel increasingly threatened on campus – but college leaders are not doing enough to address this very real fear of antisemitism."

The joint ADL and Hillel survey found that 73 percent of Jewish college students and 44% of non-Jewish students have experienced or witnessed antisemitism since the start of the school year. By comparison, a prior survey that was conducted in 2021 found that 32% of Jewish students experienced antisemitism, and 31% of Jewish students witnessed antisemitic activity.

An ADL spokesperson told Newsweek in an email on Wednesday night that students are reporting "everything from physical assaults, harassment and intimidation to hateful graffiti and vandalism of posters calling for the release of the Israeli hostages."

In one incident, the ADL told Newsweek that at Ohio State University, students were "assaulted and punched in the face." In another reported instance of antisemitism, at the University of Florida, the Chabad was vandalized with graffiti that read "child murders" and "burn in hell."

"There have been at least 260 antisemitic incidents reported on campuses across the country since October 7, compared to only 20 incidents in the same period last year," the ADL said.

Greenblatt said that no student should feel unsafe on a college campus but said it's a "sad reality" for Jews.

"No student should feel threatened or intimidated on campus. No student should feel the need to hide their religious or cultural identities. No parent should ever have to wonder whether it's safe to send their kids to certain schools – but that's the sad reality for American Jews today," Greenblatt said.

The ADL told Newsweek that the result of the conflict in the Middle East is "a surge in antisemitism unlike any we've ever seen since as long as ADL has tracked antisemitic incidents."

The anti-hate organization said it is important to note that historically anti-Muslim hate also rises during similar times of crisis in the region, noting the "horrific" shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont last week.

"While it's understandable that people have strong opinions on the war between Israel and Hamas, there is simply no excuse for antisemitic harassment, assaults and vandalism, especially on our nation's campuses, just as there is no excuse for acts of anti-Muslim bigotry," the ADL said. "America is better than this."