Minnesota Twin Cities. Yesterday afternoon in Minneapolis, protesters stormed Morrill Hall, home to the administrative headquarters of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, citing demands about divestment from Israel. The building seizure included breaking windows, covering security cameras and barricading entryways. One of the protest organizers declared: "We plan to stay until they forcibly remove us." This happened fairly quickly as university police, noting the damage and concerns over employees stuck in the building, entered and arrested 11 of the demonstrators.

DEEPER: As ADL Midwest noted, “Freedom to protest is central to our democracy. But it does not grant the right to unlawfully storm and attempt to seize property.” We are in close touch with local partners after yesterday’s building occupation.

(Source: @wordfromward | X/Twitter)

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University of Illinois. University of Illinois System President Timothy Killeen recently held a physics discussion on campus, which was interrupted by BDS advocates pushing for the university to divest. Chants ensued. Flyers were passed out. A professor asked the protesters to “shut up” and expressed how this moment, despite his agreement with their protest, was for learning. After a 20-minute interruption, campus police arrived and the protesters were told to leave so the discussion of progressive scientific endeavors could resume.

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Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Vice President Kamala Harris met with students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee late last week, and among the topics she touched on was the death of Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar. She reiterated that Israel has a right to defend itself and termed the removal of Sinwar as "clear progress toward that goal." Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered as well to try to get attention, chanting “UWM you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide” and other anti-Israel messages.

(Source: Ethan Ainley | YouTube)

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Brown. Over 100 people protested at Brown University last Friday, angry about a recent decision by Brown University’s Corporation to decline to divest from companies with ties to the Israeli government. The University Chancellor and President said in a statement that the Corporation came to this logical conclusion in part because “Brown has no direct investments in any of the companies targeted for divestment and that any indirect exposure for Brown in these companies is so small that it could not be directly responsible for social harm.”

DEEPER: Read a report from ADL affiliate JLens on the real costs of university divestment.

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Penn. A coalition of anti-Israel activists at the University of Pennsylvania and other Philly colleges marched in the streets to recognize the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel. One student group’s statement, essentially celebrating those who committed these horrific crimes, said the terrorist attack “was not merely a symbolic gesture of revolution, but a necessary step towards the liberation of a colonized people.” Following these disturbing protests, anti-Israel vandalization spread at Penn, with graffiti of the words “Sinwar Lives” written on multiple signs.

(Source: @EYakoby | X/Twitter)

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Poland. Here’s a reminder that alarming protests aren’t confined to the United States. Israel’s ambassador to Poland noted that at Krakow’s Uniwersytet Jagielloński, the oldest university in Poland, one of the campus protest signs appeared to call for Jews to be sent to the gas chambers. The city's mayor condemned that sign and said that it was removed, but defended the rights of the protesting students as "an expression of their dissent and solidarity" with the Palestinian cause during the current Israel/Hamas fighting.

(Source: @YacovLivne | X/Twitter)

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Arizona. The crowds are leaner at some campus protests. As the student newspaper noted about a protest late last week at the University of Arizona, "compared to the previous pro-Palestinian protests that the university has seen, this one was quite small." Last year at the same campus in Tucson, there were encampments and major anti-Israel protests where students confronted police and chaotic demonstrations included violence and unrest. This time, organizers went through the Dean of Students and their event was approved.

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Chicago. Many Chicago universities, including DePaul, Loyola, Northwestern and the University of Chicago, updated their student protest policies in the wake of the disruptions that occurred in the spring semester. At some schools, students must now reserve certain spaces in advance to protest. The University of Chicago revised its policy to prohibit “staying overnight in outdoor structures on campus” to avoid encampments. We hope that other universities follow suit and change their campus policies to limit the disruptions to student life caused by these protests.

Crimson Faces. It would be hard for the clever folks who run Harvard to miss the message from donors, including billionaires Ken Griffin and Len Blavatnik, who cut off their giving last year. As Griffen noted, “Until Harvard makes it very clear that they’re going to resume their role as educating young American men and women to be leaders, to be problem solvers, to take on difficult issues — I’m not interested in supporting the institution.” New reporting shows that donations fell as a result of the school’s poor handling of campus antisemitism, particularly in giving to the school’s endowment, which fell by $193 million. Kudos to all who are drawing a clear line when it comes to antisemitism.

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Hope and Heroes. At Lehigh University, students were inspired by 21-year-old Israeli Shir Zohar, who shared her devastating account of surviving the Nova Music Festival thanks in part to the heroism of another concertgoer who was killed while driving a car away from the Hamas attack. Lehigh Friends of Israel hosted the “We Will Dance Again” event to deliver hope and to remember 10/7, and apparently the group delivered. One student attending the event, Madline Ruben, said that the Lehigh Friends of Israel event with Zohar helped her and other Jewish students at the eastern Pennsylvania school feel safe to have difficult conversations about what’s happening in Israel.

Not So Fast. Some well-meaning thinkers have come up with a nifty way to dodge campus attacks on Zionists and global protests against Zionism as a pro-Israel ideology. Just retire the word “Zionism.” Problem solved, right? Not so fast, says Zack Bodner. “This would be a mistake of epic proportions. It won’t make our enemies love us. In fact, it will have the opposite effect and just embolden them to keep chipping away at our narrative, our heritage and our people.”

DEEPER: Bodner’s excellent column links to ADL's backgrounder on Zionism.

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You Get a Necklace, and You Get a Necklace... As a notable capstone to a Rosh Hashanah sermon about Israel and the war in the Middle East and what it feels like to be a Jew in America in an uncertain moment, Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Park Slope’s Congregation Beth Elohim told every congregant to look under their seat, where they found a Star of David necklace. As the rabbi noted about wearing the jewelry from this Oprah-style giveaway, "It’s a way of saying to the world. Why yes, I am Jewish. This is what a Jew looks like. This is what a Jew stands for. This is how a Jew behaves.”

• Students — how to take action, deal with antisemitism, and organize your community.
• Alumni — how to organize a sign-on letter, answer a fundraising request, or write a letter to a university president.
• Parents — write a letter about commencement, organize a dial day, or get help selecting a college for your student.
• Glossary of Commonly Used Antisemitic Phrases Heard at Protests.
• Campus Antisemitism Report Card — see the grade a college earned in this first-ever report card.
• Report an Antisemitic Incident.
• Are you a student or know one who needs legal help? Contact our Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), run by ADL, Hillel, the Brandeis Center, and Gibson Dunn. Hundreds of incidents have been reported. You are not alone!

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