Dartmouth. During a moderated discussion with Sen. John Fetterman, two pro-Palestinian protesters — a student and a college employee — were arrested for disorderly conduct after repeatedly interrupting the event with chants like “Fetterman, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.” College spokesperson and Dartmouth open expression facilitator Jana Barnello stated, “When attempts to resolve the situation were unsuccessful, the Hanover Police Department — which was already on site for the event with a sitting U.S. Senator — decided to remove the two individuals from the event.”

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Minnesota. At the University of Minnesota, where anti-Israel protests have chilled the campus climate for many Jewish students, students and local Jewish groups are pulling together. Paulina Frayman, a student, noted that protesters marred a recent 10/7 memorial event: “I just was not feeling safe, and they were disrupting the peace when we were not doing anything but gathering together as a community.” As Chabad’s rabbi and director Yitzi Steiner noted, his organization is offering support, whether it’s a hug, a conversation, or providing someone to walk with students who feel unsafe.

(Supporters of anti-Israel protesters who were recently arrested for occupying a Minnesota campus building. Source: Hannah Kovnar | The Minnesota Daily)

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Duke. Duke University has tightened its rules for protests, mandating event registration, ID checks, and limits on sound and duration — raising questions among student groups. While Duke Students Supporting Israel (SSI) welcomed the changes, saying they help keep demonstrations orderly and aligned with campus values, others are uneasy. “Part of the value of a protest is something that's fluid and natural… when there’s momentum,” noted Duke Climate Coalition’s Fisher Mallon, adding that the new policy’s three week reservation requirement may stifle a lot of that momentum. Despite such concerns, we believe that these new guidelines, along with similar measures adopted by other universities, will help ensure safety and foster a respectful environment for all students.

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Washington's universities. A PBS report revealed that Washington state's police officers are required to have just one hour of hate-crime-specific training, while the state's six public university campus police departments require no additional training. This gap is particularly concerning as anti-Israel demonstrations across Washington campuses last academic year have intensified tensions for Jewish students. ADL Pacific Northwest regional director Miri Cypers highlighted the need for more comprehensive preparation, “One of the challenges we’ve found is that often there’s not a lot of reinforcement or deeper training once folks are actually on the job.”

DEEPER: The University of Washington issued a report on campus tensions, finding that a notable 60% of Jewish and 92% of Israeli students reported feeling unwelcome on campus, to go along with 80% of Muslim students saying they feel the same way.

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Stanford. Members of Stanford’s committees on Islamophobia and antisemitism called for a renewed commitment to campus respect and dialogue during a recent panel discussion. The committees, formed after a year of rising campus tensions, shared insights from reports detailing experiences of bias faced by Jewish, Muslim, Israeli and Palestinian students. Co-chairs Larry Diamond and Alexander Key emphasized the importance of balancing free expression with safety, noting that the University’s neutral stance on political issues sometimes leaves students feeling isolated.

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Los Angeles K-12 Schools. Classroom Politics? One of the largest teacher's unions in the country, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), is being called out by ADL and our partners for a biased resolution that “alienates Jewish students, teachers, and allies instead of focusing on core educational issues.” The resolution supports blocking U.S. aid to Israel while disregarding the devastating Hamas attack and Iran’s sponsorship of both Hamas and Hezbollah. You might ask why they are weighing in at all rather than focusing on advocating for the needs of the 600,000 students they are entrusted to serve. We call on UTLA to meet with ADL and our allies to prevent the union from disregarding Jewish Angelenos.

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UBC. Protesters at the University of British Columbia vandalized Green College on October 16, spray-painting phrases like “Free Palestine” and “Divest” to “condemn” the presence of Israeli university professors at a workshop on ancient Christianity. Organized by People’s University UBC, the protest criticized partnerships with Israeli institutions and accused a UBC professor of conducting archaeological work in Palestine. The incident marks the second time this fall that anti-Israel demonstrators have defaced campus property.

The Jewish Academic Alliance of BC called on UBC to take firm action, working with local authorities to address campus safety and develop policies countering antisemitism. UBC condemned the vandalism, pledging to investigate the incident and discipline those involved.

(Source: peoplesuniversityubc | Instagram)

Honors Colleges. One lever in pushing for a better campus climate is ADL’s Campus Antisemitism Report Card, which evaluated 85 schools to help students, parents, alumni and others understand how schools are responding to the antisemitism crisis. Since the Report Card launched, some universities have taken steps improve the campus climate for Jewish students and all students. Today we sent commendation letters to 10 schools that have made improvements — Penn, NYU, Michigan State, SUNY Purchase, CUNY Brooklyn College, CUNY Queens College, Barnard, University of Michigan, Wellesley and Colorado-Boulder. ADL will release its next edition of the Report Card in Spring 2025.

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A Year after October 7 at Indiana University. Jewish students at IU reflected on a year of heartbreak and resilience following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Encounters with pro-Palestinian protesters, encampments, hateful rhetoric, targeted graffiti, and social media hostility have made this year emotionally taxing, with some students fearing for their physical safety. “That's something that just comes with being Jewish,” IU Hillel Social Chair Shayna Grossman said. “It might not be this campus in particular, but I could be walking on the streets at home, and something could happen.” Still, IU’s Jewish students remain resilient, holding their heads high and standing strong as a community against those who attempt to tear them down.

Strengthening Jewish Identity Worldwide. Amid rising global antisemitism, the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs is supporting Jewish students through UnitEd, a program partnering with over 650 Jewish day schools to build resilience and pride in Jewish heritage. Following October 7, UnitEd swiftly created resources to help young Jews understand Israel’s history, including multilingual newscasts and resilience-building tools.

In Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, students’ messages of hope and unity now form a “forest of wishes” as a symbol of global solidarity. “It’s beautiful and so artistic,” said Rabbi Scot Berman, director of UnitEd, who noted that these expressions of support have moved many visitors. The mission ultimately is to help build kids’ ability to be proud of who they are, because as Hana Dorsman, CEO of UnitEd puts it, “at the end of the day, that is the strongest answer to antisemitism.”

(Source: UnitEd | Israeli government)

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Orange You Glad? At a moment when Israel has challenges in farm labor and other workforce issues, with Israelis called up to respond to the military threats, this headline from Israel’s innovative agri-tech sector is very timely. Nanovel, an Israeli startup, has developed an AI-powered harvester using advanced vacuum grippers to gather oranges and other fruits autonomously. As Nanovel CEO Isaac Mazor said, the startup’s mission is “to secure the affordability of fresh fruit through autonomous harvesting.” Once again, the resilience and creativity of Israel’s tech sector is on full display.

• 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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