University Presidents. It has been a year since presidents of three eminent universities found themselves in the glare of a congressional committee and the national news media. In the days that followed, four others got the same ‘welcome.’ Let’s look back and see what happened since then. In many cases, after the hearings, angry alumni and other donors slashed their giving or warned they might. Five of the leaders are out, though one, UCLA’s Gene Block, was already planning to depart for reasons unrelated to this issue. At Penn, the Board Chair Scott Bok followed President Liz Magill out the door after defending her for what he called, in impressive understatement, “a very unfortunate misstep.” Since last year, we have seen many schools take positive steps to improve their responsiveness to the needs of Jewish students.

DEEPER: Penn President Liz Magill was the first to step down after the Hill hearings. Read more about the ripples from that day in DC and how they altered the university's direction.

(Penn's Liz Magill testifying before Congress on Dec. 5. Source: Anna Vazhaeparambil/Daily Pennsylvanian)

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Minnesota. The University of Minnesota has suspended and fined seven anti-Israel protesters for occupying the Morrill Hall administrative building in October. To no one’s surprise, SJP and other campus groups condemned the disciplinary measures — which included fines of $5,500 per student, suspensions of up to five semesters, and transcript holds — as excessive and unfair. What is more surprising is the broader controversy the punishment has stirred, with the Minneapolis City Council narrowly passing a resolution urging the university to rescind “all academic charges, suspensions and evictions.” The resolution goes further, requesting the university work with the protesters on their divestment demands.

👉 TAKE ACTION: Join ADL in thanking Mayor Jacob Frey for pledging to veto this hateful resolution and urging the City Council to focus on improving the lives of all Minneapolis residents. Click here to speak out.

DEEPER: Another school where discipline has come down for anti-Israel activists is George Mason University, where SJP has received an interim suspension and two student leaders have been barred from campus.

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North Carolina. Nine defendants facing charges related to anti-Israel protests at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill settled their cases this week. Six who faced trespassing charges got community service, and three others who faced more serious charges received heavier community service and a conditional discharge that included probation. One of those who settled, Jackson Prause, admitted that this was “not the ideal outcome” they had hoped for. While initially hoping for dismissals, the defendants found the county’s District Attorney unwilling to agree.

(Source: Screengrab from CBS 17)

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Med Students (Canada). Medical school students and physicians in Canada are seeing a surge in antisemitism after 10/7. The Jewish Medical Association of Ontario uncovered the impact that 10/7 and the aftermath has had. A shocking piece of data notes, “According to a survey of over 1,000 Jewish physicians across Canada, fewer than 1% considered antisemitism a problem in Canada before last year’s Hamas terror attacks” and that “after those attacks, however, that number grew to 80%.” Among Jewish med school students, before 10/7 a little over 25 percent reported experiencing academic antisemitism. The number grew to 63 percent afterwards.

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Cornell. Michael Kotlikoff, Cornell University's interim president, received criticism after his private email to a Jewish professor was leaked. In the email, Kotlikoff criticizes a Palestinian course titled “Gaza, Indigeneity, Resistance.” The Cornell student newspaper published the email, which led student groups and faculty organizations to accuse him of undermining academic freedom and having dangerous ramifications. Kotlikoff defended his right to address antisemitism, asserting “if there are antisemitic, racist, or other incidents that are directly related to Cornell, I certainly reserve the right to comment on those and reassure the community around those issues.” ADL appreciates Kotlikoff’s emphatic response.

United for Israel. Almost 400 college students attended JNF’s College Summit in Dallas, where they gained tools to advocate for Israel and combat antisemitism on campus. Students also focused on addressing the emotional toll of hate and discrimination. Peer-led sessions emphasized community support, resilience and empowerment. The event inspired connections among students committed to standing up for Israel. One student said, “The honor of being Jewish has turned into a heavy weight to bear, and I’m glad my peers have the strength to speak out and stand up for Israel.”

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Remembering Omer. The Binghamton University community recently came together to honor Omer Neutra, a deferred Binghamton student who was tragically killed fighting Hamas on 10/7. Neutra, from Plainview, NY, delayed his enrollment to serve in the IDF. Initially believed to have been taken hostage, it was confirmed last week that he was killed, though his body remains in Hamas hands. The memorial highlighted Omer’s leadership, kindness and lasting impact, providing what Chabad described as “an opportunity for the community to grieve together, celebrate Omer’s life and find solace in unity during this difficult time.”

(Students attending memorial for Omer Neutra | Source: Abigail Karavally/BU Pipe Dream)

The Children Are Our Future. The Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism is investing $4 million in strengthening Jewish day schools in the U.S. —  including helping schools boost their endowment funds, supporting tuition subsidies and even investing in a franchise model to make it easier to open new day schools in smaller communities. The campaign is an interesting turnabout after the post-10/7 unprecedented outpouring of funds from U.S. Jewry to Israel. The project’s Assaf Gamzou asserts that “What we want to do is convey a message that even now, even in these times, we see this investment in Jewish education as something important.”

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Giving Thanks to Israeli Heroes. Communities in New York and Florida hosted hundreds of Israelis over Thanksgiving to honor the brave volunteers who defended civilians near Gaza from Hamas. Over 700 Israelis came to the event, all part of these civilian emergency teams, as part of Project 24 which was formed to pair “diaspora Jews with Israelis to mutually heal post-Oct. 7.” This beautiful gathering “paired 185 Israeli families from 28 kibbutzim and moshavim with 35 New York and Florida communities, allowing 12,000 American Jews to help out.” At first, the initiative was only based in New York, and they did not expect such an influx of requests, but they soon expanded to Florida after over 2,000 requests came in.

• 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.
• Faculty and Staff — support for impacted faculty and staff, and guidance on how to discuss what constitutes antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and how to provide help to students and colleagues.
• 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!

Do you have something to share with us? Please email us at [email protected] with any suggestions, questions, photos or videos.