During the coming weeks, colleges and universities across North America will be on winter break. ADL's Campus Crisis Alert will send out an edition each Tuesday. We will publish additional special editions as needed based on the news. The once-a-week pace begins during the week of Dec. 16. We'll resume our daily edition on Jan. 6.

Penn. The student newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania took a stroll down memory lane, reviewing the past year of coping with anti-Israel protests. There were encampments and die-ins, a failed building occupation, dueling referendums by pro- and anti-Israel student organizations, debates about free speech on campus versus a safe climate on campus, and ultimately, a UPenn administration decision to embrace institutional neutrality, backing away from comments that take sides on events. “It is not the role of the institution to render opinions — doing so risks suppressing the creativity and academic freedom of our faculty and students,” said Interim UPenn President Larry Jameson.

(Penn student protesters. Source: Ethan Young/Daily Pennsylvanian)

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Michigan. The home and vehicle of Jordan Acker, a Jewish Regent of the University of Michigan, were vandalized on Monday in what the university called a “clear act of antisemitic intimidation.” Objects, including glass jars of urine, were thrown through Acker’s front window, and his car was graffitied with phrases like “divest” and “free Palestine,” along with Hamas propaganda symbols. Acker condemned the incident as “terrorism” and vowed not to let fear win. This marks the third time he has been targeted for his pro-Israel stance, with activists demanding the university divest from Israeli-linked companies. UMich President Santa Ono called the attack “vile” and an affront to the university’s values, while ADL Michigan posted on social media, "disturbed” by the “cowardly” individuals behind the attack.

(Source: Instagram | @jordanackermi)

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Columbia. For the second year in a row, anti-Israel activists disrupted Columbia University’s annual tree lighting ceremony, chanting slogans such as “Intifada, Intifada” and “Up, up with liberation, down, down with occupation.” The grinches at the protest, led by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition, marched with banners reading “Turn your eyes to Palestine” and unplugged many of the ceremony’s lights. The coalition accused Columbia of using the annual holiday event to distract from alleged support for “genocide” in Gaza. The protest highlights growing tensions on campus, as Columbia remains a focal point for activism.

DEEPER: And further proving that point, CUAD was banned from Instagram following a post announcing a rally and labeling Barnard College trustees as “enemies,” “murderers,” and “violently genocidal Zionists.” Learn more here.

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New York State. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul hosted the state’s inaugural Anti-Hate in Education Center Convening on Antisemitism late last week, bringing together schools from across the state along with other leaders in this effort that seeks to build a wide collaboration to combat antisemitism in education. The state has levers to encourage participation. For example, CUNY schools receive over $2 billion from the state. ADL has been deeply involved in this convening; our staff sat on the event’s planning committee and we “look forward to continuing this vital work to combat antisemitism in schools.”

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Georgia. At the University of Georgia, the local Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter has had its suspension extended through Spring of 2026 by the school, based on charges emerging from an anti-Israel encampment earlier this year. While suspended, SJP is blocked from any action as a university-affiliated group either on or off campus. Students for Socialism at UGA was suspended through Fall of 2025 based on the group’s protests during Hillel’s Israel Fest event. The Georgia disciplinary panel said they hope the measures give the groups “time to reflect upon the actions and to better understand the responsibility as a university-affiliated organization to adhere to the University policy.”

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San Francisco Hillel. An unsettling scene was found at the San Francisco Hillel House: forced entry, antisemitic graffiti and property damage. Among the vandalism was a reference to “khaybar," a long-ago battle between Jews and Arabs on the Arabian Peninsula. The San Francisco police, San Francisco State University campus police and the school’s administration were quick to respond and help clean up the mess that was left behind. ADL Regional Director Marc Levine expressed concern: “Targeting a Hillel House this way is nothing short of antisemitic. This incident is a reminder that our work to counter antisemitism on college campuses is far from over."

(Source: X | @ADLCalifornia)

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Decisions for Jewish Students. With college application deadlines approaching, Jewish students are choosing where to apply to college based on new variables. With the rise in protests and campus tensions, students are being pickier with what universities they want to give their next 4 years to, and rightfully so. Based on ADL’s data, there was a “a record number of antisemitic acts from October 2023 to September 2024, showing a 200% increase over the same time frame in the previous year” and “at least 10% of the events were exclusively on university campuses, representing a 500% increase from the previous recording period.” Interesting data from the University of Chicago also shows that college students at southern schools feel safer from antisemitic and Islamophobic threats than those in the northeast.

Building Bridges, Battling Bias. Sinai Temple in Los Angeles launched a new seminar this October to prepare Jewish teens to combat antisemitism on college campuses. The program will culminate in a trip to Sacramento to promote Jewish causes and meet with state lawmakers. “Let’s start actually training them on how to identify antisemitism, combat antisemitism, and the most important piece… how to form allyships,” said Rabbi Erez Sherman, who leads the program. One student shared, “I kind of wanted to have a good basis on how to combat antisemitism and have productive conversations with people with opposing views of mine.”

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Indiana University. Rachel Applefield, a senior at Indiana University, studying law and public policy with a minor in social welfare advocacy, unveils the epidemic of antisemitism on her campus. Since October 7, antisemitism seems to have become normalized at IU, with phrases like “Free Palestine,” or “IU Divest from Israel Now” being stamped on campus and imagery used by Hamas being spread around as well. However, these students may not actually understand the real meaning behind their words and actions: dismantling the state of Israel by any means necessary instead of advocating for coexistence. When placing these phrases in context, Applefield outlines the underlying message of the widely used rhetoric: “this reckless usage normalizes extremist rhetoric and risks aligning the entire pro-Palestinian movement with violent terrorist groups.”

Scouting Around. Tzofim, the Israeli Scouts in the U.S., are growing much faster than usual as they fill a need for Israelis in America in the wake of 10/7. As a leader of the new Denver chapter explained, they give the youth "a safe space to…call themselves Zionists, without the need to live in Israel. And it’s a liberal and nonpolitical place." The group has had to make some changes — focusing more on activities in enclosed spaces or including security guards — but they are seizing the moment to provide cohesion among young Israelis and to connect to North American Jewish communities as well.

(Source: Israeli Scouts)

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Diaspora Not So Divided. A recent survey by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that 70% of Israeli Jews feel a connection to Jews abroad, with younger people showing higher levels of connectivity. This sentiment grew post-10/7, after the Hamas attacks. Additionally, 74% of respondents expressed feeling “responsible for the security and welfare of Jews living outside of Israel.” Sociologist Shlomo Fischer noted this connection stems from personal ties and a national sense of duty, as Israelis can be seen as focused more on Israel than Jews abroad, but may view themselves as protectors of Jewish communities in times of crisis.

• 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.