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Pitt. Months after violent pro-Palestine protests erupted at the University of Pittsburgh, some protesters have pleaded guilty
while others await trials. The June 2024 demonstrations, which turned violent near the Cathedral of Learning building, led to charges for nearly two dozen individuals, with at least six already pleading guilty to disorderly conduct. The protestors demanded the university sever ties with Israel and terminate ties to Jewish and Israeli student groups. Several more protesters face non-jury and jury trials later this year, as campus police continue to file new charges related to the incidents.
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Anti-Israel protesters at Pitt in Sept. 2024. (Source: Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Pitt News) |
📣 TAKE ACTION: Tell university presidents to combat antisemitism now. Click here to use the dropdown menu on ADL’s call to action to select your school and urge your school’s president to take action to combat antisemitism. Speak out now.
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Federal Task Force. ADL applauded the U.S. Justice Department’s creation of a multi-agency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism,
prioritizing the fight against antisemitic harassment in schools and on college campuses. Established under President Trump’s Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, the task force will be led by Senior Counsel Leo Terrell and coordinated through the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. It will include representatives from the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and other federal agencies. Calling antisemitism “repugnant to this Nation’s ideals,” Terrell vowed decisive action to tackle discrimination. Individuals facing antisemitic harassment can report incidents to the DOJ Civil Rights Division at
civilrights.justice.gov.
DEEPER: You can also report antisemitic incidents on campus or in your neighborhood to ADL; use our incident-reporting form here.
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Cal-Berkeley. Jewish activists continue to condemn an upcoming online forum hosted by the department of gender and women's studies at the University of California, Berkeley. A summary description of the event, “Feminist and Queer Solidarities with Palestine,” initially stated
that it would "look at how Zionism had weaponized feminism, so as to serve Israel's genocidal intent, by upholding debunked accusations of systemic Hamas mass assault.” After complaints, administrators determined that this summary referred just to one panelist's talk, and not the entire event. UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons stated the verbiage was “disturbing and inflammatory," though the university concluded it lacked the ability to cancel the event in significant part because attendance is voluntary. Although the description is no longer on the event's webpage, concerns regarding additional inflammatory statements linked to the panelists continue to
percolate.
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(Anti-Israel encampment in Spring 2024. Source: Kyle Garcia Takata, Daily Californian) |
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Rockland. Rockland Community College (RCC) in New York announced it has become one of roughly twenty colleges and universities that have joined Hillel International’s Campus Climate Initiative,
a flagship Hillel advocacy initiative that works with school administrators to foster a more inclusive environment for Jewish students on campus. The program provides campus staff with resources and training to combat antisemitism, and culminates with the school creating a Campus Action Plan to make campus a safer place. RCC Chief Diversity Officer Melissa L. Roy said, “we are equipping our leadership with the tools and education needed to create a safer, more welcoming space for Jewish students and the entire campus community.”
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Cape Town (South Africa). South Africa’s Cape Town University faces legal proceedings after complaints emerged that two anti-Israel resolutions passed by the school’s executive council may have led to funders pulling out of a planned donation of a hospital
which would have served as a training facility for doctors. Professor Adam Mendelsohn, director of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at the school, said that council members were not told before the anti-Israel vote about the ramifications, and that “had it conducted even a cursory inquiry, it would have learned that its decision would jeopardise one of the most significant donations to UCT in recent years.”
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Australia. Police will begin patrolling Jewish schools across the state of New South Wales following a series of antisemitic incidents.
Messages like “f**k the Jews” were scrawled near a Jewish school in Sydney, prompting high-visibility patrols at drop-off and pick-up times. Similar graffiti appeared at other locations. These follow earlier incidents, including the firebombing of a daycare near a synagogue and the discovery of a caravan containing explosives and a list of Jewish targets. Peter Wertheim of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry warned that such antisemitic acts undermine Australia’s core values of fairness and rule of law, saying "these events bring shame on our country.” | |
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What’s Next for Columbia? This past weekend, a discussion in NYC focused on antisemitism at Columbia University
featured Professor David Schizer, co-chair of Columbia’s antisemitism task force. He talked about what has happened, the impact of the task force and what the future may look like at Columbia. Schizer noted that the frequency of protests has dropped but that the extremism of the protests has not. He also spoke to the role of professors on campus, saying “It’s becoming increasingly common, especially among younger faculty members, to view that podium as their soapbox, their opportunity, because their views are so correct, the issues so important, to use the opportunity to tell students what to think. It’s just bad education.”
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Survivor Speaks, Students Listen. Holocaust survivor Mindu Hornick MBE, 95, returned to Warwick University in the UK to share her harrowing experiences
with over 400 students in a talk organized by the Jewish Society (JSoc). She recounted her journey from a small Jewish community in Czechoslovakia to Auschwitz–Birkenau, where she endured forced labor and survived against all odds. Emphasizing the importance of Holocaust education, Hornick urged students to challenge denial, combat hatred and refuse to be bystanders. The event, part of Holocaust Memorial Week, ended with a standing ovation, reinforcing the necessity of remembering history to prevent its repetition. | |
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Youkilis in Yisrael. Former MLB star Kevin Youkilis embarked
on an emotional mission to Israel in solidarity with victims of the 10/7 attacks and hostages still held by Hamas. For Youkilis, the journey was life-changing. “It has been one of the most eye-opening trips I’ve ever had,” he reflected, describing visits to sites like Kibbutz Be’eri and the Nova Festival massacre site. Youkilis has been an outspoken advocate for Israel and the Jewish people ever since 10/7. For him, this trip further emphasized the importance of sharing Israel’s true story and noted its resilience and diversity. “While it is a Jewish State, it is not just a Jewish State for Jews, but a Jewish State for all,” Youkilis said,
urging others to experience the country firsthand.
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(Source: Courtesy Kevin Youkilis) |
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Genesis to Jerusalem. Zach Bauer is the new CEO of Passages and is focused on strengthening Christian college students’ connection to Israel. Founded in 2016, Passages has organized over 10,000 Birthright-style trips to Israel for Christian college students. While trips were paused post-10/7,
Passages has ramped up campus advocacy,
hosting over 70 events and engaging 16,000 students. Bauer plans to build on recent successes and cultivate more pro-Israel Christian voices while expanding programming, like the launch of an interfaith Shabbat dinner series piloted in collaboration with ADL in 2024. Passages also plans to build out their high school initiatives, serving as a pipeline to college. Bauer said “We need to raise up Christian men and women who are not afraid to speak out in defense of Israel.” | |
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Students — how to take action, deal with antisemitism, and organize your community.
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Alumni — how to organize a sign-on letter, answer a fundraising request, or write a letter to a university president.
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Parents — write a letter about commencement, organize a dial day, or get help selecting a college for your student.
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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.
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Glossary of Commonly Used Antisemitic Phrases Heard at Protests.
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Campus Antisemitism Report Card — see the grade a college earned in this first-ever report card.
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Report an Antisemitic Incident.
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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. | |
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