DePaul, Haverford, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee will hold another hearing on May 7 focusing on campus antisemitism. This hearing will feature presidents from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Haverford College and DePaul University. Committee Chair Tim Walberg stated that the committee's focus is on uncovering campus antisemitism and holding administrators accountable, aiming to protect Jewish students nationwide from threats and harassment. ADL is pleased that the new hearings center on schools that our Campus Antisemitism Report Card shows are in need of improvement.

DEEPER: How are colleges and universities doing on the ADL Campus Antisemitism Report Card? Click here to see the grades for DePaul, Haverford, Cal Poly and other schools you care about.

~~~~~

Stanford. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has charged 12 anti-Israel protestors with vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass for breaking into the University president's office on June 5, 2024. As ADL noted, "District Attorney Rosen said it best: Dissent is American. Vandalism is criminal." The Stanford University Department of Public Safety described the group's actions as a highly organized conspiracy to occupy a building. The student protestors had already received suspensions, probation, delayed degree conferrals and community service hours from the university for their role in the incident.

Stanford anti-Israel student protesters. (Source: Greta Reich/The Stanford Daily)

~~~~~

McGill. McGill University cut ties with its student union (SSMU) after an anti-Israel strike involving class blockades and vandalism. The strike, aimed at pressuring McGill to boycott ties with Israel, caused complaints of intimidation and safety concerns. Despite SSMU's condemnation of the violence, McGill terminated the contract due to the union's involvement. Concurrently, a class-action lawsuit, supported by B'nai Brith Canada, was filed against McGill, alleging the university failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism, citing anti-Israel protests and the student union's perceived tolerance of anti-Jewish sentiment.

~~~~~

Columbia. Interim Columbia University President Claire Shipman has decided to uphold the disciplinary steps taken by the school's Judicial Board and Appeals Board related to the occupation of the school's Hamilton Hall by anti-Israel protesters last spring. Shipman cited both the nature of the behavior by the demonstrators and the need to deter similar conduct. ADL praised the decision, saying “the perpetrators have received due process, and now consequences must be levied against those who actively created a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students and faculty.”

~~~~~

Kansas. The Student Senate at Kansas University has passed a bill claiming that there is a genocide in Palestine. The resolution, pushed by KU Students for Justice in Palestine and allies, has not yet been signed by the Student Body President. During the debate, several Jewish KU students spoke out against the bill, and the school’s Hillel and Chabad issued a joint statement saying that “This is an act of selective, performative activism singling out the State of Israel and villainizing Jewish students who believe in the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.”

(Source: University Daily Kansan)

~~~~~

California K-12. In a ruling by the California Department of Education, the ethnic studies curriculum of a San Jose-area school was found to have discriminated against Jewish students by discussing Israel as a “settler colonial state.” As a result of the verdict, Branham High School has been instructed to provide additional guidance for its English language arts and social studies teachers before the next school year and, during anti-bias training, to review how to discuss the introduction of “controversial topics.” The decision came as a result of a complaint by the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, a local group that is affiliated with the Jewish Federation. ADL added that while "the penalty was little more than a slap on the wrist, it sets an important precedent by recognizing harm."

DEEPER: Earlier this year, California’s Santa Ana Unified School District settled a lawsuit filed by ADL and partners. The lawsuit argued that the school district introduced ethnic studies courses that were developed in secret and infected with antisemitism.

Bouncing Back. A new documentary, “Rebound: A Year of Triumph and Tragedy at Yeshiva University Basketball,” shares the story of how this distinctive college basketball team coped after 10/7. YU is known for playing Hatikvah before games and bringing a torah on weekend trips. They also have many players who are Israeli or are Americans who have served in the IDF as lone soldiers. The film follows the student athletes as they played through their grief and anger, and the cameras came along on a pivotal team trip to Israel. As YU President Rabbi Ari Berman said: “In the wake of Oct. 7, our basketball team made a defining choice: to stand tall as proud Jews, embodying unity, and strength far beyond the court.”

~~~~~

Healing a Wrong. Roughly a year after being suspended from the International Federation of Medical Student Associations, the Israeli Medical Student Association has been welcomed back to the fold. Two prominent American doctors and academics — Edward C. Halperin MD MA and Alan Kadish MD — recently wrote a column explaining how they helped lead a push in the U.S. to reverse the initial decision, and to oppose mixing politics with medical education. As Halperin and Kadish noted, while they can’t prove that their extensive advocacy for Israeli med students is what reversed the tide, they “proudly claim that leaders of American medicine and the Jewish community did not ‘stand idly by.’”

Are There a Thousand New Doctors in the House? Over the past 12 months, more than 27,000 new immigrants have moved to Israel, according to new Israeli government data. Despite the security challenges facing Israel, the past year’s influx brought arrivals from across the globe. The biggest groups came from Russia, then the United States and France, but people came from unexpected places too, including South Korea, Kenya and Afghanistan. The immigrants include over 3,000 engineers and 1,300 doctors, and the highest number of the arrivals ended up in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

Archival photo of immigrant arrivals. (Source: Nefesh b'Nefesh)

• Campus Community Advocacy Resources — From social media shares to letter writing campaigns, ADL has clear steps for you to take action and effect change on college campuses.
• K-12 Advocacy Resources — Tools and knowledge to foster and advocate for a safe, inclusive and equitable school environment for all.
• University Faculty and Staff — Support for impacted faculty and staff, guidance on how to discuss what constitutes antisemitism and anti-Zionism and how to provide help to students and colleagues.
• University Administration — Guidance & Best Practices for making campuses safer and more inclusive.
• Campus Antisemitism Report Card — See the grades of 135 universities, the current state of antisemitism on campus and how colleges and universities are responding.
• Chai-er Ed Podcast — ADL’s campus podcast, brings you firsthand stories from Jewish students navigating today’s college campuses.
• General Campus Resources — ADL Backgrounders, Educational Programming, Research and Analysis and more.
• Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL) — College or university students, professors, or employees who want to report campus incidents of antisemitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism or violence that may necessitate legal action can report to CALL for legal support.
• K-12 Antisemitism Legal Line — Parents and other interested adults in California, Massachusetts and New York can report incidents of antisemitic discrimination, intimidation, harassment, vandalism or violence occurring in K-12 schools to the K-12 Antisemitism Legal Line.
• Report an Antisemitic Incident.

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