Columbia. A new report from the Columbia University Task Force on Antisemitism after a survey of last year’s student body reveals that nearly two thirds of Jewish students didn’t feel accepted for their religious identity, which was worse than for Muslim students (53% felt unaccepted) and far worse than for Christian students (just 11%). The report, which was based on input from over 9000 students who attended Columbia during the 2023-2024 school year and which the head of the school’s Hillel called “very significant and sobering,” also noted that 53% of Jewish students reported feeling personal danger because they supported Jews or Israel, and that 27% of Jewish students participated in protests to support Israel, while 12% participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Anti-Israel protesters outside Columbia earlier this year. (Source: Heather Chen / Columbia Daily Spectator)

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Toronto. At a University of Toronto Governing Council meeting, Dr. Robert Cooper introduced a motion urging the university to adopt several federal recommendations for combating antisemitism. These included banning campus encampments, rejecting the BDS movement, affirming Zionism as Jewish self-determination and adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Cooper argued that failure to support the motion would portray the university as enabling antisemitism, a statement that drew a strong backlash from fellow council members. The motion was ultimately defeated by a vote of 17-0, with two abstentions. The administration has previously declined to adopt the IHRA definition, citing concerns over academic freedom.

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Student Group Spouts Extremism. The ADL Center on Extremism has been tracking spikes in antisemitic and anti-Israel reactions online since the United States military strikes against Iranian regime nuclear sites. Among the hardcore anti-Zionist voices heard was National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), which said online that “The empire will fall, from Gaza to Tehran,” referring to Israel as the "Zionist vassal state" of the United States. NSJP also namechecked Ghassan Kanafani, a former leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Palestinian terrorist group with ties to the Iranian regime.

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A Protester Returns. Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent anti-Israel activist and recent Columbia University graduate, resumed public demonstrations in New York on June 21, just a day after being released from immigration detention. Greeted by supporters at Newark Airport, Khalil vowed to continue his protests despite ongoing deportation proceedings by the Trump administration. A legal permanent resident with a U.S. citizen wife and child, Khalil became a central figure in the administration’s campus concerns. While a federal judge blocked deportation based on foreign policy grounds, the case remains open over allegations of immigration fraud. Khalil previously served as a spokesperson for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group that praised violent Palestinian resistance and hosted pro-Hamas figures on campus.

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Georgetown. The university says it is “appalled” by a now-deleted social media post from Islamic Studies Professor Jonathan Brown, who suggested that Iran carry out a “symbolic strike” on a U.S. military base following recent U.S. attacks on Iranian facilities. Brown, who chairs Georgetown’s Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, later asserted that he did not intend to call for violence. ADL strongly condemned the posting as dangerous and irresponsible. The university is looking into Brown’s posting; this incident surfaced as the university prepares for a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism. Georgetown’s Qatar campus and related foreign funding have faced heightened scrutiny in the wake of 10/7.

(The top section of a deleted social media post from Jonathan Brown | Source: X: @JonathanACBrown)

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Chicago. Another academic speaking up for the Iranian regime is the University of Chicago’s Alireza Doostdar, an associate professor of Islamic Studies and a member of the anti-Israel Faculty for Justice in Palestine. He said on social media that "At this point the best and only hope for peace is the power and durability of Iranian missiles." Doostdar is a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen; his brother was convicted in 2020 of spying on Iranian dissidents and monitoring Jewish institutions including a Hillel and a Chabad center. ADL emphasizes that extreme anti-Israel sentiment can slip into the legitimization of violence, and calls on the university to take this seriously and conduct an investigation.

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Georgetown. Speaking of Georgetown... Antisemitic graffiti is again under investigation there after swastikas were found etched into pillars in McCarthy and Kennedy residence halls. The vandalism was announced in a campus-wide email by Vice Presidents Rosemary Kilkenny and Fr. Mark Bosco, who called the symbols “deeply troubling” and affirmed the university’s support for its Jewish community. The Georgetown University Police Department is investigating. This marks the second antisemitic vandalism case in two months —following the defacement of a poster in a campus residence hall in April.

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German Universities. In the wake of 10/7, antisemitic incidents at German academic institutions have skyrocketed. A new study by the organization MEMRI notes that in many cases, this antisemitism seeks to claim a role reversal where Jews and/or Israelis are now oppressors, and Palestinians are the “new Jews” being oppressed. The report also says that the large-scale protests on U.S. campuses have inspired similar outbursts in Germany, with anti-Israel groups using encampments, sit-ins and the like to push their agenda.

Liberté, Égalité, No Antisémitisme. In a moment of transatlantic academic unity, university leaders and policymakers from the U.S. and France gathered in Paris for the inaugural French-American Forum on Antisemitism, held at the prominent Sciences Po university. The summit tackled the tough question: What can universities do when antisemitism moves from debate topic to lived threat? Representing Washington University, Chancellor Andrew Martin and Vice Chancellor Rebecca Brown joined French and American leaders to strategize on campus responses, noting key differences in protest management (WashU has campus police, Sciences Po has…good intentions). The forum sparked concrete plans, including a new Fulbright Specialist Program and ongoing collaborations to defend democratic values. Bonus round: it ended with a Normandy visit and a Shabbat dinner, proving international antisemitism summits can still include carbs.

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Free Minds & Free Tuition. In response to concerns about politicization and declining academic standards in Middle East studies, particularly post-10/7 and the ensuing campus controversies, Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy in partnership with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy has announced a new, two-year master’s program in Middle East Policy Studies. Launching in fall 2025, the initiative is designed to avoid the bias of current programs, and will be funded solely by U.S. citizens and foundations. This initiative aims to train the next generation of policymakers grounded in scholarship, not advocacy. Professor and Dean Pete Peterson wrote “We have chosen a different path. To attract the very best and brightest, we will ensure that merit is the sole criterion for admission by launching this program tuition-free.” ADL commends this promising collaboration in hopes that it increases understanding.

• 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.

Thank you for reading the Campus Crisis Alert, brought to you by the ADL Ronald Birnbaum Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education (CCAE). Do you have something to share with us? Please email us at [email protected] with any suggestions, questions, photos or videos.