Pomona. ADL and its partners announced a settlement of a legal complaint against Pomona College based on allegations the school had permitted severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish students in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As part of the settlement negotiated by ADL and its partners, the California school has agreed to take urgently needed strides toward creating a safe and welcoming environment for its Jewish and Israeli students, faculty and staff. The reforms – including key pieces of ADL’s agenda for universities, such as hiring a Title VI coordinator and ensuring polices and trainings are clear that antisemitism (including anti-Zionism) is a prohibited form of discrimination -- are much needed after antisemitic hostility and discrimination skyrocketed on Pomona’s campus following 10/7. A long list of incidents in the legal complaint includes everything from explicitly pro-Hamas protests to shoving and harassing Jewish students. As ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt observed, the agreement is “a critical turning point for Pomona’s Jewish students, faculty, and staff. The comprehensive reforms negotiated with Pomona touch nearly every aspect of campus life.”

👉 TAKE ACTION: Has a student you know experienced antisemitism? ADL Legal Action Network is designed to provide victims of antisemitism and extremism with access to legal services.

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Columbia. Sometimes you don't even need to read past the headline to see the problem for Jewish students. In this case, "Columbia antisemitism task force report finds all its Middle East faculty are anti-Zionist. " The report found that students face a lack of ideological diversity, and report that many classes treat Zionism as illegitimate. The task force called for remedies to protect the academic freedom of Jewish and Israeli students, and for all university policies against discrimination to include Jewish and Israeli students. ADL has supported the work of the task force for the past 18 months, and is pleased to see President Shipman has committed to “implementing the recommendations of the task force and addressing antisemitism on our campus.”

Masked protestors disrupt an Israel history class at Columbia in January 2025. (Screenshot: Source: Orri Zussman)

DEEPER: Antisemitism task forces can be an important lever for prodding schools to better support Jewish students and faculty. ADL has a handy best-practice guide for those groups.

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More Columbia Concerns. Jewish and Israeli employees at Columbia who faced discrimination after 10/7 can file for a piece of a $21 million settlement, the largest religious discrimination payout in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission history.

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California. In another case of faculty using their positions of power to advocate problematic views in classrooms, a new video shows virulently anti-Israel Cal State University Los Angeles professor Melina Abdullah using her class time to coach students on how to oppose a California antisemitism bill… while claiming Israel controls Congress and AIPAC rigs elections. She also falsely claimed that burning the Israeli flag is illegal (it’s not). Abdullah's livestream of the class shows her downplaying antisemitism, casting Jewish support for Israel as incompatible with justice and praising violent revolutionary texts — all while urging students to sign a petition against a bill meant to protect K-12 students from hate. The university says it’s “aware” of the footage and “looking into it.”

Professor Melina Abdullah (at right) speaks to a class at Cal State on 9/18/25. (Screenshot/ YouTube)

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Berkeley. After ghosting an Israeli dance professor with a “campus climate is too hot right now” message, UC Berkeley has settled a discrimination lawsuit and admitted it violated its own policies. Yael Nativ, who once taught a course on contemporary Israeli dance, was denied reappointment after 10/7 because faculty were “under pressure” not to host anyone from Israel. Now, the university has issued a formal apology, awarded her $60K in damages and invited her back to teach whenever she wants. It's a major win for academic integrity and a reminder that Berkeley can't plié its way around accountability forever.

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Michigan. As antisemitism has surged across Michigan, campus educators and other leaders convened to confront the crisis. Hosted by the Academic Engagement Network and co-sponsored by ADL Michigan, the conference included ADL Regional Director Elyssa Schmier speaking to administrators about practical steps they can take to protect campus communities. Watch  Miriam Elman of the Academic Engagement Network explain how Jewish students are being vilified and demonized, and what is needed to confront rising challenges and to strengthen support for Jewish students and all students on campus.

DEEPER: ADL provides a comprehensive best practices guide that university administrations are using to take steps towards providing students with a welcoming campus that has no tolerance for antisemitism.

California. A shocking photo of eight Branham High School students lying on a football field in the shape of a “human swastika,” paired with a Hitler quote calling for the annihilation of Jews, went viral last week. The post was deleted, but screenshots of the chilling incident continue to circulate. School administrators and police have launched an investigation, and the students face disciplinary action. Noting that Branham school administrators have reached out to ADL since the incident, ADL Central Pacific Regional Director Marc Levine stated: “We all want to keep hate out of student spaces.”

(Image source: ILTV_Israel | Instagram)

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Putting the ‘Hebrew’ Back in Hebrew School. For many Jewish students, Hebrew school at their synagogue during their K-12 years is the last formal Jewish education they will have, and it may not be something kids are giddy to shlep to at the end of a long school day. Are these Hebrew schools doing a good job with actually teaching Hebrew? The 2025 Hebrew Snapshot Survey sheds a light on recent improvements in this effort that might make students enjoy learning the language and have it stick in their brains through their bar or bat mitzvahs and beyond.

How to Restore Trust. Students at Sarah Lawrence returned from Thanksgiving break to find a campus wall shouting at them - “ZIONISM IS RACISM + GENOCIDE” and “F*** NORMALIZATION.” For Jewish students, the message was a very personal affront suggesting that they do not belong. In recent years, some of them have hesitated to participate --censoring themselves in class to avoid being branded a problem. Sarah Lawrence professor Samuel J. Abrams’ warning is blunt: school leaders cannot preach dialogue while letting dehumanizing slogans set the tone. They must confront the campus culture honestly and afford Jewish students the same protections as any other group.

DEEPER: To learn more about the harmful nature of such slogans, read ADL's backgrounder on Questions, Complexities and Context: Insights into Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

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Frat Fights Back. At a time when many campus orgs are scrambling to respond to anti-Jewish hate, Alpha Epsilon Pi is reminding everyone that preparation beats panic. The fraternity’s CEO, Rob Derdiger, says it best: “You can’t build a people off fear. You build a people off pride.” AEPi chapters have become hubs of Jewish strength — with brothers organizing rallies, advising administrators and showing up for Jewish life in real ways. The model isn’t just reactive; it’s proactive. It’s not just about antisemitism response. It’s about Jewish joy, identity and leadership -- baked in from the start. And they’re not alone. Across the country, Jewish Greek life is proving to be a critical haven for Jewish students.

Game Changers — Faith, Family and Football: A Conversation with Geoff and Lee Schwartz

Register now for an inspiring conversation with former NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz and his father Lee Schwartz about Jewish identity, family and resilience.

Geoff spent eight seasons in the NFL and became, along with his brother Mitchell, the first Jewish siblings in the NFL since the 1920s. Today, he’s a national sports commentator. Lee will share the parent’s perspective from his book Raising Giants, reflecting on raising two Jewish athletes. The program will include a Q&A, so come with your questions about how the family navigated Jewish identity in locker rooms, responded to antisemitism and balanced the demands of professional sports with faith and family.

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT

👉 REGISTER NOW for this free online event.

• Campus Community Advocacy Toolkit — From incident reporting and educational resources to letter-writing campaigns and Know Your Rights factsheets, ADL has clear steps for you to take action and effect change on college campuses.
• University Administration — Guidance and 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.
• General Campus Resources — ADL Backgrounders, Educational Programming, Research and Analysis and more.
• ADL Legal Action Network — Anyone over 18 can report incidents of antisemitism to ADL for our network of law firms nationwide.
• K-12 Advocacy Resources — Tools and knowledge to foster and advocate for a safe, inclusive and equitable school environment for all.
• K-12 Advocacy Resources for Independent Schools — Additional resources for members of independent K-12 school communities.
• Report an Antisemitic Incident.

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