|
CUNY. The City University of New York (CUNY) has signed off on a settlement to provide a list of its financial holdings and contracts after a legal inquiry about the school’s Israel-related transactions was filed by a CUNY student. The anti-Israel groups CUNY Law SJP and CUNY SJP praised the decision, saying “We will soon know the exact amount of money that CUNY directly invests in companies complicit in Israeli colonialism and the exact amount it must divest.” ADL-affiliate
JLens has noted that BDS-driven divestment could cost major universities billions in endowment returns over the next decade. For more ADL insights into BDS campaigns, read our Guide to Understanding and Countering BDS Calls.
 |
|
Anti-Israel protesters march to CUNY in June 2026. (Credit: Elliot Heath, Columbia Spectator) |
~~~~~
Antisemitism in Education Unions. ADL has released two new reports examining the experiences of Jewish members of education unions. One, produced with the Academic Engagement Network, finds that some higher education teachers’ unions are failing Jewish faculty and graduate students amid increasingly hostile and exclusionary anti-Israel activity. A
second report focuses on U.S. K-12 teachers’ unions, finding widespread self-censorship and concern about discrimination among the Jewish teachers surveyed, including that 70% feared consequences for speaking up about the treatment of Jews. For more insights on the implications of this new report,
watch a quick video explainer from ADL Director of Advocacy Sara Colb.
~~~~~
Macalester. Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota is facing criticism over a sociology course titled “Palestine,” which has a course outline that presents problematic and questionable claims — including an “ongoing genocide of Palestinians” and Israel’s “continued territorial expansion” — as settled fact. The syllabus also assigns readings by Mohammed El-Kurd, who has played into the antisemitic
“Blood Libel” trope and repeatedly demonized Zionism and Zionists. If you have to ask if a syllabus has veered from open inquiry into promoting antisemitism, it probably has. Want to be sure? Use ADL’s new guide to help you assess the class.
~~~~~
Harvard. The Justice Department has appealed the dismissal of its antisemitism lawsuit against Harvard University, asking the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to revive federal claims that the school violated Title VI in its treatment of Jewish and Israeli students. The move follows
Judge Richard Stearns' decision to toss the case, ruling the incidents cited were "too isolated and episodic" to prove an ongoing violation. The suit had sought to pull back nearly $1 billion in federal research funding. Commenting on the lawsuit’s dismissal, ADL said that despite meaningful steps taken so far, “Harvard still has work to do” to ensure Jewish and Israeli students, staff and faculty can feel safe and participate fully in campus life.
More from Harvard Yard: The school has rolled out a required module about its nondiscrimination and sexual misconduct policies. The module – for students, faculty, staff and postdocs – cites the IHRA Working Definition of antisemitism as part of its coverage of antisemitism concerns.
 |
|
A 2024 anti-Israel encampment in Harvard Yard; the federal complaint cited the university response to encampments. (Photo: Frank S. Zhou/Harvard Crimson) |
~~~~~
California Colleges. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened Title VI investigations into San José State University (SJSU) and San Francisco State University (SFSU) over alleged antisemitic harassment of Jewish students. At SJSU, complaints cite physical attacks, disrupted classes and an email allegedly sent from a school official distinguishing “good Jews” and “bad Jews”
based on views toward Israel. The probe follows other incidents at SJSU, including graffiti reading "Kill all Jews" and a bomb threat hoax tied to a graduate student now barred from all California State University campuses. At SFSU, complainants allege that faculty used their authority to create a hostile environment, along with graffiti and attempted break-ins targeting Jewish students. Both schools say the federal investigation isn't a finding of wrongdoing. See ADL's
Campus Antisemitism Report Card for insights into how California universities are addressing their campus climate.
~~~~~
Clark. A new national initiative to help Jewish students cope with the mental health effects of antisemitism has kicked off at Clark University in Massachusetts. Administrators, academics and counseling center staff in Clark’s psychology department will get training about the impact of antisemitism on students. ADL’s most recent
Audit of Antisemitic Incidents drove home the need to support students in the face of antisemitism, finding that while incidents on campuses nationwide have declined significantly over the past year, there were nevertheless 583 antisemitic incidents on campus in 2025, three times higher than they were before the 10/7 attacks on Israel.
~~~~~
Listen & Learn. ADL’s latest “From the Frontlines” podcast highlights an engaging discussion between ADL’s Scott Richman and leaders from five schools in the NY/NJ region that are getting something right for their Jewish students. Each of these schools — Queens College, Baruch College, Brooklyn College, Rockland Community College and NYU — received an “A” on the latest Campus Antisemitism Report Card
after receiving poor marks on the initial Report Card release. Don’t miss this lively talk about the policies, cultural changes and other steps that these schools took to combat antisemitism post-10/7. Listen on SoundCloud, Apple and
Spotify. | 
