The Steinhardt Social Research Institute at Brandeis University has released The Limits of Hostility: Students Report on Antisemitism and anti-Israel Sentiment at Four US Universities.
The report is part of a program of research focusing on undergraduates and their perceptions and experiences of antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility on US campuses. This report examines four institutions, Brandeis University, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Michigan). The report draws on survey data collected in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years from representative samples of undergraduates (both Jewish and non-Jewish) at these schools.
Key findings:
- Jewish students are rarely exposed to antisemitism on campus. The majority of Jewish students at the four schools studied reported that they had not experienced any form of discrimination at their schools due to their religion. In addition, the vast majority reported that they had not personally heard any of a number of antisemitic remarks with any frequency.
- Jewish students do not think their campus is hostile to Jews. The majority of Jewish students at all four schools disagreed that their campus constituted a “hostile environment toward Jews.” Non-Jewish students at all four schools echoed this view. Compared to the other three campuses, both Jewish and non-Jewish students at Michigan were the most likely to agree that there was a hostile environment toward Jews on their campus, although this view was still a minority opinion among students.
- Jewish students are exposed to hostile remarks toward Israel on campus. Hearing hostile remarks toward Israel (primarily from students) was far more prevalent than exposure to antisemitic statements.
- The majority of students disagree that there is a hostile environment toward Israel on campus. Students were more likely to agree that there was a hostile environment toward Israel on their campus than that there was a hostile environment toward Jews, but most students still disagreed with the former. The exception was at Michigan, where just over half of Jewish students agreed to any extent that the school had a hostile environment toward Israel.
- Support for BDS is rare. At each of these schools support for an academic boycott of Israel was virtually nonexistent among Jewish students and was rare among non-Jewish students.
- Israel and Jews are not a top concern for students. At the four schools examined, issues related to Israel and Jews were far down the list of “pressing issues” on campus – even among Jewish students.
- Jewish students feel safe and that they belong on campus. Overwhelmingly, Jewish students at each of the campuses reported feeling safe on their campus. They were also more likely to feel that they “belonged” at their institution than non-Jewish students. The difference was largest at Michigan, suggesting that, while some Jewish students were exposed to antisemitic rhetoric and to anti-Israel hostility, these encounters did not seem to fundamentally alter the students’ experiences on campus.
The complete report is avilable for download here.
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Academic boycott is rare on American campuses. Seeking divestment of the school’s stock portfolios, from companies affiliated with Israel (ie Caterpillar) or seeking removal of Israeli products from the school cafeteria (like hummus) is far more common. Had the research included all BDS on campus, I suspect you would see very different results.
AMCHA’s research showed that after BDS, anti-Semitic responses on campus rise (ie swastikas) leading students to feel less safe.
Len Saxe did a larger study on Hotspots of AntiSemitism and Anti Israel bias previously with Birthright alumni that showed quite clearly that students were uncomfortable with the AntiSemitism and anti-Israel bias on many more American campuses. This new study of four campuses, one of which is heavily culturally Jewish in addition to having a large number of Jewish students and faculty-Brandeis-is hardly representative of what Jewish students are experiencing on campuses nationwide. Why not ask students at UCLA? Because students on the West Coast overwhelmingly report experiencing intense anti-Israel activity and being uncomfortable as Jews on campus. If students at elite liberal arts colleges were polled, I suspect they’d discover the same.
I understand this study may be proposed as a book-end to the first-intended to show that if you’re not at a hotspot campus, things are fine for Jewish students. However, the sample of four universities, two in MA, is not representative of what Jewish students across the nation at colleges, community colleges, and universities, are experiencing.
Finally, I think one one needs to dig deeper into the differentiation between anti-Israel statements on campus and anti-Semitism. Most American college students aren’t criticizing Israeli policy or individual politicians when they criticize Israel on campus. They are usually holding Israel to a double standard or demonizing Israel…which is part of the US State Department’s definition of Anti-Semitism.
I think that using those four Universities as the standard bearer of whether Anti-Semitism or Anti-Israel is a major issue on their campuses is akin to asking the Pope about birth control. These Universities have a Jewish presence on them and have so for years. In fact, Jewish life thrives on these campuses. I agree with the above commentator that the study should be expanded to campuses where Jews are not a significant presence and I am sure there are many from which to choose.
If the current Pope were asked about birth control – and I believe he has been asked – his answer certainly would depart from what has been the standard Catholic position. But I do agree that the four universities included are not even remotely representative of what Jews are experiencing on campus. Years ago, I went to Michigan State at the request of the local Hillel and was told that anti-Israel/anti-Semitic rhetoric and even deeds were prevalent on that campus.
I dare say, had this study been conducted with students at my alma mater, UC Davis, or at UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, Oberlin, Marquette University, just to name a few, the finding would have been much different.
Based on my experience with this issue during 10 years as Berkeley Hillel’s executive director (1997-2008), I am more inclined than previous commenters to believe that this study is fairly reflective of the experiences and attitudes of many Jewish students. Are there Jewish students who experience anti-Semitism and/or anti-Zionism on campus? Absolutely? But I would posit that they are the minority of Jewish students on almost every North American campus.