More than 75 university presidents and chancellors from around the country convened on Sunday and Monday at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. to discuss combating campus antisemitism, a phenomenon that reached an unprecedented fever-pitch the previous academic year following Oct. 7 and the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

The University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism was a partnership between Hillel International, American Jewish Committee and American Council on Education. Panel discussions were centered around topics such as the deep roots of contemporary antisemitism, applications of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and how to navigate the imperatives to protect free speech and create a safe campus for all students. Attendees also participated in solutions-based working sessions where they shared insights into which strategies for addressing antisemitism and disruptive, hostile behavior on campus are proving successful during the new academic year — and how to translate those approaches to other campuses.

Attendees reflected a wide range of institutions of higher education, including the leaders of prominent research universities, as well as regional universities, private liberal arts colleges, community colleges, Ivy League schools and faith-based institutions.

Among the presidents in attendance were some whose institutions made headlines in the past year over antisemitic incidents, including New York University President Linda Mills and University of Michigan President Santa Ono. 

The summit, Mills said in a statement, provided university leaders with “important opportunities to exchange ideas; to stand united in pushing back against antisemitism; to commit to fostering safe and inclusive campuses where students may flourish free from harassment, discrimination, and threats; and to uphold our traditions of reasoned discourse.” Ono said that he left the summit “committed to rooting out the poisonous fruit of deeply held bigotries.” 

The first University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism was held on NYU’s campus in 2022. Since then, rates of antisemitic incidents on college campuses have increased from fewer than 300 in the 2022-2023 school year to more than 1,800 in 2023-2024 following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, according to data from Hillel International. 

Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel, said in a statement that the approach to combating antisemitism has changed “as we seek to restore a safe and inclusive campus environment for all students.” 

This week’s summit was the largest-ever gathering of university presidents to address rising antisemitism on campus, according to the statement.

“Universities play an outsized role in our broader society, encouraging values-driven leadership, the open exchange of ideas, and the principles that form the foundation of our democracy,” added Ted Deutch, CEO of the AJC. “Addressing the hate we’re witnessing on campus is not just essential for the safety and security of Jewish students in the quad, but also for the health of higher education in America.” 

“I am confident the presidents who attended left better equipped to take on these tough issues and the challenges to come, to the benefit of all of our students and communities,” said Ted Mitchell, president of ACE.