Your Daily Phil: 83% of Jewish students encountered antisemitism post-Oct. 7 — study
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s edition of Your Daily Phil, we report on a new analysis by Prizmah showing the effects of a Jewish day school education on Jewish identity and engagement, and on Jewish organization’s reactions to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on combating antisemitism. We feature an opinion piece by Jonathan Greenblatt and Adam Lehman about new data released today from a survey on campus antisemitism, and one by Hilla Drechler and Dor Lasker on seeing and valuing “cultural Jews” for who they are as opposed to focusing on who they aren’t. Also in this newsletter: Refael Hasid, Dan Loeb and Dani Dayan.
What We’re Watching
Earlier today, Israeli civilians Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Moses and Israeli soldier Agam Berger, as well as five Thai nationals — Pongsak Thanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Seathao and Surasak Lamnao — were freed after more than 15 months in captivity in Gaza. Steve Witkoff, the White House’s Middle East envoy, indicated that another hostage, one with American citizenship, may be released tomorrow as well.
We’re also following the emerging details of a deadly plane crash on Wednesday night just outside Washington at Reagan National Airport, in which an American Airlines flight from Kansas carrying 64 people collided in midair with a U.S. Army helicopter that was on a training flight. Officials said there were no survivors as the aircraft crashed into the Potomac River. It’s the first major commercial airline crash in the U.S. since 2009.
What You Should Know
Few topics have occupied the American Jewish community over the past 15 months more than rising antisemitism on college campuses, from practical debates over whether Jewish donors should continue to support certain universities and whether Jewish students should attend them to more fundamental questions about the status of Jews in academia, writes eJewishPhilanthropy‘s Judah Ari Gross.
Two new developments will likely fuel more such discussions: President Donald Trump’s executive order yesterday that calls to “marshal all federal resources” to combat antisemitism on college campuses, among other places; and a new survey released today that was conducted jointly by the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International showing that a large majority of Jewish students — 83% — have experienced or witnessed antisemitism firsthand since Oct. 7, 2023.
The “Executive Order on Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism” calls on all federal departments to consider what actions they can take to fight antisemitism. Though in the White House’s fact sheet, the executive order is described as threatening to “cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers” and deport the “resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests,” the executive order itself is far more modest. Instead, the White House instructs the secretaries of State, Education and Homeland Security to “familiarize” universities with federal immigration guidelines so that the institutions can monitor foreign students and staff for infractions of those regulations, which can lead “as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”
Several Jewish groups full-throatedly welcomed the executive order, while others expressed a degree of ambivalence about its contents, and some raised concerns about the potential for First Amendment violations. More on this below.
The executive order was signed hours before the ADL and Hillel released the findings of their new survey, which also found that some 40% of Jewish students felt the need to hide their Jewishness and that nearly half of non-Jewish students held some antisemitic beliefs. In response to this new study, the heads of the two organizations are calling for universities to take the issue seriously. Read their opinion piece on this topic below.
SURVEY SAYS
Jewish day school alumni far more connected to Jewish identity, Israel than peers in college — study

A new analysis of data on Jewish college students is furnishing fresh evidence of the efficacy of Jewish day schools in instilling a connection to Jewish identity and practice and to Israel, reports eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross. Reviewing a three-year study of Jewish college students conducted by Eitan Hersh of Tufts University, Odelia Epstein, the director of knowledge, research and data at Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools, found that alumni of Jewish day schools are more connected to and engaged with Judaism and Israel compared with peers who did not attend Jewish day schools. They are significantly more likely to say their Jewish identity is important, to attend Jewish programming on campus and to report feeling connected to the Jewish community and to Israel.
Success stories: “These findings strongly suggest that Jewish day schools contribute to fostering a lifelong commitment to Jewish life and values. At a time when college campuses are often arenas of tension for Jewish students, this evidence provides a compelling case for Jewish day school education as a means of ensuring a vibrant committed Jewish future,” Epstein wrote in the study, which was released this week. These disparities between day school alumni and non-day school alumni generally remained consistent regardless of the denomination of the student, though day school alumni from an Orthodox background reported the highest levels of Jewish engagement and identity, according to the study.
COMMUNAL RESPONSE
Jewish groups laud spirit of executive order combating antisemitism, with some caution

Several major Jewish organizations welcomed President Donald Trump’s executive order on Wednesday calling on every federal agency and department to review and report on civil and criminal actions available within their jurisdiction to fight antisemitism. Some groups also expressed caution that deportations carried out under the executive order could conflict with the First Amendment, report Haley Cohen and Marc Rod for eJewishPhilanthropy’s sister publication Jewish Insider.
Difference of opinion: Amid soaring antisemitism in the U.S. since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, Michael Masters, CEO of the Secure Community Network, called for “every lawful tool [to] be at the disposal of our federal law enforcement and public safety partners to be able to mitigate threats and stop violence against Jews before it happens.” The Nexus Task Force, which pushes for a definition of antisemitism favored by progressives as an alternative to the widely embraced International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition, condemned the new executive order, arguing that it does violate free speech. “The order cynically weaponizes legitimate concerns about Jewish safety to suppress constitutionally protected speech and threatens vulnerable student populations,” Jonathan Jacoby, the group’s national director, said in a statement.
Read the full report here and sign up for Jewish Insider’s Daily Kickoff here.
COLLEGE CHAOS
Antisemitism on campus is a crisis we must address together

“Although we each lead a major Jewish organization, today we address you not just as CEOs but also as fathers of current and recently graduated Jewish college students,” write Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
A hostile environment: “Across the United States, Jewish students are facing a crisis. According to a survey we conducted together with College Pulse, more than 83% of Jewish students have witnessed or experienced antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked the Jewish state. In this campus environment, more than 40% feel the need to hide their Jewish identity, and 1 in 4 have taken extra security measures to protect themselves… Antisemitism manifests on campuses in various ways, including offensive and demonizing comments about Jews or Israel and vandalism targeting Jewish spaces and even individual student dorm rooms and apartments. We found it particularly stunning and alarming that more than 1 in 4 Jewish students reported observing antisemitic activity or statements by faculty members.… This normalized hostility and discrimination has profound consequences.”
‘JUST JEWISH’ 2.0
Make the ‘Jewish awakening’ sustainable: Shaping meaningful Jewish cultural identity

“Although cultural Jews typically connect to Judaism through cultural lenses (values, family, traditions, belonging, etc.) and not religious ones, they generally do not self-identify as ‘cultural Jews’ but rather more simply as ‘Just Jews,’” write Hilla Drechler, director of the Zionist Enterprises Department at the World Zionist Organization, and Dor Lasker, deputy CEO of Atchalta, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy. “What’s missing is a unifying factor — a shared concept of cultural Jewish identity.”
Come together: “We argue that the new challenge for world Jewry, both in the Diaspora and in Israel, will be to create a framework for cultural Jewish identity that establishes a new, shared identification space for millions of young Jews across the Jewish world, both in Israel and the Diaspora. This identity would be based on shared cultural and religious values, a mutual understanding of Jewish identity and a collective sense of responsibility for the fate of the Jewish people. Moving forward, this identity could even form a mission alliance — for instance, strengthening cultural Jewish identity as a means of sustaining a pluralistic/liberal Jewish existence for generations to come. ”
Worthy Reads
Choose Life: In The Times of Israel, Founding Editor David Horovitz highlights the importance of ensuring that the vacuum left by UNRWA in Gaza is filled by an entity or entities that will espouse peace and coexistence instead of championing war and annihilation of Israel. “At the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, the representative of the Trump administration voiced unstinting support — lone support, it should be stressed, in the face of all the other wise and worldly diplomats — for Israeli laws that come into effect on Thursday to ban the operations here of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, and cease all cooperation with the agency in its work in Gaza and the West Bank… UNRWA, in its pernicious handling of the refugee issue, in its schooling, its staffing and oversight, and in its own staffers’ complicity in the mass murder in Israel that caused the war and devastation in Gaza, has perpetuated a fundamental intolerance for the simple fact of Israel’s existence, and in so doing helped Hamas and by extension doomed Gaza to its current reality. The way forward for Gaza’s Palestinians, and for everybody who interacts with them, can only be changed for the better by a very different international and local leadership, support system and, most essentially, educational system and ethos, that advocate tolerance and coexistence and a respect for the sanctity of life.” [TOI]
Starting Something New: Historian Micah McElroy and sociologist Aaron Horvath, both affiliated with Stanford University’s Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, are developing a new multidisciplinary research initiative called the Institute on Private Wealth and the Public Good (PWPG), Mike Scutari reports in Inside Philanthropy. “Attuned to the myriad dynamics animating the philanthrosphere — an ascendant plutocracy, creeping authoritarianism, progressive funders’ disavowal of neoliberalism — the initiative aims to reclaim philanthropy as a tool for building civic infrastructure and fostering the conditions for an egalitarian society through research, convenings and more. In an email to IP, philanthropy scholar and Just Giving author Robert Reich, who is not affiliated with the PWPG, said that from a ‘substantive perspective, [PWPG] gets at the heart of one of the most important and yet under-discussed dimensions of the future political economy — the coming $72 billion wealth transfer.’ And from an ‘outcome perspective,’ PWPG ‘combines immediate intellectual outputs — convenings and publications — and long-term field-building efforts.’” [InsidePhilanthropy]
Back to School, Please: In The New York Times, Jessica Grose writes about the frustrations of parents in disaster areas dealing with, on top of everything else, the disruption of their children’s education. “School disruption from natural disasters is becoming more common because of climate change, and America is not ready for it… Most critically, we can no longer greet national disasters of this scale as surprises. We can’t GoFundMe our way out of future climate disasters for our children. We need careful planning, and we need to recognize that kids only get one shot at an education — and that there is real mourning when they miss their first homecoming dance or their fifth grade graduation, when they don’t get to experience the normal and imperfect passage of each season. When people lose everything, the communities that parents, teachers and children form around schools are even more vital. Rebuilding these bonds needs to be a national effort, and it should start now.” [NYTimes]
Melting Pot: In The Forward, Refael Hasid, the owner of an Israeli restaurant in New York that was vandalized last week, says he won’t be deterred. “I was born and raised in Petah Tikvah, where I learned that Israel, as a young nation, has been shaped by a medley of cultures, cuisines, and traditions from more than 100 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Europe and beyond. Our food at Miriam is made with the deepest respect for the diverse history, and cultures, that inform the cuisine with which I was raised. It’s always devastating to see hate find its way into spaces dedicated to joy and connection. Yet, while this act of vandalism hurt me deeply, it also reaffirmed the mission I’ve worked so hard to enact. I knew I had a choice to make. I could let this act define the narrative of Miriam, or I could use it as an opportunity to amplify the values of neighborliness, warmth and inclusion that we represent. For me, the decision was clear. Instead of focusing on the negativity, I choose to focus on the outpouring of support we receive from the community. Local residents, regular customers, and even strangers who had never before set foot in the restaurant are reaching out with words of encouragement. The overwhelming response reminds me why I started this journey in the first place. It reaffirms my belief that the majority of people — regardless of their background — desire unity.” [Forward]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump issued an executive order that is meant to free up federal funding for non-public school programs — a move hailed by religious groups, including the Orthodox Union and Agudath Israel of America…
Ethan Felson, the executive director of the Jewish LGBT group A Wider Bridge, who is on medical leave ahead of heart surgery, has been charged with lewd and lascivious conduct over an alleged incident with a museum employee last year; Felson denies the allegations against him…
Australian officials are warning of a significant rise in antisemitic violence, following three separate incidents of antisemitic vandalism overnight, a day after a trailer with explosives was found on the property of an individual who had previously been arrested following investigations into antisemitic violence…
Several major Jewish organizations are calling on the American Academy of Pediatrics to retract a letter that it wrote earlier this month in support of Dr. Hassam Abu Safiya, a Gazan doctor who was detained by the Israeli military, in light of his affiliation with the terrorist group Hamas…
The independent U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted unanimously earlier this month to open a yearlong investigation into the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, which is set to include a probe of how the Department of Education and Department of Justice have responded to the growing crisis…
The New York Times examines how some universities have begun taking action against anti-Israel activity on campus…
Third Point’s Dan Loeb unveiled his 10% stake in Soho House as he raised concerns about a deal backed by Ron Burkle that would take the company private…
Pic of the Day

Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan speaks yesterday at an event in New York City Hall in honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which was marked on Monday. At the event, which was attended by nearly two dozen Holocaust survivors, the New York City Council issued a proclamation honoring Yad Vashem.
“We do not use the word ‘celebrate’ to mark the liberation of Auschwitz,” Dayan said during his speech. “During 1944 and 1945, all the Jews of Europe and North Africa were liberated from the brink of extermination, but for those Jews and the entire Jewish people in general, it was far from a happy occasion. Liberation came too late.”
The event was one of two co-hosted this week by Yad Vashem and its newly formed American affiliate, Yad Vashem USA Foundation. Later today, East 67th Street, home to Park East Synagogue, will be named “Yad Vashem Way” at an event that is expected to be attended by New York Mayor Eric Adams.
“We’re not even 100 years later. And antisemitism has reared its ugly head all around us. And I think for survivors to be alive and to have witnessed Oct. 7 and then the reaction to Oct. 7, it’s very, very painful,” Tamar Major, national director of philanthropy for Yad Vashem USA Foundation, told eJewishPhilanthropy.
Birthdays

Israeli actor, director and author, he is known for starring in “Shtisel” and as the host of the popular reality TV show, “The Voice Israel,” Michael Aloni…
Chairman of The Cordish Companies, David S. Cordish… Artist who paints Biblical narratives based upon her Torah study, Barbara “Willy” Mendes… Professor at the school of pharmacy at Hebrew University, Meir Bialer… Teacher and community leader, Judith Friedman Rosen… Broadcaster for MLB’s Oakland Athletics and author of two baseball related books, Kenneth Louis Korach… Upton, Wyo., resident, Heather Graf… Vice president of corporate engagement at the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in New Hyde Park, N.Y., Linda Scacco… CEO of the Jewish National Fund, Russell F. Robinson… Member of the California State Senate from 2014 until 2019, now a member of the Nevada State Senate, Jeffrey Earle Stone… Philadelphia-area psychologist, Dr. Rachel Ginzberg… Managing partner of lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Richard B. Benenson… Director of public relations for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Zalman Shmotkin… Associate professor in the electrical engineering department at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Guy Gilboa… Israeli singer, songwriter and music producer, Assaf Amdursky… Publicist, manager and socialite, she runs an eponymous New York City PR and management firm, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Grubman… Special projects editor at The Week Junior, Bari Nan Cohen Rothchild… At-large member of the Montgomery County (Md.) Council, Evan M. Glass… Dallas resident, Gisele Marie Rogers… Senior advisor at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Joshua M. Kram… Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-NY) from 2015 to 2023, he was sworn in yesterday as administrator of the EPA in the Trump 47 administration, Lee Zeldin… National correspondent for ABC News Radio, Steven Portnoy… CEO at Harvesting Media and host of the “Kosher Money” podcast, Eli Langer… Media professional and communications strategist, Alyona Minkovski… Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives since 2019, he is the eldest son of U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Matthew S. Blumenthal… Partner in Avalanche VC and strategic advisor at Array Education, Eric Scott Lavin… Former deputy national security advisor to VPOTUS Kamala Harris, Rebecca Friedman Lissner… Sports Illustrated model, Kate Lynne Bock Love… Senior principal at Publicis Sapient, Max Delahanty… Professional ice hockey defenseman, he played on Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is currently playing with EHC Red Bull München, Jonathon Blum… Principal at Blue Wolf Capital Partners, Jared Isenstein… Ice hockey forward for four seasons at Northeastern University, she is now playing in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, Chelsey Goldberg… Digital marketing manager in South Florida, Alexa Smith…