A year of hate: Incidents of campus antisemitism

On last month’s Olami Campus Leader Mission to Israel, we brought Jewish student leaders from universities across the United States and Canada to share their harrowing experiences of campus antisemitism with top Israeli government officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and the Knesset members who heard their testimony were profoundly moved and shocked by the extent and intensity of antisemitism that students are facing on US campuses.

This response mirrored the reaction on our earlier mission to Washington, DC, where Olami student leaders met with Congress members and senators to highlight the severity of antisemitism at their universities. Sharing personal accounts like this is a crucial part of Olami’s mission; these narratives expose the deep and personal impact of hatred that news headlines can only hint at. Despite widespread media coverage and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reporting a 321% increase in antisemitic college campus incidents, the visceral and personal nature of these attacks often remains hidden from the public eye.

Some of the personal incidents, as described by students who participated in the recent mission to Israel:

1. I was pinned up against a wall while dozens of violent protesters swarmed around me. All I could think was, “My family’s going to see me dead on the news.” Columbia University
2. “I’m going to find you, I’m going to rape you,” were the words mouthed at me from across the street while I was holding an Israeli flag. Rutgers University
3. My family member’s murder was not only justified, but celebrated, as students called October 7th the biggest victory towards Palestinian liberation in years. University of Michigan
4. A tenured professor at my university said that the women on October 7th deserved to be raped because oppressors should know what it’s like to be oppressed. MIT
5. I was called a devil worshiper and told that I don’t believe in God because I am a Jew. University of Arizona
6. My peers tried to vote me off campus because of my affiliation with Tel Aviv University. Columbia University
7. After being spat on and called a “dirty Jew,” I had to escape through an underground tunnel because pro-Hamas rioters shattered the windows of the hall in which we hosted an Israeli reservist. UC Berkeley
8. A woman on campus charged at me, screaming, “F*** You, Jew,” and my administration labeled this as political speech. Tulane University
9. My administration propped up protesters to create checkpoints with wristbands so Zionists could not enter the library during midterms. UCLA
10. In a violent mob of 500 anarchists, I was told that I was Al Qassam’s next target and then physically chased off campus. Columbia University

Hate will continue into the new school year unless significant steps are taken by universities and policymakers. We know this because we continue to see anti-Israel organizations plan for continued disruption, reveling in the heavy toll they’re taking on the Jewish community

Many of the student leaders that participated in our recent Israel trip were tired and burnt out following a year where they had to take a stand, fighting abhorrent Jewish hate on campus in addition to their full course load. They couldn’t see past the summer ahead of them to their return to the fight on campus this fall.

We brought these students to Israel to share their stories with senior government officials, but the result of the trip solidified something else of equal importance: That time together away from campus to share their common experience could be a source of strength. Many were feeling very alone in their suffering, but the communal sharing of their experiences alleviated feelings of isolation and fostered a newfound sense of solidarity among the students.

With each story, it became more and more clear: Jew hatred is alive and thriving. The only way to stop it is to unite, share our personal experiences, and celebrate our shared values. It is our unity that brings the light into the darkness.