Since the onset of the campus protests in October 2023, in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, one thing has become painfully clear: we have an antisemitism crisis on campus. The past academic year witnessed more than 1,400 antisemitic incidents on campuses across the nation – an unprecedented, all-time high, according to ADL data and still likely a significant undercount.
Antisemitism has been a significant component of many anti-Israel demonstrations on campus. On numerous occasions, disturbing rhetoric escalated into aggressive actions, as protests morphed into encampments that included calls for universities to cut ties with Jewish institutions and were frequently sites of harassment against Jewish people on campus. These activities created an environment of fear and hostility for Jewish and Israel-supporting students and faculty.
In the two months between the start of the Fall 2023 semester and early November 2023, 73% of Jewish students had witnessed or experienced antisemitism. A plurality of Jewish students reported feeling physically unsafe on campus; and even more reported feeling emotionally unsafe. Anecdotal reports by students, faculty and staff underscored and confirmed the data – our campuses were becoming less safe and welcoming for the Jewish community.
But while these numbers and trends paint a bleak picture, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Courts and the Department of Education have held universities accountable for allowing intimidation, exclusion, and abuse of Jewish students, opening the door to immediate reforms. Over the past year, and particularly during the summer months, many colleges and universities have taken proactive steps to address this crisis. New policies governing campus protests have been put in place, along with clear communications about codes of conduct and disciplinary processes. However, policies are only as effective as their enforcement. The real test will be whether universities have the resolve to hold violators accountable. Campus administrators must act decisively against hate and support their Jewish communities.
The challenge ahead is daunting. Many protesters are returning to campuses with a new, more aggressive playbook, undeterred by recent policy changes. ADL’s experts from the Center on Extremism, the Center for Technology and Society, JLens, and other teams have been closely monitoring these developments. Over the summer, they have studied and prepared for the resurgence of these protests, which have already begun to showcase concerning tactics and rhetoric.
ADL has identified six key trends that should set off alarm bells for college and university leaders:
1. Escalation of Violent Tactics that are Anti-Israel and Anti-Democratic
ADL’s research reveals a troubling rise in violent tactics that pose an imminent threat to campus safety. From encampments and building takeovers to property destruction, defacement and arson, the tactics used by the anti-Israel protest movement have become increasingly confrontational and violent. Already this academic year we have witnessed vandalism and destruction of university property, protests blocking entryways to university events and buildings, the disruption of university events, and even physical attacks. Most recently, National SJP announced a ‘Week of Rage’ from October 7 to October 11, 2024, which falls on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and in midst of Jewish high holidays. These protests now represent an imminent threat to campus safety.
Moreover, protesters are no longer confining their activities to traditional campus spaces or targets. They are now targeting university administrators and trustees at their homes and workplaces, engaging in vandalism, trespassing, and other forms of intimidation.
2. Protests Characterized by Increased Public Embrace of Terrorist Organizations and Interference by Iran
Expressions of support for U.S.-designated terror groups, including Iranian regime proxies, have been a prominent and consistent feature of anti-Israel campus activities over the past year. This includes the veneration of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis (Ansar Allah).
In the days following October 7, the national leadership of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and many of its campus chapters explicitly endorsed Hamas’s actions. On social media and in printed materials throughout the year, SJP and other anti-Israel student groups regularly shared content from or in support of terrorist groups. Chants heard at campus protests included “We are Hamas” and “Al-Qassam, you make us proud, kill another soldier now!” – a reference to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. Terrorist group symbols have also been seen on flags, signs and other paraphernalia.
Notorious individuals affiliated with terrorist groups — such as PFLP terrorist Leila Khaled and al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida – have also been celebrated during many demonstrations and glorified on posters, stickers and in chalkings on numerous campuses. Some of these anti-Israel demonstrations incorporated anti-American messaging as well. Materials distributed at the New York University and University of Michigan encampments in late April, for example, included messages like “Death to America.”
This summer, the Director of National Intelligence also warned that agents working for the Iran regime have been actively working to influence American protests. She explained that such agents get involved in the protest movement, interact with protests through social media and other cyber activity and promote and even fund some of the protests.
We cannot consider these protests as simply part of the long history of political activism on college campuses. These protests use increasingly dangerous and hateful rhetoric, embrace and celebrate terrorists and terrorism, and are potentially being promoted, funded and influenced by a foreign government.
3. Efforts to Evade Accountability
Protesters are taking deliberate steps to avoid consequences for their actions and prevent universities and colleges from enforcing their codes of conduct, including by wearing masks and refusing to present campus identification while engaging in violative activities. There is of course, a right to protest, but masked intimidation continues unabated, despite outcries from students, parents, civil rights leaders, law enforcement and elected officials. College campuses are places of learning and robust debate, but they should never be places for intimidation and fomenting hate. On campuses across the country, we are already seeing examples of students using masks to hide their identities to target their peers and interrupt learning, just like last year.
In addition to using face coverings and masks, in many cases, protesters have refused to present identification upon request. This is a blatant attempt to thwart efforts to enforce campus rules and impose accountability. It also undermines college and university administrations’ efforts to ensure that their campuses are not overtaken by outsiders who are coming to campus for the sole purpose of disruption. Critically, it is a safety and security risk to campuses writ large.
Finally, in those instances where disciplinary processes are initiated, protesters are trying to negotiate away disciplinary procedures (including discipline for conduct violations) and sanctions as part of deals to end protests or encampments. They seek to avoid responsibility and thwart universities and colleges from enforcing campus rules that govern student and faculty conduct.
4. Attacks on Jewish Life on Campus, Including Institutions like Hillel and Chabad
Our analysis shows that Jewish students and institutions have become prime targets for anti-Israel protesters on campus. These incidents include more than one hundred instances of threats, vandalism, and even calls for universities to sever ties with leading Jewish organizations like Hillel International and Chabad. These activities represent a clear attempt to undermine Jewish life on campus and would effectively lead to the end of organized Jewish life for students across North America.
In recent weeks, there have been protests targeting Hillel buildings and Jewish activity spaces on several campuses. There have also been incidents lifting up the Boston Mapping Project, an antisemitic interactive map listing geographic locations and addresses of hundreds of organizations in the Boston area that are perceived as supporting Israel, including many Jewish institutions that make up essential infrastructure for the Jewish community.
These tactics make clear the protesters’ focus on targeting Jews and Jewish life on campus, underscoring the blatant antisemitism motivating their conduct. These tactics must be recognized for what they are and denounced forcefully.
5. Entrenchment and Normalization of Extreme Anti-Israel Advocacy in Academic Settings
During the past year, we observed university faculty and staff across a wide range of disciplines engaging in concerning activity in the classroom and beyond. Numerous professors justified, excused or even venerated Hamas’s attack against Israel on October 7. Others cancelled classes to participate in anti-Israel protest activities or offered students extra credit for participation in these protests.
Faculty members have endorsed the BDS movement, and now, following AAUP’s decision to end its opposition to academic boycotts, many have endorsed the tactic of academic boycotts against Israeli institutions. There are reports of “shadow boycotts” whereby Israeli or openly Zionist academics or experts are removed from research projects, rejected from positions or academic journals, and otherwise sidelined. There are likewise cases wherein Israeli research has reportedly been excluded from the classroom. On many campuses, faculty are organizing chapters of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, an organization that labels Israel’s existence as a “violent, repressive occupation” that needs to be taught about “in the context of settler colonialism and Zionist ideology.”
These faculty and staff activities have the effect of ostracizing Jewish students for aspects of their Jewish identities. Such conduct by faculty and staff is particularly concerning due to the platforms they possess and the power they hold vis- a- vis the students who are dependent on them for completing their coursework and receiving grades and recommendations.
6. BDS Campaigns Targeting University Endowments
BDS is an international campaign aimed at delegitimizing and pressuring Israel through diplomatic, financial, professional, academic, and cultural isolation. Its ultimate goal is not to create a Palestinian state, but to dismantle the Jewish state.
In the past academic year, 80 BDS resolutions were considered across undergraduate, graduate and professional student organizations and faculty/staff unions, a vast increase over the three in the prior year. Increasingly, students and others have leveraged encampment negotiations and power over funding for student organizations to advance their demands for divestment. As a result, this year, several university investment committees are considering proposals to divest from companies with any connection to or operations in Israel, allowing student groups to present to investment committees and even promising to vote on the issue.
There is also a concerted effort to marginalize Israeli students and faculty, with calls for boycotts of Israeli academic institutions and programs. This includes so-called “soft boycotts,” which aim to sever diplomatic, financial, and cultural ties with Israel.
Conclusion
These six trends paint a stark and troubling picture of the current state of campus protests. What we are witnessing is not legitimate political discourse or peaceful protest; it is a campaign of hatred and violence that threatens the safety and well-being of Jewish students, faculty and staff.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel, it is essential that universities remain vigilant. The time for action is now. ADL stands ready to partner with college leaders to ensure campuses are safe for all students, regardless of their background. Jewish students deserve the right to pursue their education free from fear, and it is up to all of us to make sure that right is upheld.