Jewish students in the United States have reported an "alarming" new uptick in the number of antisemitic incidents in colleges across the country, according to a disconcerting new report published by the Anti-Defamation League on Wednesday.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
According to the ADL- Hillel Campus Antisemitism Survey: 2021: "Antisemitic incidents peaked during the 2020-2021 academic year, reaching an all-time high of 244 incidents, even though many campuses were physically closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In some cases, swastikas, Nazi symbols and other antisemitic graffiti have been reported on numerous campuses, and antisemitic tropes – such as Jewish-Zionist control of the media and political agenda – hurled at Jewish students," the report said.
Following the IDF's Operation Guardian of the Walls against Hamas in May 2021, "Students at college campuses across the United States experienced an even sharper increase in antisemitic activity, including many incidents not directly connected to Israel," according to the ADL report.
Taken together, 43% of Jewish college students experienced and/or witnessed antisemitic activity in the last year; and 18% of respondents said they witnessed antisemitism in symbols, logos, and posters on campus.
The most common forms of antisemitism were offensive comments or slurs online or in person. For those who experienced offensive comments or slurs directed at them in person, 79% reported that it happened to them more than once.
Only a small number of students were victims of antisemitic violence (1%) or were threatened with violence (1%), the survey found.
Concerns of antisemitism across the political spectrum
"Contrary to politicized narratives that often highlight antisemitism as stemming only from one end of the political spectrum or another," the report said, "the Jewish students surveyed expressed concern about antisemitism from the political left, center, and right, though to somewhat varying degrees. They reported being most concerned about antisemitism from those who identify as conservative or with the right (69%), followed closely by those who identify as progressive or with the left (62%). They are least concerned with antisemitism from those who identify as centrists (54%), although more than half of them are still concerned."
Additionally, 15% of Jewish college students reported feeling the need to hide their Jewish identity from others on campus, including in class, in their dorms or living area, with other students outside of class, and even with campus employees and officials.
"Israel appeared as the most prominent aspect of these students' experiences, reflecting that students particularly felt the need to hide any connection to Israel from others on campus," the report added. "Students may feel the need to do this because 12% have been blamed by others for the actions of the Israeli government, and 24% have had their views on Israel or Israeli policy assumed by others, simply for being Jewish."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
The report concluded by suggesting that the true extent of antisemitism on college campuses is even more alarming than the reported statistics would indicate, "as most incidents and micro-aggressions go unreported."
ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said: "As we saw during the conflict with Hamas in May, the anti-Israel verbal attacks against Zionism and Zionists – could be offensive and tangibly harmful to many Jewish students and leave them feeling excluded and humiliated."
He added that "freedom of expression does not mean freedom to harass and intimidate. Students have the right to openly express their views regarding Israel, but expressions of antisemitism under a 'veil' of criticizing Israel are unacceptable."
