Too many universities are failing at stopping antisemitism

In spite of all the hoopla made about antisemitism on college campuses, the attacks on Jews persist. In a recent report by an organization called StopAntisemitism, several schools failed the assessment of their performance in preventing and taking action against antisemitism:

The civil rights group StopAntisemitism issued its 2025 ‘report cards’ grading how 90 colleges addressed the spreading hatred against Jews on campuses, with 14 schools flunking the exam — including two New York City universities.

‘This report exposes a disturbing and undeniable reality. Antisemitism on American college campuses is systemic and tolerated, and in many cases enabled by the very institutions tasked with protecting our American kids,’ StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said in a statement.

You might assume that the standards by which this organization evaluated the universities were too rigorous or unfair. But there were 17 colleges who took the initiative to provide Jewish students with a safe and productive environment and were rated an “A” in their performance. Here’s the list:

Baylor, Clemson, Colby, Colorado State University, Elon University, Southern Methodist University, University of Alabama, University of Connecticut, University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Miami, University of Mississippi, University of South Carolina, University of Texas, Austin, Washington University in St. Louis.

In their report, StopAntisemitism listed the grades for all 90 colleges they studied, and also described their research methodology:

Finally, the report tracked and verified hundreds of incidents across the 90 campuses, including harassment, vandalism, threats, encampments, faculty misconduct, and administrative failures. These were sourced from student submissions, media reports, police logs, federal findings, social media, and campus organizations, with every incident confirmed through at least one public or institutional source. Patterns of repeat or severe misconduct received additional weight. Each school’s grade reflected incident volume and severity, administrative response quality, student-reported safety, presence of federal investigations, and evidence of accountability or neglect, providing a comprehensive and multi-layered assessment.

The report also explained that a number of colleges had already improved their “grade” from the previous year, were actively monitoring the antisemitism on their campuses, and were prepared to be responsive to the incidents that took place.

Finally, StopAntisemitism recommended practical and productive remedies for this persistent issue: a rapid and consistent response to incidents to send the message that antisemitic hateful acts would not be tolerated; consistency in policy enforcement and holding people accountable; encouraging interaction and communication among Jewish groups and with other campus organizations, to break down barriers and enhance relationships; providing educational programs to encourage understanding and learning about Jewish students and their concerns; establishing relationships with outside Federal agencies, such as the Department of Education, to enhance transparency of actions.

Another lesson that was learned is the damage that DEI programs can do among students, staff and instructors:

This year’s data makes clear that DEI has become a primary vehicle for antisemitism in American academia. Instead of fostering inclusion, DEI offices have:

• Normalized antisemitism under the banner of activism
• Excused harassment as ‘political speech’
• Excluded Jews from protections offered to other minorities
• Indoctrinated students with ideological frameworks that demonize Israel and, by extension, Jewish identity, and empowered movements that openly call for the dismantling of the world’s only Jewish state.

Taking a proactive and thoughtful approach to reducing, if not eliminating, the scourge of antisemitism on our college campuses, is long overdue. The perpetrators need to know that their vicious and bigoted behavior won’t be tolerated; campus staff and educators need to know that they, in part, are there to ensure a positive learning environment; and Jewish students are entitled to know that they are attending college in a safe and protected environment.

These questions must be asked, however: Is it truly possible to change the beliefs of antisemitic students? Or is it worthwhile to at least convince them to modify their behavior? Will the university administration make a genuine effort to improve their monitoring?

Regardless, let’s hope more and more colleges are motivated to change their D and F grades into As.

Image created by Andrea Widburg.