Hotspots of Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Sentiment on US Campuses | Page 8
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The most Jewishly engaged students,
including those who are more closely
connected to Israel, are the most likely to
perceive hostility to Jews and Israel on
their campus.
Connection to Israel notwithstanding,
students often feel silenced in debates
about this topic. On many campuses more
than one third of Jewish students feel at
least a little uncomfortable expressing their
opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
Discomfort due to the hostility of the
discourse occurs more frequently on
campuses that are notable for pervasive
perceptions of anti-Israel sentiment,
including CUNY-Brooklyn, NYU, and the
UC campuses.
Regardless of which school students
attend, and how much anti-Israel
sentiment they perceive, a significant
minority of Jewish undergraduates are
uncomfortable expressing their opinions
about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
because they feel they do not know
enough to enter the conversation.
Public discussion has focused on legislative
remedies for tempering antisemitism and antiIsrael hostility on college campuses. Based on
the present research, our view is that more
emphasis needs to be placed on educational
strategies. The complex picture painted by this
study not only suggests a different policy
emphasis, but also reinforces the importance
of systematic research to assess the prevalence
of antisemitic and anti-Israel environments on
campuses, and their impact on Jewish
students. Future research should focus on
understanding the dynamics of hostility as
they are reflected on different campuses and
how they are experienced by both Jewish and
non-Jewish students. Although there may be
some general best practices for developing
policy responses across campuses, efforts to
address these issues will need to take into
account each campus’ particular manifestation
of antisemitic and/or anti-Israel hostility in
the context of that school’s unique blend of
students, cultural and political climates, and
local concerns.