Almost half of current and former college students say they rarely or never feel comfortable in expressing their Jewish faith on campus, according to a poll released Tuesday by a Jewish advocacy group.
A new poll by the Alums for Campus Fairness found that 44% of college students and recent graduates said they "rarely" or "never" feel safe in identifying as Jewish on U.S. university campuses, The New York post reported.
As colleges return from summer break, many campuses are on edge in anticipation of a repeat of last spring's pro-Palestinian protests that often crossed the line into blatant antisemitism.
The online poll, which was taken at the conclusion of the school year, found an overwhelming majority of Jewish college students, 81%, said they avoid certain places, events, and situations on campus, as did 69% of former students.
Alums for Campus Fairness Executive Director Avi Gordon said, "The results, compared with our 2021 survey, expose dangerous trend lines for Jewish and pro-Israel students on college campuses."
Students reported being nervous about their faith. "Antisemitism is getting worse. Students are hiding their Jewish identity," Gordon said. "We are increasingly seeing a lack of safety in both digital and physical spaces."
The poll's participants also shared personal stories of antisemitism on campus, including a UCLA student who said his fellow Jewish students suffered constant harassment.
"I've heard of people running around with knives for Jewish students or posting pig related artwork to represent Jews. It is insane and rampant," the student said.
Other students complained of antisemitism coming from professors.
The poll noted 60% of participants had witnessed faculty making antisemitic remarks to them personally or to someone they know.
"My professor went on a rant about how there's too many Jews in medicine," one student from a southwest state university said. "He also said that terrorism is just what the big army calls the little army, and said Hamas is a group of freedom fighters."
Last week, the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, which has spent the last year exposing the gaps in campus security, posted on X, "Universities should've spent the summer making sure they have a plan to handle potential violence going forward. If they didn't, they owe their students answers. @virginiafoxx, @RepJasonSmith demand universities detail plans to protect Jewish students."
The Alums for Campus Fairness survey was taken online from May 17-28, 2024, of 1,171 Jewish college students and recent alumni. It did not list a margin of error.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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