Unhysterical truth about US campus hate - The Jewish Chronicle

How bad is antisemitism at American universities? Pretty bad, if recent events are anything to go by. Antisemitic incidents at the University of California have apparently become so common that last week the state's legislative assembly approved a resolution condemning Jew-hate on campuses. This week, Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman wrote to the university's chancellor, urging him to adopt and apply the US State Department's definition of antisemitism.

But while there is no mistaking the increase in anti-Israel activism across the US, it is not clear that the reaction to events in California reflects the bigger picture of campus antisemitism.

First, the numbers. While the Anti-Defamation League is still compiling statistics for 2015, there were 47 antisemitic incidents on campus in 2014, compared with 37 in 2013. The greatest portion of these incidents amounted to hate daubings and vandalism. When one considers the number of colleges and universities in the US, those are relatively low numbers.

However, we still confront a serious problem, one that is often disguised as anti-Israel activity and it is accelerating with the rise of technology. Social media has amplified the impact of this small number of incidents, causing Jewish students to be intimidated and shaping attitudes.

During the 2014-15 academic year, the ADL counted 520 anti-Israel events on campus, a 38 per cent increase on the previous academic year. Moreover, so-called BDS campaigns were initiated on 29 campuses, nearly double those seen in 2013-2014.

It is difficult to empirically assess levels of hostility, but among the most troubling stories were incidents in which questions were raised about the involvement of Jews in broader campus activities because their judgment was considered "tainted".

The most high-profile incident involved a student at the University of California, who was questioned about her fitness to serve as a member of a student board because she was Jewish. The students who raised these questions were BDS activists.

To be sure, not all anti-Israel activity is antisemitic. There are many points of view about Israel. And the ADL presently cannot link any case of anti-Jewish vandalism or violence in recent years directly to individuals promoting anti-Israel campaigns.

Yet as anti-Israel campaigns grow in intensity and number, and as larger numbers of students proffer ideas that are rooted in antisemitism, we should expect more reports of anti-Israel campaigns crossing the line into hate.

So what is to be done? By and large, universities respond effectively to antisemitic attacks. The fuzzy area comes when students complain of antisemitism in anti-Israel campaigns, or of a hostile environment caused by BDS activism. One response is to help university communities understand when anti-Israel campaigns cross the line into antisemitism.

Jewish students, too, need to be alert to what constitutes antisemitism, know the guidelines for free speech and academic freedom, and understand what procedures are available to them should they perceive a hostile environment.

We must also demonstrate our belief that a free exchange of ideas and reasoned academic debate are crucial for a healthy academic setting, even as we expose the antisemites.

The Jewish community must continue to monitor antisemitism and be prepared to counteract it, wherever it appears. As a people who know the peril of not speaking out, this is a moral obligation.

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