From the Director

Life has not been the same since the October 7 horrific terror attack on Israel. We continue to be anguished for those who lost their lives and those who are still being held hostage. Many of us have family and friends who have been affected by the war or who are only one degree of separation away from those who endure the aftermath of that day. We mourn the loss of life and the suffering the war has brought to so many Israelis and Palestinians.  


Compounding the tragedy unfolding in Israel and Gaza, a new front for “hearts and minds” has emerged on college campuses across the United States. Disagreement over whether the war is just and how it has been conducted has been accompanied by a surge in antisemitic incidents on campuses and a fear that Jewish students are unsafe on American college campuses. The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies has been deeply engaged in studying these issues and has just released the first report in a series from a new program of research, “In the Shadow of War: Hotspots of Antisemitism on US College Campuses.”

Hotspots of Antisemitism on US College Campuses

In the Shadow of War: Hotspots of Antisemitism on US College Campuses


This report describes Jewish students’ perceptions of antisemitism on 51 US college campuses in the wake of the Hamas-Israel war. The report includes our rankings of these schools by the level of antisemitic hostility perceived by Jewish students. We also explore the different forms of antisemitism experienced by Jewish students at these schools (including antisemitism related to criticism of Israel), their levels of concern about antisemitism from different sides of the political spectrum, and the extent to which they see hostility to Israel as emanating from students, faculty, or administrators. The report also examines how antisemitic hostility may be affecting Jewish students’ safety and sense of belonging on their campus. 

Read the report


In the News


New Study Highlights Campus Antisemitism ‘Hot Spots’, Inside Higher Ed., December 15, 2023


What Jewish College Students Have to Say About the Campus Climate, The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 15, 2023


Survey of Jewish Students Shows Antisemitism Varies Greatly, Campus to Campus, Jewish Insider, December 15, 2023


New Brandeis survey of 51 Colleges Assesses Jewish Students’ Experiences of Antisemitism, The Forward, December 15, 2023


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