Jewish students targeted ‘for harm’
Anti-Semitism surged on college campuses across the United States during the first part of 2016, according to a new study that found Jewish students supportive of Israel are being targeted “for harm.”
Nearly 100 more anti-Semitic incidents were recorded on U.S. college campuses during the first six months of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015, according to the report, published by the AMCHA Initiative, a group that works to combat discrimination against Jews.
In addition, “the number of incidents involving the suppression of Jewish students’ freedom of speech and assembly approximately doubled from 2015 to 2016,” according to the report, which also found that a massive uptick in anti-Israel behavior “was highly correlated with behavior that targeted Jewish students for harm.”
“The number of incidents opposing Israel’s right to exist nearly tripled from 2015 to 2016,” according to the report, which provides further evidence that anti-Israel activism on campus is fueling aggression against Jewish students and placing them in harm’s way.
“The surge in campus anti-Semitism in the past year is very disturbing,” Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, the AMCHA Initiative’s leader, told the Washington Free Beacon.
“The sheer volume of incidents is rising at an alarming rate, and how much a campus is afflicted is directly tied to the presence of anti-Zionist students and faculty and the level of anti-Zionist activity.”
The report examined anti-Israel and anti-Semitic behavior at 113 schools in the United States with the largest number of Jewish students.
“From January to June 2016, one or more kinds of anti-Semitic activity were found at more than half the schools most popular with Jewish students,” the study found.
At least 287 incidents targeting Jewish students for verbal or physical harm were recorded during the first six months of 2016. More than half of the schools included in the study experienced an anti-Semitic incident or activity targeted against pro-Israel Jews.
This type of activity is tied to the rise of anti-Israel campus groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP, which has disseminated Nazi propaganda at some schools and been involved in physical confrontations with pro-Israel students, according to the report.
“Unquestionably, [the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement], SJP and anti-Israel faculty are the prime predictors of hostility aimed at Jewish students,” Rossman-Benjamin said. “But what’s even more astonishing is how much bolder and more brazen the anti-Zionists are becoming.”
“While the focus used to be solely on Israel, the damage is now also being unleashed on Jewish students,” she said. “Instead of boycotting Israel, it’s now common practice to boycott Jewish students. Universities must stand up against this hate and clearly distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism, as the University of California did earlier this year.”
@ keelie:
@ bernard ross: I guess I was thinking at the moment of some high tech way of responding to the incitement and propaganda,someway which removes us from the midst of those who would assault us. Let them make as much noise as they want, that is, a safe effective way to respond to The Anti Israel Narrative(on campuses), as Ben Tekoa has refered to it in his excellent lecture based upon his book; Phantom Nation, before The Children of Holocost Survivors, available for viewing on his website/Radio Broadcasts: Deprogram Program. Ben Tekoa gets it. We need more ideas from him. He should be contacted and brought in as an advisor to Jewish Campus Organizations.
He teaches how to neutralize these propagandists and should be consulted by all those organizations on campus who represent Israel and vulnerable Jewish students who wish to support Israel and remain unmolested. Obviously The Universities do not care unless they can be sued. Sue them for the max.
Ross, my point with you, is this: like it or not, and I do not, 80% of us voted for Obama. There is some sort of pathology in all sectors with the observant not being immune, with a large percentage of willfully obtuse or general ignorance about Israel. Saying that G-D will protect Israel does not excuse for otherwise total ignorance on the part of our brothers and sisters in the orthodoxy, who also to some smaller degree than the secular, yet still odious; voted for Obama and will support Clinton, obviously not at the same percentage as the dog poop leftists. I think a lot of Jewish young people see the assaults on campus for voicing support and have negative experiences in the Jewush Community and simply opt out. Not good.
My point is WE, as a community can do more and learn more and educate our people better. The entire community needs to be educated and we are not. Most of all, Jewish organizations who marginalize and reject Jews, should develop mechanisms for keeping cruel selfish people out of the leadership ranks of these organizations as they invite and promote assimilation and rejection of the Community at large. I have seen this countless times and it is across the board, from Reform to Conservative to Orthodox and to Reconstrutionist. Mizrachi; Sephardic or Ashkenazic, and all others:. End the cruel treatment of Jews by assholes in Jewish Organizations which chase these people out, leaving scars; usually for good.
woolymammoth Said:
I dont know what you want me to mention, or to what you are referring…. I am writing about physical attacks on Jewish children in schools and universities from muslim, leftist and black anti semites.
What do you have in mind?
Don’t think for one second that people will undergo a moment of enlightenment that causes them change their respective mental paradigms such as they are. Unfortunately inflicting pain is the only certain way to do this, and of course we Jews don’t really have the stomach for this.
@ bernard ross: Ross is right and I generally agree with him. There is another side of this Ross, which is too often ignored. Those wretched leftist Jews of J Street, and the repugnant stench ever present from the damned adl, who by the way with their generous funding by the evil maniac soros, and other such mutants, the European, the Saudis etc our tax dollars etc etc,bring in high profile professionals, like one surgeon with whom I have worked for years, are operating at no cost. The community at large tolerates the activities of these groups. Also the main stream are not very supportive of young searching, lonesome, if you will; Jews,seeking out companionship. The leftist set their nets for these people on college campuses, so it makes sense they want to silence those who express the truth. There needs to more sophisticated ways of generating support for Jews on campus without making these groups vulnerable to attack. Who are the lazy party here, it is us and to us goes much of the blame.
The community at large has failed us too, in a huge way, Ross, you do not mention that. Why do you have leftists in orthodox communities, speaking of nuts.
this is the environment which the leftist muslim alliance has created in europe. It is unlikely that europe can escape decades of civil strife and terror because they have allowed the beast into their home and now it is too late to get them out without catastrophe. The writing is on the wall for the same outcome in America… and Jews will suffer the most. This is the future being marketed by the leftist muslim alliance and their Jewish supporters. The socialist utopia of the “useful idiots” has more often resulted in secret police cultures, thought police cultures, little personal freedom… all those same characteristics are the same characteristics of the future caliphate. Now will be the only opportunity to reverse that course as the democrats and their Jewish supporters will open the spigot of illegal immigrants and put muslims in more positions of power while censoring criticism as islamaphobia…. but fret not jewish leftists as anti semitism, anti zionism and anti Israelism will continue to flourish in that environment just as it is doing right now.
we have liberal and left wing jews to thank for this predicament. Orgs like ADL who spend their time on muslim causes, defending muslims and jstreet who spends its time libeling Israel, supporting Jew killers…. they all reside in the culture and parties of the left where surprisingly the anti zionists, anti Israel,anti semitic muslims all reside. The few neo nazis hardly vote or demonstrate but the liberals, lefists and muslims are daily stalking the Jews. Jews who belong to the same belief system that houses the most dangerous existential groups for Jews are complicit in the anti semitic abuse and murder of Jews in the diaspora and Israel. Only such Jews could ignore the terrible dangers in which they have placed their Jewish children in america.
Furthermore, as a result of the behavior of these Jews the growing majority of americans and europeans are identifying the Jewish collective with aiding and abetting the muslim terror through support of open borders(soros) and islamaphobia censorship. The jews will increasingly be seen along with their leftist and muslim allies as a 5th column supporting the existential enemies. Every day I see this connection raised of the muslim terror flood being caused by the Jews. The left will do what they always do when confronted with their usual errors…. say ooops and meld back into the mass of people but the Jews will remain marked.
There is a leftist muslim global alliance who share tactics and overall goals… both seek one world and open borders….. both are anti Israel, anti zionist and anti jew…. both employ taqiyya and “useful idiots”. They support each other even though appearing ideologically opposite. The Jews are nuts to belong to such a club.
American Jews must take responsibility for creating an environment which fostered and enabled anti semitism on campus… where leftists, muslims and black nationalists are free to abuse their children.