Study: BDS Responsible for Spike in Anti-Semitism on U.S. Campuses

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator carries placards reading 'Keep calm and boycott Israel
KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty

The Times of Israel reports: Reports of anti-Semitic incidents on US college campuses have increased, much of it attributed to the rise of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a new report has found.

Researchers at the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University conducted the study, which was released in late October. It was based on a survey taken in the spring among Jewish undergraduate students at 50 US campuses who applied to go on the Birthright Israel trip.

The study found that Brooklyn College, Northwestern University and many of the schools in the University of California system are “hotspots,” where the majority of Jewish students perceive a hostile environment toward Israel and over one-quarter sense a general environment of hostility toward Jews on their campus. On these campuses, it appears that the high rates of anti-Semitic harassment and hostility are largely driven by malice toward Israel.

The study also found that at the University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University and the University of Illinois, hostility toward Jews and anti-Semitic harassment are relatively high but do not seem to be highly connected to criticism of Israel. At these schools, more traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes and tropes seem to be driving the perceived hostility toward Jews.

Read more here.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.