ADL Report on Campus Protests: May 3, 2024

UMass. Yesterday, ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law announced that they submitted a formal complaint against the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) alleging that the university has failed to address the severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students, which fostered a hostile antisemitic environment.

In an attack corroborated by multiple eyewitnesses, UMass-Amherst Senior Dylan Jacobs, was called a “Zionist s***bag” and then punched and kicked repeatedly by another student. A small Israeli flag was ripped from his hand, stabbed and thrown in a trash can. While UMass-Amherst was quick to condemn the attack, it did little beyond that. Instead, it spent nearly six months ignoring the incident, despite requests from the victim to address the matter.

Read the full complaint.

Need legal help? Use the Campus Antisemitism Legal Line (CALL), run by ADL, Hillel, the Brandeis Center and Gibson Dunn.

Minnesota. Closed parts of the University of Minnesota have reopened after President Jeff Ettinger announced an agreement with anti-Israel protesters. The agreement rewards antisemitic behavior by the protesters with amnesty and steps toward the adoption of a series of anti-Israel policies by the university. This failed leadership by the University sets a dangerous precedent that rule-breaking will be rewarded and that harassing Jewish students will go unpunished.

ADL’s STATEMENT: “the University leadership has failed egregiously.”

TAKE ACTION: Tell the University of Minnesota that giving into anti-Israel protesters is wrong – and they should enforce their rules and fight antisemitism. Take action here.

Penn. A group of University of Pennsylvania students, faculty, and alumni delivered a petition to the University’s president yesterday urging him to take action against the anti-Israel encampment that the administration itself said is violating Penn policies and needs to go. They also provided documentation of calls for violence, praise of terrorist organizations, vandalism and stalking of Jewish students by the anti-Israel protestors.

University of Wisconsin-Madison. After being removed on Wednesday, anti-Israel protesters have yet again erected tents at the memorial library. University of Wisconsin administration met with students Thursday morning, promising not to take police action; meanwhile in regard to the anti-Israel protests, a Jewish university student says, “It’s terrifying to me.”

UChicago. The University of Chicago is known for its policies on free expression, yet Thursday was the fourth day of anti-Israel encampments that the administration said violates its policies — and there is no plan to remove them. ADL Midwest Regional Director, David Goldenberg, visited the encampment on Thursday morning and called on the university to take action: “Students & faculty have the right to walk through campus free from intimidation. UofC: Enforce your rules, take it down.”

Stony Brook University. Police arrested 29 people at Stony Brook University early Thursday, including 22 students, two faculty members, and five other people not associated with the University.

Portland State University. After four days of protests, classes canceled since Monday, and the university pausing all donations from Boeing as a sop to protesters, police cleared the Portland State University library of anti-Israel protesters on Thursday. Twelve arrests were made, including four students. Inside the library, weapons, hollow bamboo sticks, spray bottles filled with ink and soap-covered-floors were discovered by officers. The library continues to be an active crime scene, and is closed.

Who’s Behind the Encampments? In an updated report, the ADL Center on Extremism takes a deep dive into Within Our Lifetime, a radical anti-Israel organization based in New York that is openly supporting the US university encampments. WOL routinely expresses support for violence against Israelis, calls for the abolition of Zionism, and extols Hamas as “freedom fighters.”

Read the report. Short on time? Read (and share) the Twitter thread.

Biden Condemns Campus Violence. President Biden yesterday made his first comments on campus violence saying, “There should be no place on any campus, no place in America, for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students.” Thanks, Mr. President!

Watch the video.

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus. The California Legislative Jewish Caucus released a statement condemning the violence at UCLA Wednesday night and the intimidation that has been directed at Jewish students: “We are appalled by the physical abuse, violence, hate speech, and intimidation that have been directed at Jewish students over the past several days… It is clear that UCLA leadership has totally failed Jewish students.” Read the full statement.

Sharon Nazarian. On Wednesday, ADL board member and chair of the advisory board for UCLA’s Israel Studies Center, Sharon Nazarian, pushed back against attempts to pressure the school to divest from the Israel Studies Center and Israel generally, calling these actions “blatant censorship” equivalent to “book burning.”

Share the thread.

Thank You. After the protesters are cleared away, what’s left is a big mess — tents, garbage, graffiti, and worse. Let’s all thank the hardworking people whose job it is to clean up campuses. They are the unsung heroes of this week.

#WereNotGoingAnywhere. University of California, Santa Barbara Student Body President Tessa Veksler spoke with human rights activist Mandana Dayani about how she has stood proud in her Jewish identity in spite of antisemitic incidents and ongoing attempts to end her presidency.

Watch their conversation.

Herzog Here. Yesterday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog released a video urging Jewish people and supporters of Israel to stand strong against fear and to remain resilient in the face of hatred on college campuses and worldwide: “As they chant for intifada and genocide, we will work together to free our hostages held by Hamas, and fight for civil liberties and our right to believe and belong, for the right to live proudly, peacefully and securely, as Jews, as Israelis — anywhere.” Thank you, Mr. President!

Call to Action. Sign Hillel International’s petition, supported by ADL and 25 other Jewish organizations, calling on university administrators to do more to support their Jewish students. Tell college administrators that it’s time to step up and take action. Sign here.

Jewish Campus Groups Surge in Popularity. In the months since October 7, an increasing number of Jewish students have found a haven in their campus Hillel and Chabad houses. New student attendance at Chabad Houses nationwide has increased by over 40 percent since October 7th and Hillel has engaged more students this year than in any year in its 100-year history.

And the Tony Goes To… Alex Edelman — the comedian, actor, writer (and friend of ADL) — will be honored with a Special 2024 Tony Award for his one-man show, “Just For Us,” that explored antisemitism and being Jewish in America. Mazel tov, Alex!

Watch Alex at our Never Is Now conference earlier this year.

Listen to Alex tell the story of a very unique holiday celebration from his childhood on “This American Life.”