A LO NE O N T HE Q UA D

U N D E R S TA N D I N G J EW I S H ST UD EN T IS OL AT ION ON C AMPUS A RY EH W EI N B ERG I N S TI TU TE F OR J EW IS H & C OMMUNI TY R ES E ARC H

ALONEONTHEQUAD:UnderstandingJewishStudentIsolation onCampus presentsselectedfindingsfromalargerstudyof collegestudentexperienceswithreligiousintoleranceon campus.ConductedbytheInstituteforJewish&Community Research,theStudyofReligiousToleranceonCampus surveyedover1400studentsnationally,includingoversamples ofminorityreligiousgroups.Itisoneofthelargestandmost comprehensivesurveysofitskind. Thefollowingisthefirstinaseriesofsummaries,whichpro videconciseanalysisofselectedstudentsurveydata.Thecom pletestudywillbemadeavailableinpublicationsin2012.

I N S TI TU TE F OR J EW IS H & C OMMUNI TY R ES E ARC H

TheInstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch(IJCR)isan independent,nonpartisanthinktankthatprovidesinnova tiveresearchandpragmaticpolicyanalysisonabroadrange ofissuesincludingracialandreligiousidentity,philanthropy, andantiSemitism.

Formoreinformationcontact:
AryehWeinberg,ResearchDirector InstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch 415.386.2604 www.JewishResearch.org

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AL ONE O N TH E QU AD

U N D E R S TA N D I N G JE WI S H S TUD EN T IS OL AT I ON ON C AMPU S

INTRODUCTION
Ampleanecdotalevidencesuggeststhat,overthe lastdecade,Jewishcollegestudentshavefaced risinglevelsofantiSemitismoncampusesacross theUnitedStates.Divestmentcampaigns, protests,rallies,guerrillatheaterandinflammato ryspeakershavefeaturedantiJewishrhetoric. Withinsufficientresponsefromadministrators, theseeventshavedevolvedintohostileenviron mentswhereJewishstudentsandothershave beenmalignedandthreatened. Overthelastdecade,theJewishcommunityhas madesignificantinvestmentinaddressingrising antiSemitismonuniversityandcollegecampus es.Importantquestionsremainabouttheexis tenceofaproblem,theextentoftheproblem andhowbesttoaddressit.IJCRfieldedthesur veyofcollegestudentstoanswersomeofthese questionsandtohelpeffectivelydirectcommuni tyeffortsandfundingstrategies. Thestudentsurveyfindingsconfirmthataseri ousproblemdoesindeedexistoncampusesfor Jewishstudents,andallstudentsbyextension.It alsocriticallyinformstheJewishcommunityon howstudentsperceiveantiSemitism.Whilethe dataprovestheexistenceoftheproblem,italso revealsthatthevastmajorityofstudentsremain unopinionated,unindoctrinatedandtherefore potentiallyopentofairandaccurateinformation onIsrael,theJewishpeopleandJudaism.

MA JOR FI N DI NGS A LON E ON T H E QUAD

1.Over40%ofJewishStudentsConfirm AntiSemitismonTheirCampuses 2.JewishStudentsFaceAntiSemitismAlone 3.JewishStudentsReportAntiIsraelism CreepingintotheClassroom 4.AntiSemitismisBeingNormalizedand Underreported 5.ASignificantMinorityofJewishStudents SayAntiIsraelProtestTargetsJews 6.TheMajorityofNonJewishStudentsDoNot HoldOpinionsonIsrael

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1. MORE T HA N 2 I N 5 JE WI S H S TUD EN TS CON F IR M AN TI - S EMI TI S M ON T HE I R CAMPUSES

Over40%ofJewishstudentssurveyedanswered thattheyareawareoforhavepersonallyexperi encedantiSemitismontheircampus. AJewishstudenthasagoodchancethatheor shewillencounterantiSemitismwhileincollege today.Everycampusisdifferent,butanational averageof43%warrantsattentionanddemon stratestheexistenceofaproblem.

2. JE WI S H S TU DEN T S FACE A NT I -S E MIT I S M AL ONE

While43%ofJewishstudentsperceiveanti Semitismontheircampuses,only11%ofnon Jewishstudentsrecognizetheexistenceofanti Jewishbigotryoncampus.Amongreligious groups,Atheist/Agnosticsareadistantsecondto Jews(20%),andareasmallgroupthatlikely includessomenumberofJewswhodonot identifyreligiously. ThesignificantdisparitybetweenJewishandnon JewishstudentshighlightstheisolationJewish studentsfaceinaddressingantiSemitismon campus.WhethernonJewishstudentsdont knowantiSemitismwhentheyseeit,dontpay attentionenoughtorecognizeit,disagreewith JewishstudentsonthedefinitionofantiSemitism orcondoneit,theresultisthesame:theJewish studentcommunityisoftenaloneinattempting toraiseawareness,spuradministrativeaction,or rallycampussupport.ThepercentageofJewish studentsansweringthatantiSemitismexistson theircampusisatroublingtrend,compounded bythelackofobviousalliesoncampusforjewish studentstoturnto.

AslightlyhigherpercentageofMuslimstudents (49%)perceiveantiMuslimbiasoncampus,while only18%ofChristiansareawareofantiChristian bias.Thesenumbersspeakpoorlyofadministra tiveeffortstoencourageacceptanceofreligious minorities.Furthermore,theyunderscorethefact thatJews,despitesignificantgainstoward Americansocialacceptance,remaintargetsof prejudiceoncampus.

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3. JE WI S H S TUD EN TS RE PORT AN TI - IS R AE LI S M I N TH E CL AS S ROOM

FortyonepercentofJewishstudentshaveheard antiIsraelremarksmadeinclassbyaprofessor, confirmingthattheacademicexperienceofstu dentsisbeingimpactedbyantiIsraelactivismon campus.OtherthanMormons,fewnonJewish studentsperceiveantiIsraelremarksinclass.

4 . A NT I- S EMI T IS M IS BE I NG N ORMA LI ZE D A ND UN DER RE PORT E D

SignificantlymoreJewishandnonJewishstu dentsreportedspecificantiSemiticstatements heardoncampusthanreportedantiSemitismin general.Thisfindingcallsintoquestionwhatstu dentsconsiderantiSemitism.Perhapsmanydo notconsiderrhetoricorstereotypesmeaningful offensivebehavior.Yet,onemustconsiderthat collegecampusesareparticularlysensitiveto issuesoftoleranceandwhethersimilarrhetoric aboutotherminoritygroupswouldbetolerated. ThefindingcontradictsclaimsthatJewsareover lysensitiveandquicktoclaimantiSemitism.The oppositeseemstobetrue.Jewishstudentstend todismissagooddealoftheantiSemiticrhetoric theyencounter.ThesameistruefornonJewish students.Thistrendhintsatacreepingnormal izationofantiJewishsentimentoncampus, whichcanquicklydevolveintoanenvironment whereJewsfeelunsafeandunwanted.The dismissalofantiJewishstatementsisparticularly troublingconsideringthehighlevelofvigilance againstmostformsofracismandbigotryoncam pus.

Facultyplayasignificantroleinformingstudent opinions,especiallywheretheycrossoverfrom instructiontoindoctrination.Manystudentsdo notholdstrongopinionsontheMiddleEastcon flictandareparticularlysusceptibletoaccepting facultypointsofviewastruth,especiallywhen offeredinclass.Itmay,therefore,beunsurprising thatnonJewishstudents,withlittleprevious knowledgeofIsraelortheMiddleEast,donot recognizeantiIsraelcommentsmadeinclass.

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5 . AN T I- I S RAE LI S M TAR GET S J EW S

NearlyonethirdofJewishstudentsagreethat antiIsraelprotesttargetsJews.Fifteenpercent believeitalwaysorusuallydoesand16%believe itsometimesdoes.

6 . T HE MA JORI T Y OF ST UD EN TS A RE UNI N FOR MED AB OUT I SR AE L

DespitesignificanteffortsbyantiandproIsrael groups,moststudentsdonotholdstrongopin ions,oranyatall,relatedtoIsraelandthe MiddleEast. ThemajorityofnonJewishstudentssimplydo notknowwhattothinkaboutthemostwide spreadantiIsraelstatements.Thevastmajority donotblameeitherthePalestiniansorIsraelfor failuretoachievepeaceintheMiddleEast. Whetherthisrepresentsagapinopinionorin knowledgeisunclear.Itisanimportantfinding, signalingtheopportunitytoeducateaboutIsrael andtheneedtodevelopmoreengaging approaches.

ThelinebetweenantiSemitismandanti Israelismisunclearandcertainlynotallcriticism ofIsraelcontainsantiSemitism.However,anti Israelprotestlowersthenormsagainstanti Jewishbigotry.Itprovidesaconvenientvenuefor antiSemiticexpressionandembracesanti Semiticstereotypesundertheguiseofpolitical activism.TheblurringbetweenantiIsraelismand antiSemitismisrecognizedbynearlyonethirdof Jewishstudents.LessthanoneintennonJewish studentsrecognizeantiJewishattackswithin antiIsraelprotest,underscoringthedilemma Jewsfaceoncampusaddressingproblemsfew otherstudentsrecognize.

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CONCLUSION
Jewishstudentshaveaccesstoawiderangeof opportunitiesincollegeandcontinuetoberep resentedoncampuswellabovenationalpopula tionnumbers.However,thequalityoftheirexpe rienceisinquestion. NearlyhalfofyoungJewishadultsenteringcol legecanexpecttobeconfrontedbyanti Semitismontheircampus.Contrarytotheexpe rienceofmanyotherminorities,Jewishstudents faceisolationinattemptingtoraiseawareness andcombatantiJewishbigotry.Moreover,anti Israelprotest,formanyJews,includeattackson theJewishpeopleandfaith.Deeplyconcerningis evidencethatantiIsraelrhetorichasmadeits wayintotheclassroom,increasingthealienation ofJewishstudentsoncampus. ThevastmajorityofnonJewishstudentsremain neutralorunawareofissuesrelatedtoIsraeland theMiddleEast.Thesestudentspresentan opportunity,andengagingtheundecidedmajori tyofferssignificantpotentialforbothimmediate andlongtermprogress.

F O RT H C O M I N G
Upcomingmajorfindingssummarieswillcover topicsincludingstudentopinionsofJewishcam pusorganizations,opinionsofentrepreneurship, viewsoftheMiddleEastconflictandprofilesof coreantiIsraelactivists.

Formoreinformationcontact:
AryehWeinberg,ResearchDirector InstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch 415.386.2604 www.JewishResearch.org

2011Allrightsreserved.InstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch.

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