NEW YORK — The first national study of campus antisemitism conducted by students themselves demonstrates that while hatred against Jews expressed online remains a significant problem, almost three-quarters of incidents took place in-person, with the remainder happening online.
Jewish On Campus (JOC), a grassroots organization founded to amplify the voices of Jewish students and combat antisemitism on campus, undertook the research to offer a unique source of information and perspective by restricting involvement in the work to students, who are both the source of the data and the authors of the report analyzing it.
JOC is an official partner of the World Jewish Congress.
The report, published online Monday, also found a spike in student reports of antisemitic incidents both in January 2021, possibly related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and in May 2021, against the background of Israel’s conflict with Hamas.
However, while report submissions dipped after the January 2021 increase, the rate remained elevated after the Hamas conflict ended. Conservative and Orthodox Jews were overrepresented in the data as victims of antisemitism, most likely because they are more “identifiably” Jewish, wearing kipot or other traditional attire, the report’s authors concluded.
The study is drawn from 544 reports submitted online to JOC from 11 countries, 41 U.S. states and 228 universities worldwide. A team of student statisticians analyzed the data to yield insights about demographics, location and ideology.
“Antisemitism on campus is a crisis that must be immediately addressed,” said Jewish on Campus CEO Julia Jassey. “To do so, we need a clear understanding of the issue. This report takes a year of data submitted to Jewish on Campus by hundreds of students around the world and compiles it to give a robust understanding of what antisemitism truly looks like on campus.”
Key findings of the study:
- Of the 544 reports, 241 were characterized by historical antisemitism, while the next largest group — 191 — evinced demonization of Israel. In 73 of the incidents, the reporting students described a denial of self-determination, while 22 incidents involved a condoning of terrorism.
- Of the 316 reports that included information on gender identity, 67.7% were by female respondents. Being female far increased one’s likelihood of experiencing antisemitism online.,
- The antisemitism women face, in which misogynistic undertones intertwine with antisemitic rhetoric, is different from that faced by men.
- Almost 90% of the submissions came from the United States. Massachusetts, Vermont and New York posted the highest number of reports.
- The University of Vermont accounted for the most submissions from a single school, at 58, while students at Tufts reported 34 incidents and George Washington University reported 25.
- A little more than half of the incidents were perpetrated by only one person. Students perpetrated 316 of the incidents; professors, 122.
“This report has the potential to motivate widespread, data-informed change on college campuses,” said JOC data scientist Jacob Blum. “With the help of these statistics, it will only be easier for JOC to continue to make college campuses everywhere a safe space for Jewish students."
Jewish on Campus’ 2021 Annual Antisemitism Report can be found here: https://jewishoncampus.org/2021-data-set.
About Jewish on Campus
Jewish on Campus (JOC) was founded in the summer of 2019 as a social media platform meant to empower students to share their experiences with antisemitism and has since grown into a nonprofit organization with the mission of amplifying the voices of Jewish students and taking action against antisemitism on college campuses. JOC works with students across North America and the world to bring this mission to life by consulting with students, producing comprehensive studies of antisemitism on campus, bringing awareness to campus antisemitism on social media, and creating a body of students to vote on resolutions. JOC is an official partner of the World Jewish Congress.
