A recent report reveals that 39% of Jewish college students feel the need to conceal their identity while on campus, with 62% believing they are held accountable for Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The civil rights organization Stop Anti-Semitism has released a 2025 “report card” that evaluates how 90 universities manage the pervasive anti-Jewish sentiment on their campuses. Alarmingly, 14 institutions—including two in New York City—failed to meet expectations.
Liora Rez, founder of Stop Anti-Semitism, expressed concern over these findings, indicating that systemic anti-Semitism is often tolerated or even promoted by the very institutions meant to protect students. It’s unsettling, really.
Anti-Semitism has surged globally following the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. A survey conducted among students across 90 U.S. universities reported feelings of unsafety on campus.
About 58% of those surveyed reported experiencing anti-Semitism firsthand, while only 12% felt that such incidents were handled properly by authorities.
Additionally, 65% of respondents stated they felt unwelcome in various campus spaces, especially as anti-Israel protests intensified. More than half agreed that their universities failed to ensure their safety.
Columbia University and The New School, known for large-scale anti-Israel demonstrations since the October attacks, received an F for permitting a culture of rampant anti-Semitism.
Reports indicated that Jewish students at Columbia face persistent incidents of anti-Semitism, including vandalism and hate-filled communication, with the school reportedly indifferent to these matters. Federal investigators even threatened to withhold substantial funding due to the university’s negligence.
Other Ivy League institutions, such as Brown, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale, also received failing ratings. Harvard, in particular, has pledged to tackle anti-Semitism in 2025 amid public scrutiny, yet the atmosphere remains fraught with tension.
Sadly, this is a common theme at other failing Ivy League schools, where many feel their campuses are unsafe for Jewish students.
In addition to Columbia and The New School, other prestigious institutions like MIT, Northwestern University, and UC Berkeley also received poor grades—14 out of 90 schools fell short, according to Stop Anti-Semitism.
Rez emphasized that the universities receiving F grades have essentially become hotbeds of anti-Semitism while claiming to uphold moral and intellectual values. It feels contradictory, doesn’t it?
Dartmouth stood out among Ivy League institutions with a commendable B rating this year.
Only 15 universities achieved an A rating, including Baylor, Clemson, Elon, and Colorado State. Cornell, which earned an F last year, improved to a C after addressing some concerns from Jewish students regarding campus safety.
Vassar College also moved up from a D to a B, demonstrating commendable efforts to enhance safety.
New York University, amidst its anti-Israel protests, received a C and students are urging the administration to intensify its fight against anti-Semitism.
Overall, only 62% of surveyed students felt comfortable recommending their school to Jewish peers.
The Stop Anti-Semitism report gathered data on anti-Semitic incidents at American universities for 2025, supplemented by a survey capturing firsthand accounts from Jewish students.
The organization called on all U.S. schools to emulate the positive examples set by A-rated universities, urging a clear condemnation of hatred against Jewish students and the establishment of straightforward investigative processes for acts of hate.
“We do need to focus on the failures, but this report also highlights institutions that display true leadership,” Rez noted.
She concluded by stating that these proactive schools are setting exemplary standards, enforcing them consistently, and making it clear that anti-Semitism has no place on their campuses.
