Anti-Israel and anti-Semitic demonstrations at top universities across the country have left Jewish parents wondering whether they can send their children to institutions where safety is no longer a given.
Anya Farber, whose only son is currently considering college, told Fox News Digital that the factors historically used to choose a school, such as location, size, available courses and athletic programs, are now He said that it has been put on the back burner. Instead, her top priority is ensuring her son can attend school safely as a proud Jewish man.
“That’s our reality right now as Jewish parents. That’s our reality,” Farber told FOX News Digital, adding that anti-Semitism is one of the most headline-grabbing schools, including Columbia University and Harvard University. He added that it is not limited to elite educational institutions that produce.
“Actually, we…don’t pay attention to U.S. universities at all,” she continued. “This is completely unreasonable. This is America. You shouldn’t fear for your safety. Everyone should have equal rights here. You know, in American history, there have been times when certain groups There was a very dark time when people couldn’t go to the same universities, walk through the same entrances, use the same fountains, and that’s literally what we’re coming back to now.”
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A protester holds a placard during a march in support of a protest camp supporting Palestinians on the Columbia University campus. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)
Farber, a communications expert who hosts Podust’s “Talk Israel,” said she was “disgusted” for her son’s safety and said anti-Israel demonstrators were simply terrorist sponsors of Hamas and Hezbollah.
“They’re screaming, ‘I’m Hamas.’ OK, Hamas and Hezbollah are ISIS, they’re al-Qaeda. They’re designated terrorist groups by the United States. The United States doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, but… “University authorities are negotiating with terrorist organizations,” she said, adding that the situation is especially frightening in New York City schools, despite the large Jewish population.
“Can I walk down the street wearing Jewish clothes and feel safe from assault? No,” she said.
She said it was very difficult to explain to her son that echoes of the anti-Semitism of the 1930s are happening today.
Student protesters march around an encampment on the Columbia University campus on Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Jeremiah)
“My son has seen pictures of Nazis blocking Jewish entrances next to what’s happening on American college campuses,” she said. “When I say it’s heartbreaking and when I say it’s upsetting, I’m not even scratching the surface.”
Her son started a Jewish club at his public high school and “proudly wears the Star of David around his neck,” but he gave up baseball because he didn’t feel safe at the many American colleges interested in the sport. He said he might have to. he.
“He has been robbed of opportunities…He always receives packets in the mail from the university. We throw them away,” she said.
“Every American should be concerned, whether you’re Jewish or not, because you don’t have to be Jewish, but maybe one of the terrorist groups thinks you look Jewish and you’re on campus. I might be assaulted,” she added. “I was a proud American, and now I’m a disillusioned American. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking.”
Dozens of anti-Israel protests have erupted at universities across the United States in recent weeks, with a variety of elite educational institutions overwhelmed by anti-Semitic acts. Demonstrators at Columbia University and elsewhere chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan criticized by critics as anti-Semitic and also used by Hamas. The phrase is widely interpreted as calling for the destruction of the state of Israel and the expulsion of Jews, but its supporters often deny its meaning.
This national movement includes Columbia University, Yale University, MIT, University of California, Berkeley, University of Southern California, Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, and others. has spread to schools.
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Students and banners build a protest camp in support of Palestinians at University of Southern California’s Alumni Park during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, United States. People who advocate. (Reuters/Zaidi Sanchez)
Ari Kirschbaum, a Long Island-based father whose son attended Binghamton University in New York, said anti-Semitism on college campuses is “always an issue” and that a lot of research was done before choosing a college. said.
“We talk to a lot of Jewish leaders on campus and look at the elements on campus, the attitudes toward Jews and Israel, the vocalizations, the outpourings of emotion at these schools and universities. It’s a direct interaction on campus,” the father told Fox News Digital.
Kirschbaum said many doors were open for her son, primarily because he is a highly recruited and accomplished athlete, but it was important not to choose the wrong institution.
“We have to make sure it’s a safe environment for Jews. It’s not an openly anti-Israel or openly anti-Semitic campus,” he said, adding that he and about 100 Jewish leaders and rabbis I pointed out that we had talked. “To get a feel for the land” at various Division I schools.
Anti-Semitism has been rampant on college campuses for some time, the father said, and the response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the Jewish state’s subsequent military response brought a much-needed spotlight on the issue. It is said that it is attracting a lot of attention.
“It was out there, but it obviously wasn’t publicized. It was there, but it wasn’t reported on. It was there, but it wasn’t very loud, it wasn’t very visible. “I did,” he said.
“I think most Jewish parents are seeing it now, not just hearing about it,” Kirschbaum added. “I think it’s more tangible now. I think it’s becoming a top consideration for parents when choosing a college for their students.”
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A pro-Gaza ceasefire tent encampment at Columbia University on April 28, 2024. (Getty Images)
Greg Schneider, a California-based national security expert, told Fox News Digital that anti-Semitism on college campuses before Oct. He said he warned his son. His 11th grade son, who is interested in music, may avoid certain schools as a result.
“He’s focused on the music program, and the local university has a music program. I’m reluctant to send him there because of the political environment at that particular university,” he said. Ta.
“That’s difficult. Even though they grew up with a strong Jewish identity, they just want to fit in and be like everyone else to some degree. And that’s what we ‘is educating them on what to understand’ and that is anti-Semitism,” he continued. “For my older child, I would recommend taking a gap year in Israel if possible.”
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He said he agreed that it was the worst environment for Jews in the country he had ever seen in his lifetime.
“It goes beyond Jewish stores, cemeteries, synagogues, schools,” he says. “We have been targeted for a long time, going back thousands of years. We have never seen heads like this targeted before. And even within the Jewish community, some It’s sad to see people being targeted by “muting their identity…that’s how the bad guys win.” ”
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
