Latest News from Campus

Touro University announced a new institute focused on combating antisemitism in higher education through research, trainings and other convenings, and policy initiatives. Their multi-pronged approach will include work with professors at universities nationwide, as well as leaders across academia, policy, law, media, and business to develop new strategies, study existing laws, and investigate the impact of antisemitism so discourse is grounded in evidence. “We believe that lasting change requires working on multiple fronts simultaneously, because antisemitism is not a single problem with a single solution,” said Touro University President Dr. Alan Kadish.

A federal judge granted the University of Pennsylvania’s request to temporarily halt enforcement of an earlier ruling that required the school to comply with an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission subpoena tied to a federal antisemitism investigation. The subpoena sought detailed information about Jewish students and faculty on campus as part of the probe. The decision pauses the requirement while appeals proceed, extending a legal dispute over privacy, discrimination investigations, and federal authority.

In a new op-ed, Hillel International Senior Vice President for Campus Solutions Jon Falk argues that, two years after the explosion of encampments on university campuses, antisemitism has persisted – often migrating online even as some campuses are less visibly chaotic. “What has emerged over the past two years is more diffuse, more ideologically embedded, and in some ways harder to confront than a tent city on the quad,” he writes. Falk calls for universities to embrace a comprehensive institutional response that goes beyond enforcing rules and improving security to protect Jewish students and help them flourish with joy, confidence, and belonging.

The University of Pennsylvania appealed a federal court order requiring it to provide the names and contact information of Jewish students and employees to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as part of an investigation into university antisemitism. The university argued the subpoena raises constitutional concerns, and asked the court to pause enforcement while the appeal proceeds. The order followed a March ruling that said the request could help identify potential witnesses to discrimination on campus.

A new study from Brandeis University found that 47% of Jewish college students reported experiencing antisemitism on campus. The survey also examined how students define antisemitism, including when criticism of Israel crosses into hostility toward Jews. Researchers said the findings reflect a broader rise in antisemitic incidents and continued challenges for Jewish students navigating campus life.

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s decision to campaign with controversial public figure Hasan Piker has prompted criticism from Jewish leaders, who cite Piker’s past antisemitic statements about Israel, 9/11, and Jewish communities. Michigan State University Hillel expressed strong concern over Piker’s planned campus appearance, describing it as deeply troubling.