Latest News from Campus

A Jewish student at the University of Cincinnati (UC) filed a formal complaint with the provost’s office, alleging a guest speaker made repeated antisemitic remarks during a design class. According to the complaint, the lecturer made comments such as, “Has anyone ever heard that the Jews are evil?” and “I have Jewish friends, and some Jews are good, but historically they have caused conflict and tried to take over Palestine.”

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives reintroduced the Protecting Students on Campus Act, legislation meant to increase education about students’ rights to file Title VI civil rights complaints and improve transparency on how colleges handle allegations of discrimination, including antisemitism.

Fresno State University officials say they are investigating multiple incidents of vandalism on campus, reporting that property was defaced with antisemitic messages that have since been removed. The university’s president notified the campus community about the investigation and condemned the acts saying, “Antisemitism, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination run counter to our values and to the environment we are committed to upholding.”

San Francisco police arrested a suspect in connection with the December 5th arson attack that caused “significant damage” to the San Francisco Hillel building. While no injuries were reported, the fire caused the closure of the facility and the cancellation of events. Hillel staff thanked the San Francisco State University administration for their ongoing support. This is a developing story.

Brown University Jewish students gathered for Hanukkah on the heels of two tragedies: a shooting on campus that killed two students and injured several others, and the terror attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. The candle lighting at Brown doubled as a vigil for those who had been murdered only hours earlier. “The message of Hanukkah here is that we should increase the light,” said Rabbi Josh Bolton, Brown RISD Hillel’s executive director. “Even in the midst of this very dark and difficult moment, together as a community, we come together, and we give each other a little bit of light.”

Two Jewish students at DePaul University continue to face threats of violence and doxxing, including “Wanted” posters printed with their names and faces, a year after being physically attacked by masked individuals on campus. While their attacker took a plea deal, the students are pursuing a civil lawsuit against the university for failing to keep them safe.