Latest News from Campus

Penn Hillel was honored with the 2025 Sharon Greene Award for Campus Advocacy at the AJC Global Policy Forum in New York City. The award recognizes leadership in countering antisemitism on campus, and is awarded to students and campus organizations that lead the way in combating antisemitism and discrimination. Ben Messafi, student vice president of Penn Hillel, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

Jewish Insider reports that anti-Israel campus protests and encampments have significantly decreased in 2025 compared to 2024. This trend is attributed to stricter enforcement of university policies, disciplinary actions taken against policy violators, and external political pressures. University administrators have also taken decisive actions, such as revoking recognition of student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) when they violate university codes of conduct.

Yale University revoked the official student group status of Yalies4Palestine after the group violated campus protest policies and triggered concerns about antisemitic behavior during a recent demonstration. The student club lost access to campus spaces and university funding, while Yale continues investigating reports of antisemitism connected to the protest.

As National College Decision Day approaches on May 1, Hillel International President and CEO Adam Lehman encourages Jewish high school students and their families to assess campus climates carefully and holistically. Despite increased antisemitism at some universities, Lehman notes that many universities, even those with publicized incidents, maintain vibrant Jewish communities supported by robust Hillel programs. He emphasizes the importance of evaluating the full scope of Jewish life offerings to ensure students find a campus environment where they can confidently express their Jewish identity.

Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government after it froze $2.2 billion of the university’s federal funding and placed an additional $9 billion under review. The administration cited Harvard’s handling of campus antisemitism as the reason for the funding freeze. Harvard is arguing that the funding freeze violates the First Amendment.

The U.S. government announced that it would pause $2.2 billion in federal research grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University. The funding freeze follows Harvard President Alan Garber’s announcement that the university was refusing to comply with a set of government demands that he said in a statement “infringe on academic independence or constitutional rights.” In recent weeks, the administration has also paused funding at the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Princeton, Cornell, and Northwestern citing concerns about antisemitism on campus.