In an effort to regain the $400 million in federal funding that it lost earlier this year, Columbia University announced that it will: require its Office of Institutional Equity to use the IHRA definition of antisemitism, appoint a Title VI coordinator, mandate antisemitism training for students, staff, and faculty, and refuse to recognize or meet with the Columbia University Apartheid Divest coalition, which is banned by Instagram due to promotion of violent material. Brian Cohen, executive director of Columbia Barnard Hillel, said these steps are welcome as their implementation shows an acknowledgement of the antisemitism spike on campus.

Inside Higher Ed reports that the recent surge in antisemitism on college campuses has led to dozens of universities creating dedicated Title VI coordinator roles to oversee investigations, processes, and policies in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 related to discrimination based on ethnicity or national origin — including antisemitism. The increase in Title VI support mirrors the opening of Title IX offices in the 2010s.

A recent Anti-Defamation League (ADL) survey of 1,000 U.S. adults reveals that while 60% of Americans view antisemitism as a serious problem, approximately 25% believe recent violent attacks on Jewish Americans were “understandable.” The recent violent incidents include the arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s house, the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy workers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C., and the firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado. The same percentage also believed that these attacks were staged to gain sympathy for Israel.

Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, settled a lawsuit brought by Jewish students and advocacy groups who said the school failed to address antisemitism on campus. As part of the agreement, Barnard will adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, end official engagement with the suspended student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), ban masks at protests, and open a Title VI office to address discrimination and bias complaints based on national origin and ancestry.

The homes of at least four University of Wisconsin (UW) Board of Regents members and one unidentified UW employee were vandalized overnight with anti-Israel messages and fake blood. The UW system has since condemned the act, calling it “dangerous, unlawful, and unacceptable.”

Karen Diamond, an 82-year-old victim of last month’s firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado of peaceful demonstrators advocating for the release of Israeli hostages, died from her wounds. Marc Soloway of Bonai Shalom congregation in Boulder remembered Diamond as “someone who has given so much of herself over the years to the Bonai community and beyond.” Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect of the attack, will now face two counts of murder.