Latest News from Campus

Three Hadar Institute rabbis will begin work at Rutgers University, New York University, and UMass Amherst starting this summer as part of a campus expansion initiative. The rabbis, who will be embedded with campus Hillels, will engage in leading Jewish learning, prayer, and student programming. Hadar says the partnership aims to deepen pluralistic Jewish life and increase access to Torah learning for Jewish college students of all observance levels.

Harvard University asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the federal government that accuses the school of violating civil rights law by failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus. In its filing, Harvard argued that the government’s claims mischaracterize its response and ignore the steps it has taken to address harassment and protect Jewish and Israeli students under Title VI.

In a recent interview with the Cleveland Jewish News, Hillel International President and CEO Adam Lehman shared that Hillel is expanding leadership development and community-building programs for students as campuses continue to confront antisemitism. He said the most effective response to anti-Jewish hate is “creating opportunities for Jewish joy, purpose and meaning through… pluralistic, inclusive communities.”

A UCLA antisemitism task force released a report urging the university to strengthen disciplinary processes, clarify consequences for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and improve enforcement of existing antidiscrimination policies. Julio Frenk, the UCLA chancellor who created the Initiative to Combat Antisemitism, said the recommendations reflect a commitment to ensuring antisemitism has no place at the university. Hillel at UCLA Executive Director Daniel Gold, a member of the task force, said “While initial work of our initiative has concluded with the release of this important report, the work of everyone else at UCLA now begins to implement these changes and uphold the commitment towards a campus free of antisemitism.”

In this opinion piece, Jay Solomon, chief advancement officer for Hillel Ontario, describes how Canadian Jewish communities are confronting rising antisemitism, including on college campuses. He explains that Hillel Ontario is responding by “doubling down” – investing in Jewish confidence, literacy, and joy, and empowering students to contribute “openly and proudly to university life.”

Georgetown University Law Center replaced its 2026 commencement speaker after former Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro withdrew in response to student backlash over his public views on Israel. The school named Georgetown Law professor David Cole as his replacement. Cole, the former national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, previously condemned congressional hearings that explored the spike in campus antisemitism, saying they limited free speech.