How are your kids navigating the rising anti-Semitisim on campus?

[Anonymous]

What advice do your give your kids about how to deal with the rising anti-Semitism on campus? My daughter is headed off to college next fall and I'm concerned about the stories that I've been reading from college campuses across the country.

There's a really good column in the New York Times about what's going on on college campuses: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/opinion/college-israel-anti-semitism.html#click=https://t.co/LDEq3heyNb, but you need a subscription to view it and another that you don't: https://jewishjournal.com/news/nation/306677/report-shows-increase-in-bds-campaigns-disruptions-on-college-campuses/ that gives an overview of the harassment and anti-Semitism that many Jewish kids are facing on campus.

The most recent crazy example I saw was in Toronto (not the U.S, but there are plenty of other examples here) where the University of Toronto graduate student government voted that kosher food should not be allowed because it is related to Israeli food—which they boycott. https://www.timesofisrael.com/u-of-toronto-student-union-boycotts-kosher-food-on-campus-over-israel-divestment/

While anti-Semitism is nothing new, the approach is now different that seems to make it more acceptable among a wider group of people. Anti-Semitic groups form themselves under the guise of being anti-Israel/pro-humanitarian, but all they do are intimidate Jewish kids and permit anti-Semitic behavior.

DCUM: What advice do you have for Jewish kids going off to college in terms of how to handle this? Are there Jewish groups working to counteract this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What advice do your give your kids about how to deal with the rising anti-Semitism on campus? My daughter is headed off to college next fall and I'm concerned about the stories that I've been reading from college campuses across the country.

There's a really good column in the New York Times about what's going on on college campuses: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/opinion/college-israel-anti-semitism.html#click=https://t.co/LDEq3heyNb, but you need a subscription to view it and another that you don't: https://jewishjournal.com/news/nation/306677/report-shows-increase-in-bds-campaigns-disruptions-on-college-campuses/ that gives an overview of the harassment and anti-Semitism that many Jewish kids are facing on campus.

The most recent crazy example I saw was in Toronto (not the U.S, but there are plenty of other examples here) where the University of Toronto graduate student government voted that kosher food should not be allowed because it is related to Israeli food—which they boycott. https://www.timesofisrael.com/u-of-toronto-student-union-boycotts-kosher-food-on-campus-over-israel-divestment/

While anti-Semitism is nothing new, the approach is now different that seems to make it more acceptable among a wider group of people. Anti-Semitic groups form themselves under the guise of being anti-Israel/pro-humanitarian, but all they do are intimidate Jewish kids and permit anti-Semitic behavior.

DCUM: What advice do you have for Jewish kids going off to college in terms of how to handle this? Are there Jewish groups working to counteract this?

Curious how many people will claim that these are hoaxes or that people should stop being politically correct.

[Anonymous]

Curious how many people will claim that these are hoaxes

I don't know about those, but there have been many, many hoaxes.

[Anonymous]

My DC went to a school with a relatively large Jewish population and did not experience anti-semitism (at least anything overt). If you are worried about it you may want to explore colleges with larger populations of Jews and/or more diversity generally.

[Anonymous]

I just want to say I agree Anti-Semitism has become a growing problem not only on the right among white supremacists, but on the left among people who are anti-Israel. I am a Jew who abhors the Israeli government and am all for Palestinian rights. However, equating the Israeli government with all Jews is a horrible generalization that places these purportedly left-wing people all too close to white supremacists-who also promote generalizations about Jews.

Then, of course, you have the people who dismiss anti-Semitism because "Jews are basically white people."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC went to a school with a relatively large Jewish population and did not experience anti-semitism (at least anything overt). If you are worried about it you may want to explore colleges with larger populations of Jews and/or more diversity generally.

I think you're being naive. Look at how often the Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn are targeted. Being among many Jews is no real protection against anti-Semitism.

[Anonymous]

FWIW I discuss with Jews in other places outside of DCUM. I don't find this to be a good place to discuss my concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FWIW I discuss with Jews in other places outside of DCUM. I don't find this to be a good place to discuss my concerns.

Op here: I thought about that, but I feel that there's no reason to hide what's going on or our concerns as Jews. This discussion should be out in the open and not just among MOT. Many issues are discussed in this forum from kids being depressed, kids with learning disabilities, kids using drugs, kids failing out of school, racism. Just add this to the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FWIW I discuss with Jews in other places outside of DCUM. I don't find this to be a good place to discuss my concerns.

Op here: I thought about that, but I feel that there's no reason to hide what's going on or our concerns as Jews. This discussion should be out in the open and not just among MOT. Many issues are discussed in this forum from kids being depressed, kids with learning disabilities, kids using drugs, kids failing out of school, racism. Just add this to the list.

There is a lot of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiment on this board— much of it identical to what kids face on their college campuses. This thread will go bad very shortly. It really is the last place to ask for this type of advice.

[Anonymous]

Faulty premise. There is no rising anti-semitism.

[Anonymous]

There's a difference between words and actions. Sure people may support the BDS movement, but for the most part we aren't seeing any violence or physical attacks on campus. Anyone guilty of that deserves to be fully prosecuted, and from what I see, that's exactly what police are doing.

Just make sure the campus actual hands violent offenders over to the actual police, instead of trying to handle it as an in-house punishment like taking away privileges to attend the pep rally or some other toothless punishment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Faulty premise. There is no rising anti-semitism.

Ehh. There's a growing nuisance of left-wing antisemitism among the progressive left. See Britain's Jeremy Corbyn and the shell of the Labour Party. Having lived in London it is astonishing the degree to which otherwise intelligent progressive people will trap themselves by failing to distinguish between a political issue, Israel-Palestinian relations, and the greater Jewish faith and identity. As if Jews are not allowed to be anything other than hardcore Israel supporting Zionists who murder Palestinians every day of the week.

For some reason, right-wing antisemitism gets a lot more press and while I don't want to seem to be downplaying it, the left wing antisemitism is more pervasive because it's hidden behind the walls of "progressive causes" and Palestinian rights activists. At least right wing antisemitism is more honest in viewing all Jews = bad whereas left wing antisemitism hides behind the Palestinian / Israel mess as their excuse.

That aside, at least on American campuses, I don't think this will be a particular problem. Every school has its wackos.

[Anonymous]

So being against Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is anti-Semitic? Wow...ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Faulty premise. There is no rising anti-semitism.

Ehh. There's a growing nuisance of left-wing antisemitism among the progressive left. See Britain's Jeremy Corbyn and the shell of the Labour Party. Having lived in London it is astonishing the degree to which otherwise intelligent progressive people will trap themselves by failing to distinguish between a political issue, Israel-Palestinian relations, and the greater Jewish faith and identity. As if Jews are not allowed to be anything other than hardcore Israel supporting Zionists who murder Palestinians every day of the week.

For some reason, right-wing antisemitism gets a lot more press and while I don't want to seem to be downplaying it, the left wing antisemitism is more pervasive because it's hidden behind the walls of "progressive causes" and Palestinian rights activists. At least right wing antisemitism is more honest in viewing all Jews = bad whereas left wing antisemitism hides behind the Palestinian / Israel mess as their excuse.

That aside, at least on American campuses, I don't think this will be a particular problem. Every school has its wackos.

Op here. I'm not sure why you think the "left wing" anti-semitism is not an issue here. That's exactly what I shared in my original post. The articles talk about the insidiousness of the left wing anti-semitism and how it's affecting campuses here. I'm looking for some advice from parents of Jewish college students on how to deal with this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So being against Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is anti-Semitic? Wow...ok.

You clearly haven't been following this issue, so read about it before deciding that's what anyone meant.

There is a contingent of anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian people who have taken their anti-Israel sentiment to the level of being anti-Semitic. That does not mean that merely being anti-Israel means you are anti-Semitic.

You need to research this issue.