Safe schools for Jews

(JNS) — Jewish parents have always worried about their kids, but since Oct. 7, fears and concerns have been justified and amplified in an America where antisemitism is running rampant.

When it comes to university choices in North America, any Jew who considers enrolling in Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Michigan, New York University, the University of California, Los Angeles, or some of the other schools that day after day sees horrific antisemitism really needs to rethink their priorities.

You are sending your child into a hate-filled arena. Show some pride; don’t even consider it. Pull all donations and simply stop.

It’s even offensive that Jews can wear paraphernalia from these universities. Wearing a U of M hat or sweatshirt the same week that three Jews are attacked in three separate antisemitic incidents sends the message that their hatred is permissible. Throw it out! Antisemitic universities like Baruch College—a public school in New York City, which told Hillel not to hold an event “celebrating the Jewish New Year because Baruch could ‘guarantee their security’ ”—simply don’t deserve Jewish money.

Why spend money to send your kid to a place where they aren’t wanted and aren’t safe?

What is the best move for parents and students to do when considering colleges to attend? Read the ADL report cards on antisemitism and visit the local Chabad on Campus, as that’s a good place to get answers.

As the father of a college student who attended a Jewish day school, the sad reality in 2024 is that Jewish Americans have simply accepted being second-class citizens. Every single day antisemitism occurs, and Jews have come to accept it by silence and acquiescence. Very few schools have pro-Israel communities, and very few have active alumni or parent groups that are taking action.

The simple question to ask is, what would African American or gay fraternities do if these things were happening to them? They react much stronger and louder than today’s overwhelmingly liberal Jewish American parents.

Even a school like Syracuse University, which has the eighth-largest Jewish population in America, permits political professors who support “all forms of resistance” and professors who say, “Don’t be friends with anyone who supports Israel.” It’s a fact of life that encouragement of jihad and antisemitism is so prevalent that 73 percent of college students admit to encountering antisemitism on campus. Terrible reality.

The question of where to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition comes down to where Jews are safe and their money is wanted. Jewish universities in North America are a natural choice, with schools including Yeshiva University, Stern College, Gratz College, Touro University and Brandeis University being traditional Jewish institutions.

Other schools reporting strong Jewish communities with limited antisemitism include many in Florida and the South.

A recent op-ed from a University of Tennessee professor noted that “in the red states, support for Israel isn’t controversial. And amenities aside, most importantly, you won’t be surrounded by people who hate Jews, people who are enabled, if not encouraged, by university administrations dependent on the full-tuition revenues of hate-filled foreign students and their governments. (If foreign money is corrupting our universities to this extent, maybe we should shut it off.)”

Even better, this is a chance for Israeli universities to shine. What can be better than Jewish students spending time in Israel?

As time progresses, one wonders where and if Jews will be safe in America. But at the very least, Jews should spend money only where they are wanted.