Anti-Israel incidents surged 477 percent on U.S. campuses after Oct. 7 attacks, ADL reports
The Anti-Defamation League recently released its annual report on anti-Israel activity, and found a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
The report identified 2,087 anti-Israel incidents including 'assault, vandalism, harassment, protests/actions and divestment resolutions' between the beginning of June 2023 and the end of May.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recently released its annual report on anti-Israel activity, and found a significant increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents on college campuses following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against the Jewish state.
Specifically, the 2023–2024 report, which was published on Sept. 16, identified 2,087 anti-Israel incidents including “assault, vandalism, harassment, protests/actions and divestment resolutions” between the beginning of June 2023 and the end of May. This represents a “staggering 477% increase in those categories compared to the same period in 2022-2023,” the report concludes.
“This marks the highest number ever documented by ADL,” the report continues. “These incidents included both blatant acts of antisemitism, as well as anti-Israel activity, which is not always antisemitic.”
Although in previous years the ADL documented anti-Israel panels, speeches, and conferences, this report did not “attempt to tally this category for the 2023-2024 academic year as these numbers were exceedingly high.”
ADL’s study additionally highlights specific campus groups that are at fault and colleges that have seen particularly high amounts of anti-Semitic activity.
“Campus groups responsible for much of the recorded anti-Israel activity in this report include Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and Dissenters,” the report states.
ADL’s study also identified the specific colleges with the highest number of reported incidents of anti-Israel activity. The top four are Columbia University (52 reported incidents), the University of Michigan (38 reported incidents), Harvard University (36 incidents), and the University of California, Berkeley (36 incidents).
“The antisemitic, anti-Zionist vitriol we’ve witnessed on campus is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past,” ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in a statement provided to Campus Reform.
“Since the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel, the anti-Israel movement’s relentless harassment, vandalism, intimidations and violent physical assaults go way beyond the peaceful voicing of a political opinion,” Greenblatt continued. “Administrators and faculty need to do much better this year to ensure a safe and truly inclusive environment for all students, regardless of religion, nationality, or political views, and they need to start now.”
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and the University of California, Berkeley for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
