Catholic institutions support Jewish students amid surge in campus anti-Semitism
Catholic colleges across the nation are continuing to accept Jewish students and express support for the Jewish community since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks against Israel.
Given the failure of elite colleges to protect Jewish students, Assumption University President Greg Weiner wrote, Catholic universities can fill the void.
Catholic colleges and universities across the nation remain committed to accepting Jewish students and expressing support for the Jewish community ever since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks against Israel.
President Greg Weiner of Assumption University in Worcester, Massachusetts recently wrote an essay in The Wall Street Journal arguing that elite schools “have largely abandoned their responsibility to form morally circumspect and intellectually curious citizens,” and have instead fostered an environment of “hatred” on their campuses.
Given the failure of elite colleges, Weiner wrote, Catholic universities can fill the void.
Weiner, himself a Jew, wrote that “[t]hose tending the lamp” of quality education “are often Catholic.” He noted that most Catholic universities “aren’t elite by common metrics,” but argued that Catholic institutions “haven’t, by and large, been scenes of raging antisemitism.”
Weiner also stated that Catholic universities have been able to avoid the “heat of contemporary events” and focus instead on academic problems like “enduring questions,” and confronting “challenging books” and not the “politicized mobs.”
Weiner argued that “American Jews will find fewer markers of social prestige on the Catholic liberal-arts campuses that take their mission seriously” than at historically “elite” and “prestigious” institutions.
Similarly, Matthew Grad, the father of a self-described “observant Jewish family” wrote a letter to The Wall Street Journal on Jan.1 regarding President Weiner’s piece. He stated that his family sent their daughter to the Catholic Saint Louis University and that she has been “delighted” by the decision.
Grad wrote that the school has accommodated his daughter’s religious beliefs and practices, including by implementing a kosher kitchen for her and other Jews. Grad reported that his daughter has met a number of other Jewish families who made the same decision that his family did, and that “a strong Catholic university may be a better option for Jews than an Ivy League school.”
Another Catholic college, Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, has amended its policies to grant easier access for Jewish students who may wish to transfer from campuses that have been hostile.
President Tim Collins said in a statement in October: “We believe that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. Our Jewish brothers and sisters seeking a safe haven have a place here on our campus.”
That same month, Walsh also announced that it planned to adopt an “expedited transfer process” for Jewish students in danger of “anti-Semitic discrimination, violence and hostility.” The university expressed a desire to make transferring for Jewish students “as seamless as possible.”
St. Francis University, located in Loretto, Pennsylvania, has also expressed support for Jewish students. President Fr. Malachi Van Tassell said that the university “stand[s] in solidarity with Israel and the people suffering under Hamas’s cruel rule.”
He continued to say, “It is essential for universities to unite against terrorism, promoting peace, understanding, and the protection of our campus communities.”
Campus Reform recently reported that Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic school in Ohio, has also been offering scholarships and an expedited transfer process for Jewish students.
As of the fall, Franciscan had been working to accommodate Jewish students by providing places of worship and developing kosher food options, all while emphasizing its commitment to fraternity and support for all people.
[RELATED: Catholic university offering ‘safe haven’ for Jewish students amid rise in anti-Semitism]
Additionally, the presidents of Catholic University of America, Salve Regina University, and the University of Notre Dame have each signed a letter authored by Rabbi Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, which expresses support for Israel and Jewish students in the U.S. after the Oct. 7 attacks.
Campus Reform has contacted Saint Louis University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, St. Francis University, Walsh University, Assumption University, Catholic University, Salve Regina University, and the University of Notre Dame for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
