oo compos presenLs selecLed flndlngs from a larger sLudy of college sLudenL experlences wlLh rellglous lnLolerance on campus. ConducLed by Lhe lnsLlLuLe for !ewlsh & CommunlLy 8esearch, Lhe SLudy of 8ellglous 1olerance on Campus surveyed over 1,400 sLudenLs naLlonally, lncludlng oversam- ples of mlnorlLy rellglous groups. lL ls one of Lhe largesL and mosL comprehenslve surveys of lLs klnd. 1he followlng ls Lhe flrsL ln a serles of summarles, whlch pro- vlde conclse analysls of selecLed sLudenL survey daLa. 1he com- pleLe sLudy wlll be made avallable ln publlcaLlons ln 2012. 1o recelve fuLure summarles and publlcaLlons, please cllck here. 1he lnsLlLuLe for !ewlsh & CommunlLy 8esearch (l!C8) ls an lndependenL, non-parLlsan Lhlnk Lank LhaL provldes lnnova- Llve research and pragmaLlc pollcy analysls on a broad range of lssues lncludlng raclal and rellglous ldenLlLy, phllanLhropy, and anLl-SemlLlsm. Ior more |nformat|on contact: Aryeh Welnberg, keseotcb ultectot lnsLlLuLe for !ewlsh & CommunlLy 8esearch 413.386.2604 www.!ewlsh8esearch.org I NSTI TUTE FOR JEWI SH & COMMUNI TY RESEARCH ALONE ON THE QUAD UNDERSTANDI NG JEWI SH STUDENT I SOLATI ON ON CAMPUS INS1I1U1L ICk ILWISn & CCMMUNI1 kLSLAkCn - WWW.ILWISnkLSLAkCn.CkG 1 ARYEH WEI NBERG I NSTI TUTE FOR JEWI SH & COMMUNI TY RESEARCH INS1I1U1L ICk ILWISn & CCMMUNI1 kLSLAkCn - WWW.ILWISnkLSLAkCn.CkG 2 I NTRODUCTI ON Ample anecdoLal evldence suggesLs LhaL, over Lhe lasL decade, !ewlsh college sLudenLs have faced rlslng levels of anLl-SemlLlsm on campuses across Lhe unlLed SLaLes. ulvesLmenL campalgns, proLesLs, rallles, guerrllla LheaLer and lnflammaLo- ry speakers have feaLured anLl-!ewlsh rheLorlc. WlLh lnsufflclenL response from admlnlsLraLors, Lhese evenLs have devolved lnLo hosLlle envlron- menLs where !ewlsh sLudenLs and oLhers have been mallgned and LhreaLened. Cver Lhe lasL decade, Lhe !ewlsh communlLy has made slgnlflcanL lnvesLmenL ln addresslng rlslng anLl-SemlLlsm on unlverslLy and college campus- es. lmporLanL quesLlons remaln abouL Lhe exls- Lence of a problem, Lhe exLenL of Lhe problem and how besL Lo address lL. l!C8 flelded Lhe sur- vey of college sLudenLs Lo answer some of Lhese quesLlons and Lo help effecLlvely dlrecL communl- Ly efforLs and fundlng sLraLegles. 1he sLudenL survey flndlngs conflrm LhaL a serl- ous problem does lndeed exlsL on campuses for !ewlsh sLudenLs, and all sLudenLs by exLenslon. lL also crlLlcally lnforms Lhe !ewlsh communlLy on how sLudenLs percelve anLl-SemlLlsm. Whlle Lhe daLa proves Lhe exlsLence of Lhe problem, lL also reveals LhaL Lhe vasL ma[orlLy of sLudenLs remaln un-oplnlonaLed, un-lndocLrlnaLed and Lherefore poLenLlally open Lo falr and accuraLe lnformaLlon on lsrael, Lhe !ewlsh people and !udalsm. MAJOR FI NDI NGS ALONE ON THE QUAD 1. Cver 40 of Iew|sh Students Conf|rm Ant|-Sem|t|sm on 1he|r Campuses 2. Iew|sh Students Iace Ant|-Sem|t|sm A|one 3. Iew|sh Students keport Ant|-Israe||sm Creep|ng |nto the C|assroom 4. Ant|-Sem|t|sm |s 8e|ng Norma||zed and Underreported S. A S|gn|f|cant M|nor|ty of Iew|sh Students Say Ant|-Israe| rotest 1argets Iews 6. 1he Ma[or|ty of Non-Iew|sh Students Do Not no|d Cp|n|ons on Israe| ALONE ON THE QUAD UNDERSTANDI NG JEWI SH STUDENT I SOLATI ON ON CAMPUS INS1I1U1L ICk ILWISn & CCMMUNI1 kLSLAkCn - WWW.ILWISnkLSLAkCn.CkG 3 1. MORE THAN 2 I N 5 JEWI SH STUDENTS CONFI RM ANTI - SEMI TI SM ON THEI R CAMPUSES Cver 40 of !ewlsh sLudenLs surveyed answered LhaL Lhey are aware of or have personally experl- enced anLl-SemlLlsm on Lhelr campus. A !ewlsh sLudenL has a good chance LhaL he or she wlll encounLer anLl-SemlLlsm whlle ln college Loday. Lvery campus ls dlfferenL, buL a naLlonal average of 43 warranLs aLLenLlon and demon- sLraLes Lhe exlsLence of a problem. A sllghLly hlgher percenLage of Musllm sLudenLs (49) percelve anLl-Musllm blas on campus, whlle only 18 of ChrlsLlans are aware of anLl-ChrlsLlan blas. 1hese numbers speak poorly of admlnlsLra- Llve efforLs Lo encourage accepLance of rellglous mlnorlLles. lurLhermore, Lhey underscore Lhe facL LhaL !ews, desplLe slgnlflcanL galns Loward Amerlcan soclal accepLance, remaln LargeLs of pre[udlce on campus. 2. JEWI SH STUDENTS FACE ANTI - SEMI TI SM ALONE Whlle 43 of !ewlsh sLudenLs percelve anLl- SemlLlsm on Lhelr campuses, only 11 of non- !ewlsh sLudenLs recognlze Lhe exlsLence of anLl- !ewlsh blgoLry on campus. Among rellglous groups, ALhelsL/AgnosLlcs are a dlsLanL second Lo !ews (20), and are a small group LhaL llkely lncludes some number of !ews who do noL ldenLlfy rellglously. 1he slgnlflcanL dlsparlLy beLween !ewlsh and non- !ewlsh sLudenLs hlghllghLs Lhe lsolaLlon !ewlsh sLudenLs face ln addresslng anLl-SemlLlsm on campus. WheLher non-!ewlsh sLudenLs don'L know anLl-SemlLlsm when Lhey see lL, don'L pay aLLenLlon enough Lo recognlze lL, dlsagree wlLh !ewlsh sLudenLs on Lhe deflnlLlon of anLl-SemlLlsm or condone lL, Lhe resulL ls Lhe same: Lhe !ewlsh sLudenL communlLy ls ofLen alone ln aLLempLlng Lo ralse awareness, spur admlnlsLraLlve acLlon, or rally campus supporL. 1he percenLage of !ewlsh sLudenLs answerlng LhaL anLl-SemlLlsm exlsLs on Lhelr campus ls a Lroubllng Lrend, compounded by Lhe lack of obvlous allles on campus for [ewlsh sLudenLs Lo Lurn Lo. INS1I1U1L ICk ILWISn & CCMMUNI1 kLSLAkCn - WWW.ILWISnkLSLAkCn.CkG 4 3. JEWI SH STUDENTS REPORT ANTI - I SRAELI SM I N THE CLASSROOM lorLy-one percenL of !ewlsh sLudenLs have heard anLl-lsrael remarks made ln class by a professor, conflrmlng LhaL Lhe academlc experlence of sLu- denLs ls belng lmpacLed by anLl-lsrael acLlvlsm on campus. CLher Lhan Mormons, few non-!ewlsh sLudenLs percelve anLl-lsrael remarks ln class. laculLy play a slgnlflcanL role ln formlng sLudenL oplnlons, especlally where Lhey cross over from lnsLrucLlon Lo lndocLrlnaLlon. Many sLudenLs do noL hold sLrong oplnlons on Lhe Mlddle LasL con- fllcL and are parLlcularly suscepLlble Lo accepLlng faculLy polnLs of vlew as LruLh, especlally when offered ln class. lL may, Lherefore, be unsurprlslng LhaL non-!ewlsh sLudenLs, wlLh llLLle prevlous knowledge of lsrael or Lhe Mlddle LasL, do noL recognlze anLl-lsrael commenLs made ln class. 4. ANTI - SEMI TI SM I S BEI NG NORMALI ZED AND UNDERREPORTED SlgnlflcanLly more !ewlsh and non-!ewlsh sLu- denLs reporLed speclflc anLl-SemlLlc sLaLemenLs heard on campus Lhan reporLed anLl-SemlLlsm ln general. 1hls flndlng calls lnLo quesLlon whaL sLu- denLs conslder anLl-SemlLlsm. erhaps many do noL conslder rheLorlc or sLereoLypes meanlngful offenslve behavlor. ?eL, one musL conslder LhaL college campuses are parLlcularly senslLlve Lo lssues of Lolerance and wheLher slmllar rheLorlc abouL oLher mlnorlLy groups would be LoleraLed. 1he flndlng conLradlcLs clalms LhaL !ews are over- ly senslLlve and qulck Lo clalm anLl-SemlLlsm. 1he opposlLe seems Lo be Lrue. !ewlsh sLudenLs Lend Lo dlsmlss a good deal of Lhe anLl-SemlLlc rheLorlc Lhey encounLer. 1he same ls Lrue for non-!ewlsh sLudenLs. 1hls Lrend hlnLs aL a creeplng normal- lzaLlon of anLl-!ewlsh senLlmenL on campus, whlch can qulckly devolve lnLo an envlronmenL where !ews feel unsafe and unwanLed. 1he dlsmlssal of anLl-!ewlsh sLaLemenLs ls parLlcularly Lroubllng conslderlng Lhe hlgh level of vlgllance agalnsL mosL forms of raclsm and blgoLry on cam- pus. INS1I1U1L ICk ILWISn & CCMMUNI1 kLSLAkCn - WWW.ILWISnkLSLAkCn.CkG S 5. ANTI - I SRAELI SM TARGETS JEWS nearly one-Lhlrd of !ewlsh sLudenLs agree LhaL anLl-lsrael proLesL LargeLs !ews. llfLeen percenL belleve lL always or usually does and 16 belleve lL someLlmes does. 1he llne beLween anLl-SemlLlsm and anLl- lsraellsm ls unclear and cerLalnly noL all crlLlclsm of lsrael conLalns anLl-SemlLlsm. Powever, anLl- lsrael proLesL lowers Lhe norms agalnsL anLl- !ewlsh blgoLry. lL provldes a convenlenL venue for anLl-SemlLlc expresslon and embraces anLl- SemlLlc sLereoLypes under Lhe gulse of pollLlcal acLlvlsm. 1he blurrlng beLween anLl-lsraellsm and anLl-SemlLlsm ls recognlzed by nearly one-Lhlrd of !ewlsh sLudenLs. Less Lhan one-ln-Len non-!ewlsh sLudenLs recognlze anLl-!ewlsh aLLacks wlLhln anLl-lsrael proLesL, underscorlng Lhe dllemma !ews face on campus addresslng problems few oLher sLudenLs recognlze. 6. THE MAJORI TY OF STUDENTS ARE UNI NFORMED ABOUT I SRAEL uesplLe slgnlflcanL efforLs by anLl- and pro-lsrael groups, mosL sLudenLs do noL hold sLrong opln- lons, or any aL all, relaLed Lo lsrael and Lhe Mlddle LasL. 1he ma[orlLy of non-!ewlsh sLudenLs slmply do noL know whaL Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhe mosL wlde- spread anLl-lsrael sLaLemenLs. 1he vasL ma[orlLy do noL blame elLher Lhe alesLlnlans or lsrael for fallure Lo achleve peace ln Lhe Mlddle LasL. WheLher Lhls represenLs a gap ln oplnlon or ln knowledge ls unclear. lL ls an lmporLanL flndlng, slgnallng Lhe opporLunlLy Lo educaLe abouL lsrael and Lhe need Lo develop more engaglng approaches. CONCLUSI ON !ewlsh sLudenLs have access Lo a wlde range of opporLunlLles ln college and conLlnue Lo be rep- resenLed on campus well above naLlonal popula- Llon numbers. Powever, Lhe quallLy of Lhelr expe- rlence ls ln quesLlon. nearly half of young !ewlsh adulLs enLerlng col- lege can expecL Lo be confronLed by anLl- SemlLlsm on Lhelr campus. ConLrary Lo Lhe expe- rlence of many oLher mlnorlLles, !ewlsh sLudenLs face lsolaLlon ln aLLempLlng Lo ralse awareness and combaL anLl-!ewlsh blgoLry. Moreover, anLl- lsrael proLesL, for many !ews, lnclude aLLacks on Lhe !ewlsh people and falLh. ueeply concernlng ls evldence LhaL anLl-lsrael rheLorlc has made lLs way lnLo Lhe classroom, lncreaslng Lhe allenaLlon of !ewlsh sLudenLs on campus. 1he vasL ma[orlLy of non-!ewlsh sLudenLs remaln neuLral or unaware of lssues relaLed Lo lsrael and Lhe Mlddle LasL. 1hese sLudenLs presenL an opporLunlLy, and engaglng Lhe undeclded ma[orl- Ly offers slgnlflcanL poLenLlal for boLh lmmedlaLe and long Lerm progress. FORTHCOMI NG upcomlng ma[or flndlngs summarles wlll cover Loplcs lncludlng sLudenL oplnlons of !ewlsh cam- pus organlzaLlons, oplnlons of enLrepreneurshlp, vlews of Lhe Mlddle LasL confllcL and proflles of core anLl-lsrael acLlvlsLs. Ior more |nformat|on contact: Aryeh Welnberg, keseotcb ultectot lnsLlLuLe for !ewlsh & CommunlLy 8esearch 413.386.2604 www.!ewlsh8esearch.org INS1I1U1L ICk ILWISn & CCMMUNI1 kLSLAkCn - WWW.ILWISnkLSLAkCn.CkG 6 2011 All rlghLs reserved. lnsLlLuLe for !ewlsh & CommunlLy 8esearch.
Comment (Afarinesh1) : Use THEY Instead of Comment (Afarinesh2) : Both Sides of AND, The Comment (Afarinesh3) : Media Is The Plural Comment (Afarinesh4) : Not A Good Topic