Unpacking the Campus Antisemitism Narrative

In recent months, a buzzy new pair of articles on the specter of rising “Israel-related” antisemitism have arrived in The Atlantic. One, by Franklin Foer, heralds the end of the “golden age of American Jews,” while another, by Theo Baker, details the current climate on Stanford’s campus. Though similar stories have circulated in Jewish communal outlets for years, these two longform pieces demonstrate how the subject has also taken center-stage in liberal media since October 7th, against a backdrop of increased scrutiny on college campuses. The media handwringing has been accompanied by political and legal crackdowns: The ADL and the Brandeis Center have filed a lawsuit against Ohio State, the House Committee on Education has launched an investigation into Columbia, and Harvard President Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill have both been pushed out of their positions due to their handling of tensions around campus antisemitism. But is this really all about antisemitism? What do these narratives leave out of frame?

In this episode, Jewish Currents editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, editor-at-large Peter Beinart, associate editor Mari Cohen, and publisher Daniel May dissect the common features of these campus antisemitism narratives—and consider what ends they serve. They discuss the difference between antisemitism and political ostracism, the need for more accurate reporting on campus dynamics, the confluence between the anti-antisemitism and the anti-DEI crusade, and the ways that the campus antisemitism panic can result in crackdowns on—rather than protection of—liberal freedoms.

Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).” 

Articles Mentioned and Further Reading:

“The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending,” Franklin Foer, The Atlantic

“The War at Stanford,” Theo Baker, The Atlantic

“The New Antisemitism,” Noah Feldman, Time Magazine

“‘Pro-Israel’ Pundits Don’t Talk About Israel,” Peter Beinart, Jewish Currents

“Toward a Sober Assessment of Campus Antisemitism,” Ben Lorber, Jewish Currents

“Homeland Violence and Diaspora Insecurity: An Analysis of Israel and American Jewry,” Ayal Feinberg, Politics and Religion (and similar studies from Belgium and Australia)

“U.S. College Students and the War in Israel: Jewish Engagement and Social Tension on Campus,” 2024 study by Eitan Hersh

“Jewish College Students in America,” 2022 study by Eitan Hersh

“The Push to ‘Deactivate’ Students for Justice in Palestine,” Alex Kane, Jewish Currents 

“The Campaign Against D.E.I.,” Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, The New Yorker

“Campus Wars,” On the Nose, Jewish Currents

“Navigating Intersectional Landscapes,” 2019 report by the Reut Group (via Wayback Machine)

“November 2023 National Survey of Jewish Voters,” Jewish Electorate Institute

“Muslim student struck in Stanford hit-and-run calls for love, compassion, from hospital bed,” Camila Bernal and Chris Boyette, CNN

“NYPD Investigating ‘Skunk’ Chemical Attack at Columbia U,” Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed