Study shows link between anti-Israel activities and antisemitism on campus

 After numerous independent surveys have suggested alarming rates of anti-Semitic activity on college and university campuses across the country, AMCHA Initiative, today released the first empirical study of its kind demonstrating that anti-Zionist activities, including BDS, anti-Israel student groups and faculty who endorse an academic boycott of Israel, are at the heart of the rise in campus anti-Semitism.

Major findings include:

1) Campus anti-Semitism is highly prevalent in public and private schools with significant Jewish undergraduate populations, irrespective of school size.

2) Strong correlation between anti-Zionist student groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and anti-Semitism.

3) Strong correlation between the presence of faculty who have expressed public support for an academic boycott of Israel and anti-Semitism.

4) BDS activity strongly correlates with anti-Semitic activity.

5) Presence of SJP, faculty boycotters and BDS strong predictors of anti-Semitism.

6) Anti-Zionism permeates and is inseparable from contemporary campus anti-Semitism.




AMCHA has been leading a coalition of more than 40 groups that is calling on university leadership to acknowledge a distinction between scholarly debate and criticism of Israel’s policies and anti-Zionism – i.e. calls for the destruction of Israel — which is anti-Semitic and breeds additional anti-Semitism. Pope Francis, President Obama, British Prime Minister Cameron, French Prime Minister Valls, former Secretary of State Clinton and the majority of presidential candidates have all stated that denying Israel’s right to exist is anti-Semitism.

A Trinity College and Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law study revealed that 54% of surveyed students experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism during the first six months of the 2013-2014 academic year. A survey by Brandeis University in the Spring of 2015 found that three-quarters of North American Jewish college student respondents had been exposed to anti-Semitic rhetoric. Both surveys found that anti-Israel expression, particularly expression related to BDS campaigns, was a major factor in anti-Jewish hostility. A 2015 survey conducted by AMCHA Initiative of Jewish students at the University of California found that 70% had experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism.

 

Original Quill wrote:Truth be told, the term 'antisemitism' has undergone a change, so that it is no longer the associative term for Nazism and other bigoted, conservative movements.

The term, today, simply means opposed to inhuman policies of Israel.  A person called 'antisemite' today is not particularly offended, given the practical, intended usage of the term.

Strong correlation between anti-Zionist student groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and antisemitism.



• 99% of schools with one or more active anti-Zionist groups had one or more incidents of antisemitic activity, whereas only 16% of schools with no active anti-Zionist student group had incidents of overall anti-Semitic activity.
  
• 57% of the schools with one or more active anti-Zionist student groups had one or more incidents that targeted Jewish students for harm, 91% of the schools with one or more active anti-Zionist groups showed evidence of antisemitic expression, and 80% of schools with one or more active anti-Zionist groups showed evidence of BDS activity.
  



Strong correlation between the presence of faculty who have expressed public support for an academic boycott of Israel and antisemitism.



• 81% of the schools with one or more faculty boycotters had one or more incidents of overall antisemitic activity, whereas only 17% of schools with no faculty boycotters had incidents of antisemitic activity.
  
• 100% of the 33 schools with 10 or more faculty boycotters had one or more incidents of antisemitic activity.
  
• 46% of schools with faculty boycotters showed evidence of targeting Jewish students for harm, 74% of schools with faculty boycotters showed evidence of antisemitic expression, and 62% of schools with faculty boycotters showed evidence of BDS activity.
  



BDS activity strongly correlates with antisemitic activity.



• 56% of schools with evidence of BDS activity had one or more incidents that targeted Jewish students for harm, whereas of the schools with no evidence of BDS activity, only 23% had incidents targeting Jewish students. In fact, schools with more incidents of BDS activity tended to have more incidents that targeted Jewish students for harm.
  
• 95% of schools with BDS activity had one or more incidents of antisemitic expression, whereas of the schools with no evidence of BDS activity, only 33% had antisemitic expression. Schools with more incidents of BDS activity tended to have more incidents of antisemitic expression.
  



Presence of SJP, faculty boycotters and BDS strong predictors of antisemitism.



• The presence of anti-Zionist student groups and the number of faculty who have publicly endorsed an academic boycott of Israel are, in combination, very strong predictors of overall antisemitic activity.
  
• BDS activity is the strongest predictor of incidents that target Jewish students for harm, the factor with the most deleterious effect on campus climate.
  



Anti-Zionism permeates and is inseparable from contemporary campus antisemitism.



• More than 150 talks, rallies, statements, films, displays, agitprop, op-eds and social media posts contained expression that demonized or delegitimized Israel by drawing on classic antisdemitic tropes of Jewish evil, power and mendacity.
  
• On more than 60 campuses, Israel was vilified with false accusations of racism, ethnic cleansing, genocide, crimes against humanity, brutal slaughter, state-sponsored terrorism, theft of land, water and human organs, settler-colonialism, apartheid, fascism, white supremacy and Nazism.  A speaker at one school called Israel “the embodiment of evil.”
  
• At one-quarter of the schools, speakers and writers were explicit about their anti-Zionist stance, indicating that they were not simply critical of Israel’s policies but opposed to the very existence of the Jewish state.  In fact, at many schools there was a clear conflation of classic antisemitic and anti-Zionist expression, indicating that the speaker or writer did not distinguish between the two.
  
• A majority of incidents that threatened the safety or well-being of Jewish students or violated their civil rights were linked to Israel or Zionism.
  

Didge wrote:

Original Quill wrote:Truth be told, the term 'antisemitism' has undergone a change, so that it is no longer the associative term for Nazism and other bigoted, conservative movements.

The term, today, simply means opposed to inhuman policies of Israel.  A person called 'antisemite' today is not particularly offended, given the practical, intended usage of the term.

Wrong.

Which shows you did not read the article and are now making excuses for antisemitism.
It also backs my view, how little you understand overall about racism
There is nothing wrong with genuine criticism of Israel, but are you suggesting a call for its destruction and ethnic cleansing of Israel of Jews
is not antisemitic?

Original Quill wrote:

Didge wrote:


Wrong.

Which shows you did not read the article and are now making excuses for antisemitism.
It also backs my view, how little you understand overall about racism
There is nothing wrong with genuine criticism of Israel, but are you suggesting a call for its destruction and ethnic cleansing of Israel of Jews
is not antisemitic?

Once again, you are wrong.  I read the article and it didn't say anything relevant about the issue.  So I decided to build upon the subject and speak to what it really happening.  

Times are changing, didge.  The old victims of 1933 have reincarnated into a modern superpower.  We can respect them, but they no longer need our tears.  They are to be judged like any other superpower, the US and UK included.  If we make mistakes, we eventually admit them.  Israel is still using the old defense, which worked pretty well in the past, but is no longer appropriate.

Israel is not immune from criticism.  Once it climbs down into the sandbox and decides to play with the rest of the kids, it's got to pay by the same rules.  Antisemitism no longer means immunity for Israel from criticism.  It's a term, and it changes as Israel changes.

Raggamuffin wrote:She didn't know what the Holocaust was?

Didge wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Once again, you are wrong.  I read the article and it didn't say anything relevant about the issue.  So I decided to build upon the subject and speak to what it really happening.  

Times are changing, didge.  The old victims of 1933 have reincarnated into a modern superpower.  We can respect them, but they no longer need our tears.  They are to be judged like any other superpower, the US and UK included.  If we make mistakes, we eventually admit them.  Israel is still using the old defense, which worked pretty well in the past, but is no longer appropriate.

Israel is not immune from criticism.  Once it climbs down into the sandbox and decides to play with the rest of the kids, it's got to pay by the same rules.  Antisemitism no longer means immunity for Israel from criticism.  It's a term, and it changes as Israel changes.

Wrong again and now you are lying as well claiming you read the study which its evident you have not

Again I never stated Israel  is beyond criticism, now for the second time, which you still persist in claiming a falsehood, which again nobody is questioning genuine criticism

I care not for your inane drivel or how the fact if this was black students on the receiving end of racist hate, you would have shit your pants in outrage and called for a Nuke strike on the southern states.

So times are changing and we are seeing a resurgence of antisemitism not seen as hateful since the 1920's and 1930's. You liek other regressive s, just want to close your ears and go "la la la la la, I'm not listening, la la la" Cleary your issue is these victims do not have dark enough skin for you to care abouty the hate they are receiving

Now either take on the points raised.

Counter the correlations using the 8 point system for the US state department on antisemitism.

Show then that the following are not hate towards Jewish students

Physical Assault  Discrimination  Destruction of Jewish Property  Genocidal Expression  Suppression of Speech/Movement/Assembly  Verbal Assault  Intimidation  Harassment  Denigration

As of this moment you are defending racism, with some lame view its somehow not the same, which further proves your lack of understanding what happened once before.

Original Quill wrote:

Didge wrote:


Wrong again and now you are lying as well claiming you read the study which its evident you have not

Again I never stated Israel  is beyond criticism, now for the second time, which you still persist in claiming a falsehood, which again nobody is questioning genuine criticism

I care not for your inane drivel or how the fact if this was black students on the receiving end of racist hate, you would have shit your pants in outrage and called for a Nuke strike on the southern states.

So times are changing and we are seeing a resurgence of antisemitism not seen as hateful since the 1920's and 1930's. You liek other regressive s, just want to close your ears and go "la la la la la, I'm not listening, la la la" Cleary your issue is these victims do not have dark enough skin for you to care abouty the hate they are receiving

Now either take on the points raised.

Counter the correlations using the 8 point system for the US state department on antisemitism.

Show then that the following are not hate towards Jewish students

Physical Assault  Discrimination  Destruction of Jewish Property  Genocidal Expression  Suppression of Speech/Movement/Assembly  Verbal Assault  Intimidation  Harassment  Denigration

As of this moment you are defending racism, with some lame view its somehow not the same, which further proves your lack of understanding what happened once before.

Now that, I didn't read.  A lot of words merely to say, Whaa, whaa, whaa..

But it was an interesting topic while it lasted.  Cheers...

eddie wrote:Lol didge that last sentence  did make me chuckle