Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has been compiling lists of Jewish college students and their dorm addresses on campuses in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, causing alarm and concern for student safety.
According to The Times of Israel, this news arose after a meeting this week in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of Israel’s government, the Knesset. “[Israel] has a commitment [to protect] every Jew when they are attacked for being a Jew,” said Avi Dichter, a minister in the Likud Party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“This accusation is deeply concerning,” said a statement from The Canary Mission, which maintains a database to document anti-Israel advocates and organizations that permeate college campuses. “We hope that Israel Radio releases further details from their report.”
Hillel International, a prominent Jewish group on college campuses, is also concerned about this news. “Whenever Jewish students are targeted on campus, Hillel leads efforts to encourage university leadership and local law enforcement to take these threats seriously and ensure the safety of Jewish students,” spokesman Matthew Berger said.
The AMCHA Initiative, which documents anti-Semitism on campuses, declined to comment. Director Tammi Rossman-Benjamin said she not seen “any evidence of such a list.”
“If the story is actually true, I do feel unsafe,” said Jacob Chereskin, a student at George Washington University. He said that SJP publishing a list is a form of bullying against Jewish college students. “It’s creepy how they’re keeping tabs on us,” he said. “It’s harassment and stalking.”
There is an alarming trend of anti-Semitism on college campuses, according to the Anti-Defamation League, although they add, “these incidents are relatively rare, and the vast majority of Jewish students report feeling safe on their campuses. When such incidents do occur, they are generally condemned by administrators and the wider campus communities at their respective colleges.”
It is important to note that Anti-Semitic activity on college campuses have increased drastically this year. The number of reported incidents has nearly doubled from last year. This bigotry has coincided with anti-Israel activity such as support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The largest increases in such activity have come from Columbia University, Vassar College, and the University of Chicago.
“BDS is fueling an all-out effort to portray Israel as the world’s most monstrous abuser of human rights. For the idiots who believe this, it is but a short logical leap to the conclusion that those who defend Israel—primarily Jewish students—must themselves be monsters,” said David Brog, Executive Director of the anti-BDS group Maccabee Task Force. “The link between BDS and anti-Semitism is crystal clear. BDS is an inherently anti-Semitic movement that multiplies anti-Semitism wherever it goes.”
