The Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences report documents a hostile, antisemitic environment for Jewish students at Canadian universities. The report indicated that 96% of Jewish students “had experienced or witnessed at least one instance of antisemitism over the previous 12 months” and 84% considered antisemitism “a serious problem” on their campus. The findings align with our experiences as Jewish faculty and staff working and interacting with others on our campuses.
As an organization of university faculty and staff, we call attention to the role of faculty and administration. The report noted that “18% of incidents cited faculty members… and 7% involved administrators or staff”. In addition, “34% said a professor introduced Jews, Judaism, Israel, or Zionism when unrelated to the course subject, and 36% encountered course content or classroom discussion they experienced as antisemitic or biased.” These findings suggest that some faculty abuse their podium to elevate nonacademic agendas, to the detriment of students’ understanding of Jewish peoples, their history, and their inclusion.
We are also concerned that Jewish students have little faith in their universities to address antisemitism. Only 33% of respondents reported incidents of antisemitism they had experienced, 63% were “dissatisfied with how it was handled,” and “52% of non-reporters said they did not think reporting would help.” This is an urgent call to university leadership to investigate and remedy reporters’ experiences of frustration and failure in their attempts to find relief from harms they have suffered on campuses.
We note with concern that the survey noted that “71% reported antisemitic vandalism; 54% reported intimidation or threats directed at Jews; and 22% reported physical violence directed at Jews.” This is consistent with our experiences of harassment, and the vandalism, threats, and intimidation we witnessed, including numerous incidents at UBC, as we have referenced in past statements and letters.
JAABC appreciates NECA’s thoughtful work to provide constructive suggestions for university administrators. We echo their calls that universities reject BDS and institutional politicization, that they protect Jewish students and faculty by consistently enforcing neutral rules, and that EDI policies and practices require substantial review and amendment to address the ongoing antisemitism crisis on our campuses. We emphasize that the survey showed that faculty and administrators – our colleagues – are sometimes complicit in campus antisemitism.
The antisemitism crisis exposes deep problems in our universities. While the study reports the experiences of Jewish students, we note that antisemitism is a symptom of a deep failure of academia to live up to its core values, a failure that hurts non-Jewish and Jewish Canadians alike. Addressing it will require deep reforms over a long horizon.
JAABC is prepared to meet with postsecondary leaders in BC to provide Jewish faculty and staff perspectives on how to respond to the antisemitism crisis in BC’s universities.
Further background information from JAABC:
JAABC Brief to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights
JAABC Statements page