In the spring of 2024, Americans both Jewish and non-Jewish were shocked to witness the virulent anti-Israel protests that roiled college campuses. Both elite universities and state schools played host to large encampments, with students and outside agitators pitching tents, blocking access to buildings, and in some cases, such as at Columbia, taking over buildings against university rules. At UCLA, a “Jew Exclusion Zone” was set up and Jewish students were blocked from parts of campus. In the face of this unprecedented discrimination, universities did next to nothing to protect Jewish students from behavior that veered into outright antisemitism.
Israel’s war against Hamas is still ongoing, and the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks is fast approaching. With universities back in session for a new school year, anti-Israel protests will once again become a prominent feature of campus life. Students at some schools have even committed to holding rallies on October 7 condemning Israel, a clear slap in the face to Israelis and Jews for whom that date is one of intense trauma. Therefore, it’s vital the Jewish community at large educate itself on the various strategies antisemites use to marginalize Jewish students on campus.
In recent years, both university administrators, professors, and students have utilized the “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) model to inform their worldview and how they approach social hierarchies and interactions. In an article for The National Interest, philanthropist Adam Milstein describes DEI as akin to an orthodoxical religion. Its core belief is that “America is systemically racist and defined by perpetual struggle of oppressed against oppressors.” He decries that Jews are “exemplars” of white privilege in the DEI worldview because they don’t fit into the pre-set minority categories of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color). Within this framework, Israel is seen as an oppressor nation victimizing the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank, and so anyone who supports Israel inherently supports the “genocide” and “apartheid” that they believe it commits.
An Israeli of American descent and strategic venture philanthropist based in Los Angeles, Milstein has been tracking the ugly rise of DEI and its damaging effects on Jews, especially those on campus. The charitable foundation he co-founded with Gila his wife, the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation, supports a robust network of nonprofits that strengthen American values, support the U.S.-Israel alliance, and combat hatred and bigotry in all forms. They fund and support nonprofits such as Israel on Campus Coalition, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, and Alums for Campus Fairness that advocate for Jewish students on campus and seek to educate the student body on complex issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Over the last half-decade, universities have hired dozens of extra administrative staff to fill their DEI departments in an effort to show their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. However, the conduct of these DEI staffers is alarming. Milstein cites a Heritage Foundation study that found a clear anti-Israel bias in DEI staffers’ social media posts: “These officials criticize Israel far more frequently and far more severely than they do China,” which has an abysmal human rights record. In fact, Milstein reports that “[t]heir posts about Israel exceed those mentioning China by a factor of three, and almost all of their statements about Israel express condemnation, whereas nearly two-thirds of their comments on China convey praise.”
This is an egregious double standard. However, the harmful effects of DEI reach far beyond social media. Milstein points out that DEI training sessions have resulted in numerous complaints about discrimination against Jews. Students become “indoctrinated in this ideology” and make campus life “more and more unbearable for their Jewish and pro-Israel peers.” Polls have shown that the majority of students active in Jewish life on campus feel unsafe. In fact, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a suit against the University of Chicago Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for this very reason. According to Milstein, the suit “cited numerous cases of pervasive anti-Semitic activity on campus, including criminal activity such as thefts overtly targeting Jews, car vandalism, and other property damage.”
Jewish students are being forced to “purchase their personal safety on campus at the price of divorce from a key part of their Jewish identity,” namely their sense of Jewish peoplehood and connection to Israel, says Milstein. This is an untenable situation for young Jews, so universities must take concrete steps to protect them. First, Milstein argues in favor of universities adopting the standard working definition of antisemitism put forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA). They should also drastically reduce the number of DEI staffers, many of whom receive astronomical salaries yet do little to protect vulnerable students.
Another vital step is to foster genuine diversity, which requires “diversity of background and viewpoint,” not just skin color. On a recent episode of the Times of Israel’s podcast “What Matters Now,” journalist Bret Stephens emphasizes how true diversity gets flattened under the DEI worldview. “Different ethnicities, traditions, historical experiences, [and] community networks [are] erased under this so-called blanket of whiteness.” It’s a binary worldview that ignores the nuances of humanity in favor of easy good versus evil categories. Milstein argues that universities should move away from this binary and embrace genuine diversity in order to be truly fair and equitable.
There have been hopeful signs in recent months that universities may be moving away from DEI. Stephens claims that “the letters DEI have become culturally toxic,” going the way of the word “woke,” which is now a faux pas. More than that, business and tech entrepreneurs are pushing back against DEI as they can see that it’s “doing actual damage to the structure of American life.” Since the campus protests, universities have been hit with lawsuits and congressional subpoenas while donors pull funding. Some universities, such as NYU, have taken steps to enshrine Zionism as a key part of Jewish identity that can’t be discriminated against.
It’s too soon to tell whether we’re in the midst of the changes Milstein wants to see, but this is a heartening sign for the safety of Jewish students on campus. The Jewish community should continue to combat these harmful measures until no Jew feels the need to conceal their identity, whether on campus or not.
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