Jewish students targeted by campus extremism.
Should we stay or should we go?
This is the question on the lips of many parents of teenagers who are on the cusp of college. Should we stay in the broken institutions of elite higher education, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for our children to be insulted, threatened, segregated, or even reeducated to abandon the values we have instilled in them? Or should we leave, taking our tuition dollars and alumni contributions to one of the few (generally less elite) universities whose leadership knows how to condemn mass murder unequivocally?
A recent email sent by the principal of a Long Island yeshiva to a New York University admissions officer expressed the views of many American Jews in recent weeks. The principal wrote:
You sent me an email inviting my Orthodox Zionist Jewish students to apply early decision to NYU. Really? Let me get to the point. You have too many faculty members and students who support Islamo-Nazi Hamas and Islamic Jihad Terror organizations. … You really expect us to send our sons and daughters to your school? So they can go back in time, say 1943 Germany. So they can be threatened and told that they should be burned, gassed, shot, raped, tortured? Really? And we should pay for the privilege of exposing our children to what you believe is “Education”. Think again.
Jews are not about to eschew college education for their children, and after the shock of the attacks wears off a few months or a few years from now, it is not clear whether parents will be willing to take a strong stand if it means that their children might attend a less prestigious institution. But should parents keep sending their children to these institutions anyway?
If you had asked me 30 years ago, my answer would have been yes. I was in a political minority at Harvard University in the mid-1990s, but I was also, to borrow a phrase, a happy warrior. The campus conservative paper I wrote for and eventually edited had its offices across the hall from the liberal paper. Late at night, putting our papers to bed, we would occasionally pause for some political sparring. People who disagreed with my articles did not burn our papers or throw the piles of them left for distribution into the garbage. They would sometimes accost me at lunch and argue with me, though. There were occasional campus protests, mostly to add more ethnic studies to the curriculum, but they were small, and most students went about their business without engaging. In other words, ensuring that other perspectives were represented on campus meant that you could occasionally have the chance to persuade others of your view.
But that was a different time. I don’t remember any protests against Israel. I was there before the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. Hillel was thriving. I certainly don’t remember any Jews telling me they were “not Zionists” and “could see both sides of the conflict,” as one recently told a friend of mine at another large university.
When David Horowitz came to lecture and started ranting about how conservative students must feel “ghettoized,” many of the students in the room wondered whom he was talking about. Nor do I think it was only my naivete that led me to believe that a conservative student would be just fine on campus. I heard Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who graduated the same year as me, talking on a podcast recently about how he felt the same way. Now, he said, he and his wife would feel better if his children took some Hillsdale College classes online and went into the Army or played baseball.
Educationally, there is much to be said for Cotton’s approach. There is a lot of nonsense being taught on college campuses, as there was back then. But now, the percentage of professors who identify as conservative is a fraction of what it was even in the ’90s. And the progressive professors feel all the freer to insert their politics, frequently intersectionality and its offshoots, including anti-Zionism, into the classroom.
The environment for students has become more untenable thanks, in part, to cancel culture. A few years ago, a student called me wanting to restart the magazine I had edited. He told me that he was having trouble finding writers, though, who were willing to publish any articles under their name because they were worried about professors, students, or even future employers targeting them for their views. Now the publication is almost entirely pseudonymous.
Antisemitism on campus had been growing for decades before the attacks by Hamas. Who could forget all the Nation of Islam speakers on campus? Or the years that Leonard Jeffries was allowed to spew his antisemitic hate at City University of New York students? And remember when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got to deliver a speech to the entire college community at Columbia University? Twenty years ago, at the University of California, Irvine, antisemitic incidents were commonplace.
Between 2003 and 2004, according to an article in Commentary, “Jewish students were physically and verbally harassed, threatened, shoved, stalked, and targeted by rock-throwing groups and individuals. Jewish property was defaced with swastikas, and a Holocaust memorial was vandalized. Signs were posted on campus showing a Star of David dripping with blood. Jews were chastised for arrogance by public speakers whose appearance at the institution was subsidized by the university. They were called ‘dirty Jew’ and ‘f***ing Jew,’ told to ‘go back to Russia’ and ‘burn in hell,’ and heard other students and visitors to the campus urge one another to ‘slaughter the Jews.’”
Now, students at Columbia are assaulted, and a professor at Cornell University said he found the attacks by Hamas “exhilarating.” At Stanford University, a professor has been separating students into those who colonize and those who are colonized. At George Washington University, masked students held a vigil praising Hamas “martyrs.” And on and on.
And the first reaction of the spineless adults on campus was to let all of this stand. Some presidents, such as those at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan, notably said nothing, while others offered mealy-mouthed moral equivalencies. As one parent said to me after shul on Saturday, “You know, we’ve been talking a lot lately about kids feeling ‘safe,’ but this is a real safety issue.” No kidding.
But there are other questions as well. Should our children feel that they are comfortable and welcome on the college campuses they choose? So many schools now use that rhetoric to describe their ethos. How can schools display “radical hospitality” or some other gobbledygook from the mission statement assembly line?
Some administrators claim they did not issue any statements about the attacks because they want to remain neutral and nourish free speech on campus. As Charles Murray posted on X, formerly Twitter, in response, “Tanned, rested and ready.” Schools across the country have either uninvited speakers whose views they oppose, let them be attacked by protesters, or simply issued statements opposing these views. In other words, what an interesting coincidence that when school administrators are called upon to defend Jews, they suddenly don’t want to take sides.
So what are high school seniors and their parents to do? If you genuinely believe that your child can be part of the solution, you shouldn’t give up on campuses. It takes a particular kind of teenager not only to withstand the arrows on campuses these days but also to be able to debate and lead a community pushing back against these dangerous ideas. There are some factors that argue in favor of staying. For one thing, there is significant alumni pressure to fix this problem. The biggest universities won’t miss the money, but the students seem to be running scared from the idea that employers might not want to hire people who celebrate mass murder. At the smaller schools, the money will definitely talk. A student who stands up for Jews and Israel will find support from sources off campus.
And in recent years, several outside groups have taken it upon themselves to change the campus conversation. Groups such as the Federalist Society, the Adam Smith Society, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, Intelligence Squared, the Steamboat Institute, and a variety of others have been working with students to bring debates to schools or at least to areas right off of campus. And students have access to more resources to help them push back against the dominant liberal narrative on campus. The American Enterprise Institute, where I work, has a strong program to nourish campus leaders, complete with seminars during the school year and a path to internships over the summer. The Tikvah Fund offers Jewish students online classes and summer fellowships to deepen their knowledge of Judaism, Jewish thought, and Israeli history and politics. National Jewish groups have long had a presence on campus, but one wonders whether they have in recent years simply been co-opted by liberal causes, losing sight of the fight against campus antisemitism, including the BDS movement.
If the massacre in Israel last week alters the complacency of American Jews, giving them a backbone and making them understand the stakes on college campuses, this could be the perfect time to send our children to elite universities. They might have to give up on the idea of feeling “welcome” at first. But if you believe a change can be made, as I do, a little courage could go a long way.
What steps are higher education institutions taking to address concerns about the safety and well-being of students in regards to exposure to certain ideologies?
Is supposed to be a place where diverse ideas are heard, debated, and challenged. It is meant to be a space where young minds can explore different perspectives and learn to think critically. However, in recent years, there has been a growing concern among parents about the state of higher education institutions. Many wonder if the benefits of attending prestigious colleges outweigh the potential harm that can come from exposure to certain ideologies and beliefs.
One issue that has particularly alarmed parents is the rise of anti-Israel sentiments on college campuses. The recent email sent by a yeshiva principal to a New York University admissions officer highlights the fears and frustrations of many Jewish parents. The principal questioned whether it was wise to send Orthodox Zionist Jewish students to a university that has faculty members and students who support terrorist organizations. The email includes graphic descriptions of the threats and intimidation that Jewish students may face on campus.
Parents are faced with a difficult decision. On the one hand, they want to provide their children with the best education possible. They understand the value of attending prestigious universities and the opportunities they can offer. On the other hand, they are concerned about the well-being and safety of their children. They worry that their children may be subjected to harassment, indoctrination, or even violence.
This dilemma is not new. In the past, parents may have faced similar concerns about other issues or ideologies. However, what is different today is the intensity and prevalence of these concerns. The college campuses of today are not the same as they were in the past. Political polarization, social media, and a more vocal minority have all contributed to a climate of intolerance and hostility towards certain viewpoints.
As someone who attended college in a different era, I can attest to the changes that have taken place. While disagreements and debates were common, there was a general respect for different opinions and a willingness to engage in dialogue. People were open to being challenged and were willing to consider alternative viewpoints. It was an environment that fostered intellectual growth and personal development.
Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore. Colleges and universities seem to have become echo chambers, where dissenting opinions are silenced, and alternative perspectives are dismissed. The concept of challenging one’s own beliefs and seeking truth seems to have been replaced by a desire for conformity and ideological purity.
So, should parents continue to send their children to these institutions despite the concerns? It is a difficult question to answer. Ultimately, it comes down to weighing the benefits of attending esteemed institutions against the potential risks. Parents must consider their children’s values, beliefs, and personal resilience. They must also take into account the specific campus culture and the extent to which their child’s chosen field of study may be influenced by certain ideologies.
One solution that some parents are considering is exploring alternative educational options. They are looking for universities that have a strong commitment to free speech, intellectual diversity, and the open exchange of ideas. These institutions may not have the same prestige or name recognition as the elite universities, but they offer an environment that is more conducive to intellectual growth and personal development.
In the end, the decision about whether to stay or go is a deeply personal one. Each family must carefully consider the risks and benefits and make a choice that aligns with their values and priorities. Education is a lifelong pursuit, and it is crucial that young minds are nurtured and exposed to a variety of perspectives. It is up to parents to ensure that their children have the best possible educational experience, whether that means staying in the broken institutions or seeking alternatives.
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