Faculty Antisemitism on College Campuses Extends Beyond Student Protests, ADL Report Finds

Antisemitism on university campuses has moved beyond visible student demonstrations into lecture halls and classrooms, according to a recent investigation by the Anti-Defamation League. The report, released in January 2025 in partnership with Hillel International and College Pulse, documents allegations that professors and teaching assistants have incorporated anti-Israel activism directly into their instruction while often avoiding public scrutiny.

The ADL survey found that 27.3% of Jewish students reported witnessing antisemitic conduct by faculty members. The organization determined that exposure to faculty members engaging in antisemitic rhetoric correlated with elevated levels of perceived hostility among students on their respective campuses. Because these incidents occur within the relative privacy of academic settings, the ADL noted they receive significantly less external oversight than student-led protests and encampments.

The report documents multiple instances where faculty members have offered extra credit for attending anti-Israel events. At UC Berkeley, students in one course were allegedly offered bonus credit for attending a university event titled “Thinking from Palestine: Dispossession, Liberation, and Return.” UC Berkeley Assistant Vice Chancellor Dan Mogulof disputed this account, stating the university had no documentation of such an offer being made.

A teaching assistant at UC Berkeley offered extra credit in October 2023 for student participation in an anti-Israel walkout described as opposing “the settler-colonial occupation of Gaza.” The email sparked widespread social media backlash, prompting the university to enforce its policy against political indoctrination. UCLA also faced similar allegations when a teaching assistant reportedly offered extra credit for attending an “Emergency Teach-in on the Crisis in Palestine” that same month.

Beyond incentivized participation, the ADL documented cases where Jewish and Israeli students were allegedly targeted by instructors. Columbia University’s Task Force on Antisemitism reported that one Israeli student was asked about settler colonialism in what appeared to be a pointed personal inquiry. An unnamed instructor allegedly pointed to a student with Israel Defense Forces service experience and characterized her as “one of the murderers.”

Columbia’s task force also recorded an instance in which a Jewish non-Israeli student was told: “It’s such a shame that your people survived in order to commit mass genocide.” A Columbia University spokesperson stated that the institution has prioritized implementing the task force’s recommendations, including enhanced reporting mechanisms for bias incidents and policies designed to ensure nondiscriminatory campus environments.

The ADL emphasized that faculty-directed antisemitism carries particular significance because professors wield substantial institutional power over students. The organization warned that such conduct from authority figures creates disproportionately damaging impacts on both Jewish and non-Jewish students seeking a safe academic environment. The report urged universities to adopt comprehensive strategies specifically designed to combat antisemitism and foster inclusive learning spaces across their campuses.