A new semester is beginning at colleges across the country — and so is a new semester of campus activism and, potentially, violence.
When chaotic pro-Palestine protests and encampments took over schools nationwide last semester, many Jewish students expressed concerns about safety — leading the House of Representatives and the Department of Education to opened investigations into antisemitism at Columbia, UPenn, Harvard, Cornell, UCLA, Temple and other schools.
The situation got so out of hand that a frightening 44% of Jewish students and recent graduates admit they don’t feel safe identifying as such on campus, according to a new survey by Alums for Campus Fairness.
The Post spoke to four Jewish students whose universities have been the subject of antisemitism probes about their concerns going into a new school year.
‘I‘m shocked by the lack of solidarity’
Nicholas Baum had one great month as a freshman at Columbia last year, until tragedy struck.
“I simply enjoyed the Columbia experience up until October 7th,” Baum, 19, told The Post. “It was fantastic. I felt very safe, and I felt free to express my Jewish identity.”
In the immediate aftermath of October 7th, Baum, who grew up in Glen Ridge, NJ, found short-lived solace in his Jewish community.
“My Jewish peers, we came together, we mourned together, we became one, we became a whole, and it was a really beautiful thing to see,” he said. “But what I soon became shocked by was the lack of sympathy or solidarity from the rest of the Columbia community.”
Within days of the tragedy in Israel, Columbia was taken over by massive pro-Palestine protests, leaving Baum feeling “completely unsupported.”
“I was completely blindsided by it because I felt as though the Colombian community— even if they rightfully have many criticisms of the Israeli state and its treatment towards Palestinians — they would at least have the basic humanity and nuance with us Jewish students over the fact that we had family and friends killed on October 7th,” he said.
Baum said he heard protesters right outside the campus gates call for Jews to go back to Poland and for Tel Aviv to burn to the ground.
As he gets ready for his sophomore year, Baum, who is studying economics and statistics, is nervous to return to campus.
“Almost every student I know agrees that the protesting will be to similar levels, if not worse this year than it was last year,” he said. “I just hope that my fellow classmates can at least have the decency to steer away from blatant antisemitism.”
‘People called me a baby killer’
“There was definitely a lot of verbal harassment,” sophomore Yaam Malka told The Post of her first year at Temple University in Philadelphia. “We were having massive rallies go through our campus, screaming vile things. Students were being called baby killers, terrorists, k–es.”
Malka said she was especially disturbed by antisemitic vandalism on campus. Temple is being probed by the Department of Education over campus antisemitism, after a Jewish fraternity house was vandalized with “Free Palestine” painted on the roof.
Last semester, Malka was an outspoken advocate for the release of Israeli hostages on social media, which she says made her the target of antisemitic remarks on campus.
“Just walking to class, people would scream ‘free Palestine’ at me or call me a baby killer or a terrorist,” Malka, who is studying psychology, political science and economics, said. “I didn’t feel comfortable walking to and from my classes. It was hard to stay focused in that situation.”
The 19-year-old said she will “never hide my identity,” but understands why some of her peers are.
“I’m not afraid, but I understand people tucking their Star of David away. Look around on these campuses across the United States and you can see that they are unsafe,” she said.
“But I believe that protesters are seeing what other people have gotten away with, so we might be headed for worse than what we experienced last year.”
Concerned about ‘brainwashing’ professors
Noah Rubin decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania because it seemed like a welcoming environment — but this past year he was sorely disappointed.
“Post October 7th, Jewish students started to feel very uncomfortable on campus and very unsafe,” Rubin, 21, told The Post. “Penn advertised itself as a very safe place and a welcoming place, and unfortunately, it has not turned out that way.”
Last year, Penn was slammed with a lawsuit by Jewish students who said incidents like antisemitic graffiti next to a Jewish fraternity house and a bomb threat against the Hillel dining hall made the campus inhospitable.
“It took a really big toll on me,” Rubin, a rising senior studying business and electrical engineering, said. “There were weeks last year that I was getting four to five hours of sleep every night.”
Rubin, who is originally from Florida, took every opportunity to voice concerns to campus leadership: “Instead of going to class or review sessions or even social events, I found myself meeting with any part of the administration that would be willing to talk to me.
“Every time it was like talking to the wall, honestly,” he said.
As the new semester begins, Rubin is doubtful things will improve much, despite enhanced security on campus. His number one concern is the influence of radical pro-Palestine faculty.
“We still have so many professors who supported the illegal encampments,” he said. “I’m concerned that these professors are going to continue to try to brainwash the future leaders of the United States. I’m only here for four years but professors stay for decades, and they are able to shape the culture.”
‘My family wants me to transfer’
Arielle Cojab began her freshman year at NYU in the spring semester, as anti-Israel protests were heating up.
“I was really scared,” the 19-year-old told The Post. “I always wear my Star of David, but I purposely on the first day wore a different necklace.”
Cojab was disturbed by the encampments pitched by classmates, as well as the rhetoric they spewed: “There were a lot of calls for intifada. It was everywhere.”
One time last semester, she says, a protester near campus called her a “Zionist pig” as she walked between classes.
“I just felt so attacked in that moment,” Cojab, who is studying nutrition, said “I can’t even walk around my campus or the city without being singled out because of my identity.”
Even her classrooms weren’t free of divisiveness, especially after one professor showed up to class in a traditional Palestinian keffiyeh.
“In some classes I didn’t mention I’m Jewish,” Cojab said. “I’m scared that the professors might be biased.”
She even lost friends over her support for Israel this semester.
“This has just taught me who my real friends are,” she said. “I’m distancing myself from people that I have to pretend to be someone else with or hide certain parts of my identity with.”
Cojab’s family, who are Syrian Jews from Mexico, have been outraged by antisemitism at NYU and have tried to get her to transfer.
“My grandparents and my parents and my uncles, the older people in my life, they just don’t see why I’m doing it.”
