American college campuses, once seen as bastions of free thought and inclusion, have become breeding grounds for antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Jewish students are being shamed, harassed and in some cases physically assaulted for expressing their identity or support for Israel. Faculty members, instead of fostering respectful discourse, have joined in singling out and humiliating Jewish students in classrooms and public forums. The result is a chilling atmosphere where many now hide Stars of David or avoid speaking Hebrew in public. This isn’t academic debate—it’s moral failure, emboldening hatred while betraying the very ideals universities claim to uphold.
The hostile environment in American education is already driving Jewish students to seek alternatives. This last year, I have begun to see an influx of students to the Raphael Recanati International School from universities whose campuses align themselves with the values and views of the NEA. Dozens of undergraduate and graduate students have transferred their studies to Reichman University. Some were shamed by their professors. Others were physically accosted in their dorms. Still others were threatened when trying to participate in intellectual discourse.
For those students who do not wish to hide their Jewishness and Zionist values, and do not
feel comfortable in their present academic setting, there are English-speaking options in Israel at a number of Israeli universities, including the Raphael Recanati International School. This is not so much a matter of promoting fear tactics, but more about Jewish students having the right to study in a university setting that respects their right to express themselves, provides a warm and embracing attitude toward Zionist and Jewish values, and where one does not need to be embarrassed to feel this way.
