Nearly two-thirds of Jewish high school families have eliminated colleges and universities from consideration due to rising on-campus antisemitism, according to a new poll commissioned by Hillel International.
Adam Lehman
The survey, conducted by Benenson Strategy Group (BSG) on behalf of Hillel International, the world’s largest Jewish campus organization, is based on surveys with 427 parents between March 13 and March 18. It measures attitudes of Jewish parents of current or soon-to-be college applicants — current juniors or seniors in high school planning to attend a college or university.
“These findings confirm what we’ve consistently heard from Jewish parents since October 7,” said Hillel International President and CEO Adam Lehman. “They are alarmed by the dramatic rise in antisemitism on campus, and they and their students are changing their approach to the college decision-making process because of it.”
The survey found that 96% of respondents were concerned about the increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses since the Oct. 7 attack; about 93% were closely following the increase with many families factoring in campus safety and security.
Other key findings from respondents include: 84% said they are talking to their child about how to handle antisemitism on campus; 80% said they are factoring in campus safety more than they did before Oct. 7; and 64% said there are schools their child would have applied to but have now crossed off their lists due to the recent rise in antisemitism on that campus.
