A research report on the experiences of Jewish students in American universities.

The percentage of Jewish students on U.S. college campuses who say their Jewish identity is very important to them increased significantly from 2022 to 2024, according to a new study by political scientists at Tufts University. Also, in the wake of a year of university campus protests across Israel, people are hiding their Jewish identity in order to blend in on campus, and hiding some of their opinions in order to blend in with Jewish activities on campus. More students are reporting that they feel it is necessary. -Hamas war.

Among other findings, students of higher socio-economic status, both Jewish and non-Jewish, are Israel’s strongest supporters, and many Jewish students say their school supports Israel. Many non-Jewish students believed school administrators were pro-Israel, whereas many non-Jewish students believed that school administrators were pro-Israel. -Israel.

The study was conducted by Tufts University political science professor Eitan Hirsch for the Jim Joseph Foundation, which aims to advance Jewish education in the United States. The study began in 2022 using data from research and analysis firm College Pulse. Focuses on higher education. In 2022, only Jewish students were surveyed, but in subsequent years non-Jewish students on college campuses with large Jewish populations were also included.

Hirsch believes it could be useful to conduct similar studies on different groups on college campuses. “It’s very important, not just for the Jewish community, but for the Muslim community, for all communities, to have consistent, independent research on these issues,” he says. “How are things going over time? How do we know if things are going well? How do we know if people are happy or unhappy?”

Hirsch has previously conducted academic research on anti-Semitism and co-authored the report with A24’s Dalia Liss, with whom she worked as an undergraduate at Tufts University. Hirsch recently spoke with Tufts Now about the report.

What are the main takeaways from your research?

One is that students who are Jewish tend to feel a connection to Israel, that it’s an important part of their identity, and that it’s not about Israeli politics. Although many Jewish students say the worst things about Netanyahu’s government, many also feel that Israel is important to them for religious, cultural, ethnic, and family reasons.

And their view that we need a Jewish state is fundamentally very unpopular with certain student groups.

Second, the number of students who say they hide their Jewish identity to fit in on campus has doubled compared to 2022. Although many of the Jewish students we surveyed do not necessarily prefer acts of war, they cannot and will not let go of this part of their identity so easily, and they are socially I don’t want to be either. Exiled. This is because many students who hold a position on this issue, such as “Israel is evil,” do not see anything wrong with excluding students whose views differ from their own. I think it’s important to document these trends.

One of the findings concerned the significant differences in how Jewish and non-Jewish students viewed school. You say that, as evidenced by the opinions of faculty, staff, and students, many Jewish students believe that the school is overwhelmingly on Israel’s side, while many non-Jewish students believe that the school’s administration is overwhelmingly on the side of Israel. writes that there is a tendency to think that they are on Israel’s side.

This is something that really came out in the focus groups, and honestly, I see both sides of it. In other words, both are correct.

It is clear that students on both sides of this conflict were outraged. Some students say, “Look, I’ve been participating in protests all my college life, and before this movement, it seemed like the administration was celebrating it, but now they’re not celebrating it.” Masu. From their perspective, it’s a big difference. And they attribute it to the government’s opposing views.

Jewish students feel that many students are against them. Especially in recent years, universities have put pressure on students to be very sensitive to race and gender identity, to be very careful about the words they use so people don’t get offended. I think they felt it was time. And all that went out the window when people were shouting things like, “We hate Zionists” and “Let’s start an intifada.” I think the Jewish students felt, “Oh, for some reason their sensibilities have stopped with us.”

This study shows that one of the strongest predictors of support for Israel among Jewish and non-Jewish students is higher socioeconomic status. Why do you think that is?

Interestingly, this has nearly the same effect among Jewish and non-Jewish students, with both about twice as likely to support the existence of a Jewish state in Israel if they come from high-income households. It will be.

There are two competing theories about this. What I think is most likely is a social one. This means that there are certain communities, such as Indian-Americans and Jewish-Americans, who, on average, have a higher socio-economic status and are concentrated in a few areas. If you’re part of those kinds of communities, you’re likely to make friends with Jews, many of whom grew up exposed to Jewish life, synagogue life, summer camps, etc. as children, and are more likely to become friends with Jews. Have a positive mindset. towards Israel. You’ve probably met some Israelis in your life. If you know about Jews and Israelis, you tend to be more sympathetic towards Israel.

What’s another theory?

Maybe people of lower socio-economic status have a different ideology, being more sympathetic to oppressed people and seeing Palestinians as oppressed.

How can you get people to talk without demonizing them and getting them to understand the nuances?

Honestly, the classroom is a beautiful place for that. This ties in with a course on conservatism that I teach. The reason my classes are able to have deep, thoughtful discussions about really sensitive issues like transgender rights, gun rights, and affirmative action is because that’s where students are trying to learn the material in the first place. What are these authors we’re reading thinking? This is an environment where you are expected to clearly state your position, even if it is a position you do not hold. It’s a very different environment than most people’s.