Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests Top universities across America Jewish parents have been forced to grapple with whether they can send their children to institutions that no longer have any protections.
Anya Farber, whose only son is currently looking at colleges, told Fox News Digital that factors historically used to select a school like location, size, available courses and athletic programs are taking a back seat for her right now. . Instead, the No. 1 priority is making sure her son can safely go to school as a proud Jew.
“This is our reality now as Jewish parents. This is our reality,” Farber said. fox news digitalThat said, anti-Semitism is not limited to specific institutions like Columbia and Harvard that garner the most headlines.
He added, “We’re not really looking at universities in the United States at all.” “It’s absolutely absurd. This is America. You shouldn’t fear for your safety, and everyone here has equal rights. You know, there was a time in American history, a very dark time where certain groups of people “Were not able to go to the same universities, walk into the same entrances, use the same water fountains, that’s literally what we’re coming back to right now.”
USC student expresses disappointment after graduation canceled due to anti-Israel protests
A demonstrator holds a sign during a march on the Columbia University campus in support of a protest camp in support of the Palestinians. (Reuters/David de Delgado)
Farber, a communications specialist who hosts the podcast TalkIsrael, said she was “saddened” about her son’s safety, and said anti-Israel protesters are simply Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist supporters.
“They’re shouting, ‘I am Hamas,’ well, Hamas and Hezbollah are ISIS, Al Qaeda. They are designated as terrorist groups by the US. The US does not negotiate with terrorists, but yet the universities “The authorities are negotiating with terrorist groups,” he said, adding that things are particularly scary in New York City schools, despite the large Jewish population.
“Can you walk down the street wearing Judaica and feel like you won’t be attacked? No,” she said.
He said it was difficult to explain to his son that the anti-Semitism of the 1930s still resonates today.
Student protesters march around their encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Jeremiah)
“My son has seen pictures of Nazis blocking the entrance of Jews next to what’s happening right now on college campuses in America,” he said. “To say it’s heartbreaking, to say it’s disturbing doesn’t even scratch the surface.”
He said his son, who started a Jewish club at his public high school and “proudly wears the Star of David around his neck,” may have to give up baseball because he would not feel safe at the many American colleges that offer it. has an interest in. Him.
He said, “He’s stolen an opportunity… He gets all these packets in the mail all the time from universities. We throw them out.”
He said, “Every American, whether Jewish or not, should be concerned. Because you don’t have to be Jewish, but one of these terrorist groups might think you look Jewish and attack you on campus. is done.” “I was a proud American. I’m a disappointed American now. I’m a parent who is heartbroken.”
dozens of anti israel protest Violence has erupted at colleges across America in recent weeks, with various elite institutions overwhelmed by anti-Semitic behavior. Protesters at Columbia University and other schools chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan condemned by critics as anti-Semitic and also used by Hamas. The phrase is widely interpreted as calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and the removal of the Jewish people, although its proponents often deny that meaning.
The nationwide movement has spread to schools like colombiaYale, MIT, UC Berkeley, University of Southern California, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia and many others.
Universities crack down on anti-Israel protesters as protesters demand ‘apology’
People hold banners as students form a protest camp in support of the Palestinians at the University of Southern California’s Alumni Park, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Los Angeles, California, US on April 24, 2024. Were holding. (Reuters/Zaydi Sanchez)
Long Island-based father Ari Kirschbaum, whose son is committed to Binghamton University in New York, said anti-Semitism “has always been an issue” on college campuses and that a lot of research was done before choosing a college.
“We talk to a lot of Jewish leaders on campuses so we see elements on campuses and attitudes and vocalizations and emotional outcry against Jews or against Israel, which is directly related to each other on these schools and college campuses. ” the father told Fox News Digital.
Kirschbaum said many doors were open for his son, primarily because he is an accomplished athlete who was heavily recruited, but it was important to make sure he did not choose the wrong institution.
He said, “We had to make sure that it was a safe environment for Jews. You know, it was not an openly anti-Israel or openly anti-Semitic campus.” He said he had spoken to about 100 Jewish leaders and rabbis. at various Division One schools “to get the lay of the land there.”
The father said anti-Semitism has been rampant on college campuses for some time, and Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the Jewish state’s subsequent military response have drawn much-needed attention to the problem.
He said, “It was there, but obviously not publicized. It was there, but not covered. It was there, just not as loudly, not as prominently.”
Kirschbaum said, “I think most Jewish parents are seeing it right now, and not just hearing about it secondhand.” “I think it’s more tangible now, and I think it’s become a front-page issue for parents when it comes to choosing colleges for their students.”
Anti-Israel student protests threaten to cancel graduation ceremonies in repeat of Covid era
Gaza pro-ceasefire tent encampment at Columbia University on April 28, 2024. (Getty Images)
Greg Schneider, a security professional who lives in California, told Fox News Digital that he warned his son about anti-Semitism on college campuses before October 7 because it “has been on the rise here in America for a long time.” His son, a Class 11 student who is interested in music, may have been turned away from some schools as a result.
“He’s been looking at music programs, and is also at a local university – I don’t feel comfortable sending him there because of the political climate that exists at that particular university,” he said.
“It’s hard, even though they grew up with a strong Jewish identity, you know, they just want to fit in and be like everyone else to a certain extent. And that’s what we need to help them understand. Educating what it is that is anti-Semitism,” he continued. “For my older child, I would really recommend more of a gap year in Israel if you want.”
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He said he agreed with the sentiment that it was the worst environment for Jews domestically that he had seen in his lifetime.
“It goes beyond Jewish shops, to cemeteries, to your synagogues, to schools, to many different elements,” he said. “We’ve been targeted for a long time, even dating back a few millennia. To have a situation like this coming is something I haven’t seen before. And it’s sad to see, even from the Jewish community. Even within, some people are doing this to mute their identity…that’s how the bad guys win, if you like.”
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
