Many donors, politicians and Jewish students have pressured their colleges to confront antisemitism more forcefully. But one challenge can make the exercise feel like quicksilver.
There’s no consensus about what, precisely, constitutes antisemitism.
University administrators and federal officials alike have considered one contentious definition that has gained traction in recent years, put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
The definition itself is not the source of controversy. It states that antisemitism is a “certain perception of Jews that may be expressed as hatred” toward them. But the alliance also includes with the definition a series of examples that alarm many supporters of free expression.
They include holding Israel to a “double standard” and claiming Israel’s existence is a “racist endeavor.” Supporters of the Palestinian cause say those examples conflate antisemitism with anti-Zionism and are intended to protect Israel from criticism.
Supporters of the alliance’s definition say that it helps press colleges to stop tolerating behavior against Jews that would be unacceptable if it were directed at racial minority groups or L.G.B.T.Q. students.
Debates over how to define antisemitism have intensified on college campuses since the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023 and Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza. The definition has been invoked in debates over whether to cancel controversial speakers, events and panels on the ground that they are antisemitic.
Donald Trump campaigned on punishing universities that did not do enough to curb antisemitism. His administration has threatened significant amounts of funding to institutions like Harvard, saying they did not do enough to keep Jewish students safe.
Vimal Patel writes about higher education with a focus on speech and campus culture.
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