In a recent survey, undergraduate students at Yale University said they would rather the school divest from Israel than from oppressive regimes such as China, Iran or Russia.
Marie Fischer of the pro-Israel organization Herut North America tells AFN that indicates to her those students would prefer investing in countries that use slave labor.
"It just shows how much they really do not know about the world," she shares. "You have faculty who aren't saying anything or standing up, and then you've got outsiders coming in. So, it makes a perfect storm for ignorance."
The survey was conducted by the school's Buckley Institute. It also revealed that students at Yale are "sympathetic" to pro-Palestine protesters and oppose the Israel-Hamas war.
Fisher is hopeful the incoming Trump administration can make a difference by withholding federal funds from schools tolerating antisemitism.
"Because once that money is taken away, they're going to feel the pressure. They're going to have to either raise more money from other places, or they're going to have to crack down [on antisemitism]," she explains.
The survey's findings are consistent with recent sentiment on the Connecticut campus. Last month 76% of Yale undergraduates voted in favor of a referendum calling on the university to divest from weapons manufacturers arming Israel. And in April 2024, students occupied a WW II memorial, tore down an American flag, and sent a Jewish student to the hospital.
