Colorado Christian University President Eric K. Hogue and Indiana Wesleyan University President Jon S. Kulaga have issued an invitation that promises prospective students, "You will be welcomed, and you will be safe" on their campuses.
"We write to express our profound shock and indignation in response to the surge of hate and violence directed against Jewish and Israeli individuals on university campuses across the United States earlier this year," their open letter notes.
It also calls on all seminaries and universities to review their commitment to upholding the biblical principles of inclusivity and diversity, as the presidents contend the university system is predicated upon Judeo-Christian values.
Sophia Witt, executive vice president of Students Supporting Israel, calls this a beacon of hope.
"I wish other universities would follow suit; I hope they do," she tells AFN. "It kind of goes to show you who the greatest allies are."
But because it is almost redundant to say that Christians and Jews are such, she does not like to use the word "allies."
"I believe that Christians also have claim to the land and are inherently Zionist," Witt says. "It's sad that Jews have kind of forgotten this idea that Zionism is inherent to Judaism, just as it's inherent to Christianity."
She thinks these universities have demonstrated that they have not forgotten that, and she hopes this gesture paves a path for other universities to follow.
Campus Reform notes that several Catholic colleges and universities, such as Assumption University and Saint Louis University, have also expressed their commitments to accept Jewish students at a time of increasing antisemitism and disruptive and violent anti-Israel protests at many colleges and universities.
