Shortly after the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, Reuters wrote an article titled “US colleges become flashpoints for protests over Israel-Hamas war.” Controversies and clashes had begun between pro-Israel supporters and pro-Palestine supporters at the universities of Columbia, Harvard, Arizona, California Los Angeles and Georgetown.
Based on reports from AFN throughout the past three years, not much has changed on college campuses, especially in regard to antisemitism. Oftentimes, these university are then faced with threats from the Trump administration for not protecting their Jewish students.
Dr. Zachary Marschall, editor-in-chief of Campus Reform, says the attacks fundamentally changed the campus climate.
“October 7 gave everyone the information, inspiration and permission in their minds to make their Jewish hatred known,” Marschall states.
In the months following the attacks, he says university administrators largely failed to hold agitators accountable, often relying on toothless measures rather than strict discipline.
“At Columbia University, they used letters warning people about behavior and expressing concern. But if you’re going to openly call for the mass slaughter of entire people, you’re 
not going to be that concerned about a letter,” Marschall says.
The lack of immediate administrative action, Marschall states, left Jewish and pro-Israel students facing severe, sometimes life-threatening hostility.
“There were plenty of campuses across the country where Jewish students were trapped in rooms. We saw videos of Jewish students had to lock themselves in the library at Cooper Union in New York because a mob was after them,” Marschall says.
While federal funding freezes have pushed some universities to finally step up suspensions, Marschall warns that the underlying threat hasn't vanished. If students experience discrimination, Campus Reform urges them to speak up.
“Contact campusreform.org if anyone wants to share evidence of discrimination happening on their campuses because of their religion or national origin. We are happy to keep everything confidential and anonymous,” Marschall says.
