[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6142326,"mediaKeyId","5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7","parentId",5558668,"title","Researchers: campus antisemitism rose after Oct. 7; study authors urge education‑based solutions","audioSeconds",4554,"startMs",782000,"endMs",5336000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7&start=782&end=5336","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7/thumbnail_782000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6142326/Massachusetts/Researchers-campus-antisemitism-rose-after-Oct-7-study-authors-urge-educationbased-solutions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6142326-900d8428ddef09decd556bfb1400f6cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437457&Signature=M83hD4CaCiwHaxEq~GjKeDl9lXQzS~7MQa73C08t~Sb39A84Ik9oa2V5J5lsjXbLGxiub0FalMmg1dtg01aJa0BAINjMH3UXelYg2KPQ8DYyqB6S8mPjmWLddj846RUy0UOqozomigeW6IM6lzPQvGIsfI~QqAWHaGeCsL4QoQPm~CTE3sZSFoCbqjFgXBL6HKlpR1hInjdHJD8OsQyNAZa2xdCGgbr0aBvafVNI75n4q8bfbxrOaT8KsAg~pO1vc8IMb~aXAkZFx0cf3RpTT8cmwv6s3aNb-Zg9yCHxmRB5obenRACrkabXX3ikrW6cUo~Dglo4G8Otz0~evEBQQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Massachusetts Legislature","date","2025-08-07T00:00:00Z","article","A panel of researchers and faculty presented quantitative and qualitative findings to the Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, describing broad changes in campus climate since Oct. 7, 2023, and urging education‑focused responses.

Professor Etan Hirsch (Tufts) summarized a longitudinal student survey his team ran before and after the outbreak of war in 2023. Hirsch said three patterns emerged: Jewish and non‑Jewish students hold sharply different views of Israel; a minority of non‑Jewish students express social avoidance of Jewish peers tied to views about Israel (Hirsch cited figures reported to the commission: roughly 1 in 5 non‑Jewish students reported they would not want to be friends with someone who supports Israel as a Jewish state; 1 in 12 reported avoiding Jewish students); and a marked increase in Jewish students saying they hide their Jewish identity and pay a social penalty for attending Jewish events.

Professor Leonard Sachs (Brandeis) described recent research on faculty attitudes and argued the data show that the majority of faculty are not antisemitic; he urged leveraging the large majority of faculty who want to teach with academic rigor as partners in solutions. Sachs cautioned against punitive, broad federal measures that would risk collateral harms to research and higher‑education missions; instead he recommended university‑led enforcement of existing conduct codes, clearer Title VI application and institutionally led reforms.

Dr. Rachel Fish, a historian and founder of a higher‑education think‑action initiative, said several structural dynamics feed campus tensions: intellectual frameworks (postcolonialism, postmodernism and power‑focused critiques) when used as a single interpretive lens; foreign funding that lacks transparency (panelists discussed concerns about Qatari funding and materials created by outside nonprofits); and insufficient trustee and presidential oversight. Fish recommended targeted interventions: trustee and senior‑administrator training, faculty professional development in intellectual pluralism and transparency requirements for foreign funding that support campus programming and professional development for K–12 educators.

Why it matters: Researchers presented empirical evidence that antisemitic attitudes on some campuses—and social pressure on Jewish students—rose notably after the 2023 outbreak of war. The academics asked the commission to prioritize educational remedies (teacher/faculty training, curricular improvements, trustee involvement and clearer Title VI guidance) rather than singularly punitive regulatory strategies.

Key recommended actions from researchers and witnesses

- Strengthen faculty and graduate student training in how to facilitate contentious issues and to present multiple perspectives in the classroom.
- Increase transparency and oversight of foreign funding for campus programs and K–12 professional development providers.
- Encourage trustees and presidents to prioritize academic integrity and implement time‑place‑manner and conduct policies when they are violated.
- Improve campus reporting pathways, culturally competent student mental health services and data collection to measure campus climate.

Speakers emphasized that the problem is concentrated among a minority of actors but that the harms to Jewish students and campus life are substantial; several researchers said empirical monitoring and targeted education are the most practicable paths forward.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism -- 8-7-2025","oneSentenceSummary","Academic researchers told the commission that antisemitic attitudes and social pressure on Jewish students rose after Oct. 7, 2023, and recommended education‑centered responses—faculty training, trustee oversight, clearer Title VI guidance and transparency for foreign funding—rather than broad punitive measures.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MA, Massachusetts","taxId",77682,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6142331,"UMass Amherst Hillel leaders and students describe harassment, vandalism and exclusion on campus",840,2398000,3238000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7&start=2398&end=3238","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7/thumbnail_2398000.jpg","/articles/6142331/Massachusetts/UMass-Amherst-Hillel-leaders-and-students-describe-harassment-vandalism-and-exclusion-on-campus","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6142331-f692f85a421491d7c135aaeddc9b5ffa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437457&Signature=f18r5Kpx7xUF2gt4VcYyQL8vkQ-Ub~fDOLV3dcM9UsZ~-nKjKNb6k-5ETzZiNYvAfEZ~zxk-7HULiJFciVfd-aP6Zl0YoDDsE4H0yK3Y0wb8ou8OTUd~PgCWzapJo5xIvUKWNsPSbSnp8u2HnQthvFzegBnsoGWCygyJIqdsMsM~0FFStT3mKYwp1V8UKNELbnRGweLf5-33RsMBBFAnvlsPL0UWV8vxyChqDzWvewQ0O9tVTKLAUsemPGqplmdj3awBT4nlvCSGp~hbd5lWnAOYyR6Gx7mfyzYC657oRbJKRjNi7k1tePLyKwmPUvuZNrIfOgu1Mk1D7TEqWzMCqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rabbi Daniel Fine, executive director of UMass Amherst Hillel, and student leader Skye Landau told the special commission on Aug. 5 that Jewish life at the flagship state university remains resilient but that many students have experienced repeated antisemitic harassment and, in several cases, physical violence.

Rabbi Fine said Hillel serves about 1,500 students a year and noted two parallel stories: a thriving Jewish communal life and, simultaneously, a campus climate where too many Jewish students and some faculty feel targeted or unsafe. He said some incidents predate 2023 but that the Israel‑Gaza war and ensuing campus protests have “had profoundly negative impacts” for many Jewish students.

Rabbi Fine listed examples he said the Hillel Office had documented: swastika graffiti on campus buildings and dorm whiteboards; pro‑Hamas chants at a protest shortly after Oct. 7; disruption of memorials and vigil events; and several instances he described as physical assaults (one November 2023 episode at a vigil, a concussion sustained at a May encampment counter‑protest, and a serious off‑campus unprovoked assault). He also said classroom incidents occurred, including an example where a musical selection with Jewish content was removed from a concert to avoid “sending a political message.”

Student witness Skye Landau, a rising senior who serves as a Jewish student leader and as co‑president of the Student Alliance for Israel, described repeated harassment and exclusion: she said Jewish students were crowded into a corner at student government meetings on a BDS motion that had been scheduled on a Friday afternoon when many observant students could not attend, that Jewish students were policed more strictly by meeting moderators, and that social pressure sometimes led Jewish students to hide Jewish symbols or avoid events.

Landau described anonymous Instagram accounts that she said targeted Jewish students, doxxed names, and encouraged “militancy” toward Jewish students and campus leaders. She recounted classmates who joked about the Holocaust and, in at least one instance she described, told a Jewish student she “should be sent to a gas chamber.” Landau said Hillel remains the only campus space where she feels fully safe and urged stronger administrative follow‑through when incidents are reported.

Rabbi Fine said UMass administration leaders, including Chancellor Javier Reyes and Vice Chancellor Marcia McGriff (Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), have engaged with Hillel and he described a growing set of faculty and staff affinity groups as part of a relationship‑building approach. He urged investment in ongoing education and training about civil discourse and “sacred disagreement” rather than punitive, top‑down measures that he said could harm free speech and civil rights protections.

Why it matters: The testimony provided concrete examples and described both direct safety incidents and broader social pressures that Jewish students reported. Witnesses urged improved reporting pathways, more culturally competent behavioral‑health support, and administrative action to make non‑Jewish campus spaces safer in addition to preserving Hillel as a safe hub.

What the university said: Rabbi Fine said his organization has an ongoing working relationship with Vice Chancellor McGriff and other administrators and that UMass responded to many incidents with care; he said more grassroots relationship building among faculty, staff and students is underway and needs sustained support.

Next steps: Commissioners asked whether the university had clarified reporting pathways and suggested multiple reporting options, confidential reporting and a clearer “warm handoff” for students who come forward. Rabbi Fine and Landau said some reporting pathways exist but that students can be confused by multiple options; they urged the university to make routes to reporting and resources more visible and accessible.","Hillel’s executive director and a Jewish UMass senior testified to the commission describing vandalism, physical assaults, doxxing and social exclusion of Jewish students since Oct. 7, 2023. They said Hillel remains a primary safe space but urged stronger university support and clearer reporting pathways.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6142336,"Mass. education chief pledges support as special commission approves K–12 antisemitism recommendations",7510,173000,7683000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7&start=173&end=7683","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5558668-0aba40a58d0a06419a6a6784122e54e7/thumbnail_173000.jpg","/articles/6142336/Massachusetts/Mass-education-chief-pledges-support-as-special-commission-approves-K12-antisemitism-recommendations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6142336-c39580d2de1cffc35721bd192ca2976f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437457&Signature=UOMYWOD9W45EOkql0v0na4uyUlM3mdzwXaECG5opsU2O-TZg-IPkHi5g-lWHFw05bzr-yx8hULGl~7se-~-WB1~Y1LDrsmqN6cM9jEDP071183hyy~rSavcVPQtAPMz2CXTitC8TK8487-9xCNETb~prFZqDjCHYxgwiTF~QyuHskkjWUvAzN-Av6icVIQedabXUEqPOGAyui32yw4FG19IIsgVmX0XDuJph06k9f1k5fuoAF7Cr-MJzaDowFYDwXnCk4~QKbtRHJ2oSMukQMuki6cr5OBRdPOZ7qldasJE4UjctyCTHRGXpMz5n9puyZk-YwobY9SmNIsQWhtW~Pg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism voted unanimously on Aug. 5, 2025, to approve a draft package of K–12 recommendations that the commission has developed over several months, after members agreed to several last‑minute wording and citation changes and to fold in a new reference to FBI hate‑crime data.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s new commissioner, Pedro Martinez, told the commission he supports the recommendations and committed DESE to partner with districts and stakeholders to implement them. Martinez said the department plans to add at least one position to lead development and dissemination of guidance, evaluate curriculum materials related to antisemitism and bias, and provide technical assistance and progress monitoring for districts.

The commission’s vote followed a public revision process. Commissioners agreed to reinstate the phrase “should be informed by” in two places that describe how DESE’s rubric and Attorney General guidance should be developed; to add a citation to the FBI’s 2024 hate‑crime data in a footnote; and to remove an editorial sentence and a phrase that public commenters found offensive. Commissioners also directed staff to note the existing DESE regulation (603 CMR 26.05) that already requires instruction to be taught without promoting a teacher’s personal political views.

In floor discussion before the roll call, commissioners emphasized the difference between protected political speech and targeted antisemitic harassment and reiterated that criticism of a foreign government, including Israel, is not antisemitic in itself. The commission’s chairs said the package reflects hundreds of hours of hearings and public comment and that the committee released the draft now so local school systems would receive guidance before the new academic year begins.

The approved draft is preliminary and will be folded into the commission’s final report; members left open the possibility of adding material after DESE shares its rubric work later in the fall. The commission also agreed to permit two commissioners who were briefly offline during the roll call to register written confirmation before the report is publicly posted.

Votes at a glance

Motion: Approve the recommendations before the commission, with the edits discussed today (restore “should be informed by” wording; add FBI citation; delete wording public commenters found offensive; cite 603 CMR 26.05 and encourage robust implementation). Moved by Commissioner David Friedman; seconded on the floor (record shows a second). Outcome: approved (unanimous). Tally: yes 23; no 0; abstain 0. Notes: Chairs said the vote is preliminary and will be included in the final report; commissioners retained the option to submit final edits prior to formal publication.

Why it matters: The recommendations create a set of expectations and resources intended to help districts and educators identify and respond to antisemitism and societal bias in K–12 settings; DESE’s public commitment to staff and to developing a statewide rubric is meant to standardize guidance and technical assistance across districts.

Implementation and next steps: Commissioner Martinez said DESE will continue stakeholder input and plans a mid‑to‑late‑fall timeline to publish curriculum evaluation guidance. The commission asked staff to include a citation to the FBI’s 2024 hate‑crime report in footnote 2 and to preserve the regulatory citation to 603 CMR 26.05, encouraging robust implementation of that existing regulation by DESE. The commission will publish the preliminary recommendations online and fold them into the final report to the Legislature.","The Massachusetts Special Commission on Combathing Antisemitism voted unanimously to approve a draft set of K–12 recommendations after editing language and adding citations. DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez told the commission his department will partner to implement guidance and add staff capacity to support districts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Researchers: campus antisemitism rose after Oct. 7; study authors urge education‑based solutions

UMass Amherst Hillel leaders and students describe harassment, vandalism and exclusion on campus

Mass. education chief pledges support as special commission approves K–12 antisemitism recommendations