A new report on antisemitism on US college campuses was released this week by the group Jewish on Campus that revealed the top campuses and forms of antisemitism from the past year.
The university with the most reports of antisemitism was the University of Vermont. The school recorded 58 incidents in 2021, according to the report.
In addition, in somewhat of a surprise, the majority of antisemitic reports occurred in person rather than online. In total, 544 reports were found from 228 universities. Though mostly focused on the US and Canada, a few international incidents were also included in the report.
According to Jewish on Campus, 72% of the incidents took place in person, with just 28% online. In a comparison of students and staff, 316 of the incidents were reportedly by students, with 122 by professors.
The study also found antisemitic reports were higher in areas where a larger percentage of Jewish students lived, including states in the northeast, as well as New York and California.
The study was the first such sampling by the newer organization, so no comparison with previous years was available. However, many suggest antisemitic incidents are on the rise on US college campuses despite increased efforts to educate and stop such attacks.
The University of Vermont responded to the report in a written statement clearly opposing all forms of antisemitism.
“At the University of Vermont, we strive to maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all members of our community,” the statement read. “Our stance on biased behavior is clear: We don’t tolerate it. We have multiple processes in place for incident reporting. And we have follow-up procedures that support impacted members of our community and hold accountable those responsible.”
In comparison, a recent student in the UK found 2,255 antisemitic incidents in 2021, a 34% increase over 2020. The study was not limited to college campuses, but recorded all antisemitic incidents as collected by Community Security Trust.
The UK report found that 871 of its cases occurred during May and June, closely associating a surge in antisemitic incidents with the Gaza conflict in Israel with Hamas.