A recent survey commissioned by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights has found that most members of Jewish fraternities and sororities in the US have experienced antisemitism on campus.
The survey was conducted with the participation of more than 1,000 Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) and Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPhi) members before the surge in antisemitic incidents in the country after the most recent Israel-Gaza conflict.
Half of AEPi and two-thirds of AEPhi respondents admitted that they had been personally targeted with antisemitic comments within the past four months. A high number of women stated that they had been called gendered terms such as “Jewish American Princess.”
Half of the survey participants said they felt the need to hide their Jewish identity, even during online classes, because they are afraid of prejudice. Some of them also revealed that they “are somewhat or very reluctant to share their views on Israel.”
The survey was conducted amid growing concerns by some Jewish groups and activists about marginalization and harassment of Jews on US campuses.
‘Alarming Results’
Roughly a quarter of the respondents reported that they heard offensive jokes and age-old antisemitic stereotypes about Jews being “cheap” or “greedy.” Some of them also admitted to hearing offensive statements about Israel.
Around 60 percent of survey participants also said they have felt unsafe as Jews on campus and that they are worried about verbal attacks or online harassment. Moreover, one in six Jewish frat members feared physical attack.
Brandeis Center Founder Kenneth Marcus stated that concerns about antisemitism on campus have reached the government. He even said that in 2019, former President Donald Trump mandated robust enforcement of civil rights protections for Jews on campus.
He pointed out that Jewish students are feeling increasingly unsafe whenever they express their Judaism because of possible harassment and social bullying.
“These findings ring some pretty consequential alarms, more closely resembling previous dark periods in our history, not the 21st century in the US,” Marcus remarked, as quoted by The Times of Israel.
