As someone from New Jersey myself, witnessing Rutgers University, a renowned institution, become a breeding ground for unchecked antisemitism is both disheartening and unacceptable. The recent resolution by the Department of Education to tackle the university’s lax handling of the harassment of Jewish students is a step, but let’s not kid ourselves, it’s a small one in what should be a marathon to root out such bigotry.
Since October 7, 2023, when waves of antisemitic protests ignited across campuses nationwide, Rutgers has been under the microscope. Not for academic excellence, but for its dismal failure to protect Jewish students from threats, vandalism, and outright hatred. Nearly 300 reports of harassment targeted at Jewish students in a single academic year, and what did the university do? Too little, too late.
Imagine, swastikas on dorm doors, social media doxxing advocating violence against Jewish students, and chants like “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want Zionists here” echoing through the campus. This isn’t just poor campus management; it’s complicity in fostering an environment of fear and hatred. It took a federal investigation and public outcry for Rutgers to agree to basic measures like reviewing harassment policies and conducting discrimination training. Why wasn’t this standard practice?
What’s even more appalling is the tepid response from university leaders, including Rutgers’ own President Jonathan Holloway, who only stepped down after a grilling by Congress. Under his watch, not only did these incidents flourish, but the response was a shrug until the spotlight got too bright.
Now, as Rutgers pledges to change, we have to ask: will they really? Or is this just another cycle of ‘commit, ignore, and get caught’? It’s 2025, and it’s about time universities like Rutgers take serious, ongoing action against antisemitism and all forms of campus hate, not just when the federal government steps in or the public outcry becomes too loud to ignore.
America’s campuses need to be bastions of learning and respect, not arenas for radicalism and racial targeting. The American people, especially our youth, deserve better, and they deserve it now.
