As federal crackdowns on higher education intensify, Emerson College, like many other schools, finds itself contending with how best to balance claims of antisemitism with a commitment to free expression.
In the last year, colleges across the country have had heated debates around the prevalence of antisemitism on campus.
Now, a year since the “Popular University Encampment” at Emerson resulted in the arrest of 118 protesters, questions surrounding how Jewish Emerson students perceive the prevalence of antisemitism on campus have been rampant. The Beacon spoke with Jewish students on various sides of the issue, and while the answer isn’t cohesive, one thing seems to be clear about Jewish culture on campus—the internal divisions are only widening.
In his first months in office, President Donald Trump has pledged to crack down on antisemitism and pro-Palestine protests with the signing of an executive order in January. This led to a slew of federal investigations into dozens of higher education institutions around the country, including Emerson, for alleged “antisemitic discrimination and harassment.” The Trump administration claims that Jewish students have “faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.”
Since Oct. 7, on which Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis, resulting in the worst flare-up of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict—a war that has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, Emerson has taken measures to address concerns of antisemitism. This has included developing educational programs intended to increase workshops on antisemitism awareness, enhanced training for faculty and staff on recognizing and responding to hate speech, and a continuing partnership with Hillel, an international organization that supports Jewish student life and hosts cultural, religious, and social events.
These measures have not been received positively by some in the Emerson community. In the last few years, the presence of Emerson Hillel has faced criticism from members of the campus due to the national branch’s ties to Israel, including free Birthright trips—when Jewish individuals travel to Israel to reconnect with their heritage—and military-affiliated events.
In response, alternative unaffiliated groups, including Boylston Jews Against Zionism, have emerged, providing a forum led largely by Emerson students advocating for Palestinian liberation from an anti-Zionist perspective. Zionism is an ideology and movement that calls for the protection of a Jewish state on the land that is now Israel. Some on campus have also argued that the “weaponization of antisemitism” by the college is being used to suppress free expression.
Ava, a first-year theater and performance major and the secretary for Emerson Hillel, said that she and her friends have at times experienced antisemitic remarks. She said that her friends have been on the receiving end of name-calling by strangers for their Jewish identity. One student was called a “crazy Zionist” by two other students on the street.
“There’s times when I feel uncomfortable bringing up [my Jewish] identity, because I’m nervous about the way that people will react,” said Ava, who declined to give a last name.
Oliver Katz, a Jewish senior political communications student who is not affiliated with any Jewish organization on campus, said that for a while after the encampment and subsequent arrests, he felt cautious about sharing his criticisms of Israel with other Jews.
“There was a period of time where I was deeply afraid that I would be accused of being antisemitic,” Katz said. “There were people that I know that are also Jewish being accused by other Jews of being self-hating Jews or, like, antisemitic, and I didn’t want that for myself.”
Other students said that they do not believe antisemitism to be prevalent on campus.
“I have not felt that I have faced any antisemitism on campus,” said Amanda, a member of Boylston JAZ, who declined to provide a last name. She said she hasn’t witnessed antisemitic acts on campus in the way the media and the Trump administration have described. Rather, she said that she sees the generalization of Jewish views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as antisemitic.
“When I hear people say that all Jews support Israel, I personally think of that as a form of antisemitism,” she said.
Amanda said she has experienced moments of tension, both on and off campus, when she brings up her Jewish identity in non-Jewish spaces.
“There is that little moment of tension you can see in people if you bring up something Jewish, because they think it introduces a big subject that suddenly they don’t know if you agree with them,” Amanda said.
One JAZ member who requested anonymity for safety reasons said it is “really funny that this school was accused of being antisemitic” in the way that the Trump administration described. The student said Emerson could be considered antisemitic in regard to the lack of access to prayer spaces and kosher food, but not in regard to pro-Palestine protests.
“There is way too much focus on what Jewish people think,” the student said. “[The threat to] our safety is so minimal compared to the horrors that are happening [in Gaza].”
Katz said that the White House’s language and definition of antisemitism is not inclusive of Jewish identity or experience. The White House definition of antisemitism is directly informed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition, which states that antisemitism is “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews,” such as denying the Holocaust and accusing Jews of being responsible for wrongdoing.
Specifically, Katz said that the letter relies on rhetoric around shared national ancestry as a result of the use of Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in higher education programs or activities receiving federal funding. But some Jewish people, such as those who have converted to the religion, do not have shared ancestry that connects them to Israel, Katz said.
“It’s weird in the way that we see the term ‘antisemitism’ weaponized,” said Katz. “[Are] people that don’t have that shared national ancestry protected? Are converts protected? Are people who are ethnically Jewish but don’t appear Jewish protected? When you define antisemitism as targeting this racialized group of people, it’s really problematic, because we’re not a race.”
There are several definitions of antisemitism from a variety of organizations, including the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, and the Anti-Defamation League. Recently, Emerson College established a partnership with the ADL to address antisemitism.
Both the IHRA and the ADL have faced controversy for their stances on the conflict and their definitions of antisemitism, which include certain criticisms against Israel and Zionism.
The IHRA’s definition allows for criticism of Israel similar to that of other countries. However, they state that “double standards” applied to Israel that are not used against other democratic nations, and deny Jewish self-determination are antisemitic. The ADL’s definition is similar, stating that criticism of Israeli government policies is not inherently antisemitic, however, language that delegitimizes Israel is.
Some cite the ADL’s definition in categorizing pro-Palestine protests as antisemitic due to its delegitimization of Israel.
“I don’t think everyone involved in this protest [is] inherently doing it because they hate Jews, I think most people are just doing what they think is right,” Ava said. “But there have been phrases said and things written that I think do cross the line.”
Pro-Palestine protests worldwide have faced criticism from the ADL and IHRA over phrases like “from the river to the sea” and “globalize the Intifada.” These organizations argue that the phrases call for the elimination of Israel and promote violence.
“From the river to the sea” is sometimes interpreted as advocating for the erasure of Israel and denying Jewish self-determination. “Globalize the Intifada” is sometimes viewed as encouraging violent resistance, because it references past Palestinian uprisings in the current state of Israel, two of which involved the deaths of civilians.
For pro-Palestine protesters, these phrases advocate for a call for Palestinian liberation and equal rights in the region. The phrase “from the river to the sea” has been said to encourage self-determination across in the region while “globalize the Intifada” is presented as encouraging worldwide solidarity with Palestinian resistance.
Ava said that the prevalence of the phrases makes her feel unwelcome on campus, and that she has felt dismissed when bringing up concerns over the chants.
“I think that [protesters] do need to be more willing to listen if someone says that something is making them uncomfortable,” she said.
For some students, navigating their own identity and its intersection with geopolitics remains one of the most challenging aspects of Emerson’s campus climate. Ava said that assumptions made by the community members about her beliefs because she is Jewish have affected the way she exists on campus.
“I do think people make a lot of assumptions about what other people are like based on parts of their identity,” Ava said. “I don’t think it helps people have a productive conversation.”
Carlisle Robbins, a senior creative writing major and the current president of Emerson Hillel, explained that he especially sees Jewish students from Israel face hate for their identities.
“Every day I feel terrible for our Israeli students,” said Robbins. “One of our Israeli students put it very personally: What is she going to do, apologize for her Israeli passport? It’s not a question of political identity, it’s where she was born.”
Katz explained how he believed that the assumption of a certain identity or political leaning is a disservice to the wide array of opinions among Jewish people in the U.S. and globally.
“In general, the Jewish community is very divided,” Katz explained. “There’s this joke that if you ask two Jews their opinion on something, you get three different answers. It’s true.”
Katz, at the same time, expressed a desire for more diversity in Jewish and religious organizations on campus. He said that having religious organizations funded by the Student Government Association limits the diversity in options.
Members of Boylston JAZ say they were drawn to the organization because of the lack of diverse spaces and their desire to advocate for Palestinian rights.
“I think fundamentally Hillel needs to get off this campus,” said the JAZ student. “The fact that we allow this foreign government to come onto this college campus and recruit people for this war and this genocide is crazy.”
“They are a plague to this campus,” the student added.
While Hillel, as an international organization, offers free trips and events connected to engagement with Israel, it does not engage in recruitment to the Israeli Defense Forces. Some of the programs and partnerships that it facilitates related to opportunities in Israel have included volunteer experiences that involve IDF service, including Hillel on Base and Volunteers for Israel. Individual Hillel chapters have a choice regarding what programs to include. Emerson Hillel has not hosted such services and has only highlighted Birthright trips. It does, however, promote some national board events on its Instagram page.
Rather than calling for the removal of Hillel, other students, like Amanda, advocate for alternative spaces on campus for Jewish students.
“I don’t want Hillel to not be on our campus,” Amanda said, “But I don’t want it to be the only choice for practicing Judaism.”
Robbins explained that Hillel is a cultural space, rather than an organization that takes a political stance.
“Hillel’s main goal on the Emerson campus has always been to connect Jewish students together,” he said. “I want one space where we can all have conversations … where we approach each other openly and understand and know each other and know that we don’t have malice towards each other.”
Students in both Hillel and Boylston JAZ said they have experienced negative reactions to their involvement in the organizations. The student from JAZ told The Beacon that they have been both “physically and vocally threatened” by students, faculty, and professors who were involved with Hillel.
Robbins said that he and others in Hillel have also gotten backlash from some in the Emerson community for their involvement in the organization, but that in his experience, it has surfaced in more passive ways.
“I do see negative stares. I think that everyone in our Hillel has probably experienced feeling like people are looking at them constantly to some extent,” Robbins said.
As someone unaffiliated with either group, Katz said that he has seen harassment toward students from both groups.
“Hillel people have definitely harassed JAZ people, that’s unequivocally a thing that I’ve seen happen, and I’m sure JAZ people have done the same thing,” Katz said, “But that’s not representative of their organization—it’s representative of the people.”
Moving forward, several students expressed a desire for less intercommunity hostility at the college so that more productive conversations can take place regarding Jewish identity on campus.
“I think we need to recognize that groups of people aren’t a monolith,” Katz said. “There’s not one thing that Jews think, there’s not one thing that Muslim students think, there’s not one thing that Christian students think.”
