The Conversation - A century of being Jewish on campus

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For the past 13 months, U.S. colleges have been front and center in debates about the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitism and free speech. Jewish students themselves have diverse views of the conflict and of Israel. 

No matter where they fall along political lines, many of them are feeling unsettled – and are wrestling with what it means to be Jewish on campus today. Those questions may feel new, but universities have long “been a testing ground for Jewish identity – and Americans’ acceptance of their Jewish compatriots,” writes Jonathan Krasner, a historian of Jewish education at Brandeis University.

In the early 20th century, for example, first- and second-generation Jewish Americans flocked to colleges, hoping higher education would be a ticket to the middle class. The institutions, however, were often far from welcoming, whether that manifested as antisemitic social snobbery or outright quotas.

In the decades that followed, some students downplayed their Jewishness, while others embraced it. In some ways, that’s similar to students’ experiences today, Krasner writes – but there are also some striking differences.

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