University of Washington ranked among the top antisemitic colleges in the US: report

The nonprofit group StopAntisemitism’s new report, titled Antisemitism on College and University Campuses Report Card, slammed UW for failing to address rising antisemitism on campus that has erupted in the wake of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel, where Palestinian terrorists raped, tortured, and executed over 1,200 people and kidnapped over 250 more.

UW received an "F" grade in the report for many problems, including the administration's failure to condemn the antisemitism and a federal complaint filed against the college due to antisemitic incidents that targeted students.

According to StopAntisemitism, UW failed to act as Gaza encampments sprung up on campus last spring and, instead of protecting Jewish students who were being blocked from parts of campus, the administration sent campus police to protect the campers.

According to the report, 53 percent of students have experienced antisemitism, 92 percent of students do not feel welcome in many spaces on campus, 84 percent of students feel they are blamed for Israelʼs actions, 100 percent of students do not feel safeguarded by the school, and only 23 percent of students would recommend their school to others.

The report also noted violent graffiti, discovered around campus, and that Jewish students were forced to evacuate a recent meeting discussing antisemitism because violent protestors occupied the room where the meeting was being held.

University president Ana Marie Cauce held a task force on antisemitism and Islamophobia in March following criticism that the administration was not addressing antisemitism at the university that had spiked in the wake of the Oct 7 massacre. The task force published its own report in October and admitted that the university fell short of making Jewish students feel welcome on campus. According to the report, over 60 percent of Jewish students reported not feeling welcome because of their identity and 65 to 95 percent said they felt the need to hide their Jewish identity.

Jewish students reported being spit on and threatened with physical violence for their religious identity. One told the task force, "I personally took my Star of David off after I had it on and someone at the encampment while I was passing by called me disgusting for that...when they had the first protest someone spit in my face after that. So I personally didn’t feel comfortable wearing my Star of David necklace anymore."

Jewish students accused members of the UW faculty of trafficking in hate. One Jewish student told the task force they were told “'you don't belong here' by a UW professor," while another alleged "I have had a UW professor call Jews white Supremacists, allowing the continual labeling of Jewish people in Israel as 'manifest destiny.' He also did nothing as another Jew in the class was called a 'f*cking cockroach' because she was Jewish."

StopAntisemitism urged Jewish families to consider carefully before sending their children to UW and called the school's track record unacceptable. How many seniors choose to apply this year following the very public campus unrest remains to be seen. Applications for freshman undergraduates were due Nov. 15.