Swastika flag raised over New York University. Photo: Screenshot.

As the academic year ends, university administrations continue to grapple with plummeting public trust and steadily eroding finances.

In addition to now routine layoffs, buyouts and closings, bond rating agencies have downgraded various institutions including Columbia and the University of Chicago.

University responses to antisemitism continue to be temporary or non-existent. In one recent case, Duke University briefly suspended its Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter for using racist imagery in a social media posting but quickly restored the group’s status. In another case Cambridge University refused to suspend students who made death threats against a Jewish student who had visited Israel. The institution claimed it issued “formal warnings” to the students who made the threats.

Universities also continue to defend their relationships with Qatar.

Interim Northwestern University president Henry Bienen stated he is “positive about the relationship” despite revelations that Qatar had demanded local campuses to “be aligned and in touch” regarding messaging after the Hamas massacres of October 7th.

Faculty remain at the forefront of anti-Israel activity, often over and against the policies of their universities. Commencement addresses remain a key method of inserting anti-Israel messaging into otherwise neutral settings. At the University of Michigan, a faculty speaker praised student protestors who had “opened our hearts to the injustice and inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza.”

University of Michigan president Domenico Grasso then apologized for the remarks, deeming them “hurtful and insensitive to many members of our community.” This resulted in faculty condemnation of Grasso and demands for him to apologize to Peterson.

During commencement season the awarding of honorary degrees is another proxy for faculty attitudes and university indulgence.

The continued hiring of anti-Zionist and antisemitic faculty is another sign of “resistance” by departments and programs. In one case, the New School hired one of four CUNY adjuncts fired for leading anti-Israel protests that resulted in millions of dollars in damages to school property. The hiring was telling given that the New School is in the midst of workforce reductions including phased retirement of existing faculty.

Faculty also continue to demand impunity for anti-Israel protestors including those who commit vandalism. New York University’s Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine announced it would hold a “tribunal” to investigate the disciplining of students, faculty and staff involved in 2024 anti-Israel protests and encampments that took over part of the campus.

At New York University, an Israeli flag featuring two swastikas and a Star of David was raised above the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Billionaire philanthropist David Steinhardt is a major donor to the institution and the founder of Birthright. A university spokesperson stated, “We are shocked and deeply troubled that this hateful symbol expressing antisemitism was raised on a flagpole overlooking Washington Square Park.”

Pro-Hamas students continue to stalk and assault university officials on and off campus. In one incident, Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff’s car was surrounded by student protestors, trapping him in a driveway.

Jewish student organizations are again being targeted both by student governments and anti-Zionist students. The New School student government denied funding to Hillel on the grounds that the group supported trips to Israel in violation of “international law.” The university administration condemned the move and promised continued funding.

In a parallel move, the Middlebury College Hillel voted to sever ties with Hillel International and to rebrand itself as the Jewish Association of Middlebury. The move was motivated by Hillel’s strongly Zionist stance and associated guidelines. Supporters characterized Hillel’s support for Israel as untenable and immoral. The campaign against Hillel is orchestrated in part by the Hind Rajab Foundation and Al-Haq, a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine support group.

Foreign funding of K-12 education continues to come into focus. New reports have demonstrated that the Qatar Foundation International has funded Arabic language instruction in Texas public schools including for the hiring of teachers and curricular materials which demonized Jews and Israel.

This is consistent with other examples where Qatari sources funded teacher training including missions to Qatar, as well as antisemitic curricular materials developed by university Middle East studies centers. Yet another report pointed to a new $65 million campaign by the foundation to target K-12 education particularly in states with large immigrant populations and metropolitan school districts.

Teachers unions remain the central focus on antisemitism and antizionism in US and British society.

A new lawsuit alleges that the largest US teachers union, the National Education Association, had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by adopting a boycott of ADL antisemitism training materials, celebrated the erasure of Israel in materials related to “indigenous lands,” and had permitted the harassment of Jewish delegates at its annual meeting.

Student revolutionary organizations backed by communist and Muslim groups have also spread widely in New York City high schools especially since October 7th. These complement teacher backed revolutionary workshops in Philadelphia schools. In both cases “Palestinian liberation” is a key theme.

Alex Joffe is the Editor of SPME’s BDS Monitor and  director of Strategic Affairs for the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA). A completely different version of this article was originally published by SPME.