Columbia University tops a list of the 10 US campuses with the most antisemitic activity. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

New York’s Columbia University is home to the worst antisemitic activity in the United States, according to a list compiled by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a conservative think-tank based in California.

The Center unveiled its first list of the 10 US campuses with the worst antisemitic activity in 2014 as part of a new campaign entitled “Jew Hatred on Campus,” aimed at bringing awareness to antisemitism at colleges and universities throughout the nation. The group also says it seeks to encourage university administrators to withdraw privileges from the groups that spread hate on the campuses.

According to the Center, Columbia University is listed first because it is home to the “most well-known antisemitic professors in the nation such as Rashid Khalidi and Joseph Massad, who has been accused of harassing Jewish students on multiple occasions. In addition, it is home to a highly active SJP chapter that has recently brought BDS founder Omar Barghouti and disgraced antisemitic professor Steven Salaita to campus.”

The Center also cited a number of offending events held at Columbia University in 2014, such as Israeli Apartheid Week and a protest with signs that read “Call to Action: Stand with Gaza.”

Cornell University came in second place followed by George Mason University, Loyola University Chicago, Portland State University, San Diego State University and San Francisco State University. Rounding off the list was Temple University, University of California Los Angeles and Vassar College.

Jew Hatred on Campus founder David Horowitz said the campaign was created to “expose” antisemitic student groups who support or are associated with terrorist organizations that call for the destruction of Israel, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

“These activities against Jewish and pro-Israel students would not be tolerated by university administrators if they were committed against students from any other ethnic group,” he said. “But because Jews are the target, they have been largely ignored. It is an obligation of university administrators to recognize and condemn acts of antisemitism by campus hate groups and to withdraw campus privileges and university support from them.”

According to the Center, universities included in the top 10 list “played host to numerous incidents of anti-Jewish acts” that took place on university property and were often supported by university funds, despite the fact that such behavior is forbidden under campus codes of conduct. The advocacy group said it plans to contact each of the institutions on the list to discuss its findings and to help correct the situation. The group said it will update its analysis and publish a report naming the worst offenders every year.