Rutgers University — home to a large and diverse Jewish student body — made national headlines in 2017. In October, Rutgers professor Jasbir Puar came under criticism for arguing that Israeli soldiers shoot “to maim rather than to kill" not due to humanitarian concern, but rather a desire to disable Palestinians “in order to control them.” Days later, microbiology professor Michael Chikindas was found to have published multiple antisemitic, misogynistic, and homophobic social media posts. The following month, it was reported that Rutgers was employing former Syrian diplomat Mazen Adi — who once accused Israeli officials of trafficking children’s organs — and then attempted to legitimize the hire by citing Adi’s "expertise in international law." Disturbingly, multiple swastikas were also found on campus throughout the year — in one October incident, the hateful symbol was drawn on a Jewish student's car — while in September a Jewish student reported being "harassed over Shabbat while walking on campus," according to the ADL. These developments, compounded by the Rutgers president’s defense of the three faculty members on free speech grounds, drew an outcry from Jewish leaders, locally and nationally. Thankfully, the university ultimately announced disciplinary action against Chikindas in December, and revealed in February that Adi is no longer an employee. (Photo credit: Wikipedia.)