After a spring marked by on-campus disruptive protests and antisemitism, many are anticipating further demonstrations and unrest heading into the fall semester. Over the summer, several universities faced legal action for failing to address rising antisemitism on their campuses, with institutions such as UCLA, Columbia, and Harvard under scrutiny and some presidents stepping down. In preparation, many universities are taking steps to protect Jewish students and curb antisemitism on campuses.

 

A number of universities, including Rutgers and George Washington University, suspended groups that contributed to the unrest last semester such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, while placing many others on probation. Other universities such as Indiana University and the University of Denver are updating and clarifying their policies regarding protesting and establishing encampments on campus. New York University updated its hate speech policy to include attacks against Zionists as a violation of its non-discrimination policies. This decision follows a similar ruling made by Meta to designate instances in which the word “Zionist” is substituted in for “Jew” as hate speech. Additionally, a number of universities such as Harvard, Northwestern University and University of California Berkeley are expanding and mandating antisemitism training for all students during the fall semester.

 

Despite the new measures and increased awareness, the semester has begun with some renewed protests and on-campus antisemitism garnering significant attention on social media. Cornell University's administrative building was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti and students at Columbia University attempted to disrupt new student orientation by banging on drums outside the main gate. At MIT, students distributed flyers to freshmen with a QR-code to the antisemitic Boston Mapping Project. The flyer garnered significant backlash on social media and was denounced by MIT President Sally Kornbluth.

 

With the eyes of the nation on college campuses, a new report from Alums for Campus Fairness revealed that a growing number of Jewish students feel unsafe on campus, often concealing their Jewish identity, reminding the public of the impact of antisemitic actions on Jewish students.

A post featuring antisemitic language and promoting Holocaust denial went viral on X this week, reaching 1.3 million people at the time of publishing. The post alleges that the Diary of Anne Frank is a fabricated piece of literature, claiming that it was “proven with 100% certainty to have been written after WWII by her father.” The post goes on to claim that “all the stories are made up,” that there is no corroborating evidence of the Holocaust, and called on the United States to arrest all Hollywood producers who created movies about the Holocaust for committing perjury. 

 

In addition to reaching at least 1.3 million people, the post was shared almost 4,000 times, significantly increasing its reach on social media. The post remains on the platform, but a community note was added which provided readers with sources that confirm the authenticity of Anne Frank’s diary. The community note has since been removed. A number of users also called out the offensive content of the post and voiced their disappointment that X has become a platform that allows this type of content.

X’s artificial intelligenceI chatbot, Grok, has attracted attention for its lack of  safeguards, enabling people to create highly offensive content with the new tool. The latest edition of Grok includes an image generation feature that has been used to create a slew of bizarre and offensive images such as Mickey Mouse saluting Adolf Hitler and antisemitic depictions of Orthodox Jewish men gathered on the streets holding rats, fanning out wads of cash, and leering over a baby’s crib. These images exemplify Grok’s failure to reject user’s attempts to create images that involve offensive subjects.

 

Artificial intelligence’s prominence has increased across various platforms, and its unregulated use has raised significant concerns about its potential for generating antisemitic content. Recent developments illustrate how AI can inadvertently, or deliberately, spread harmful stereotypes and misinformation online.

 

UNESCO released a report in June about the dangers AI poses to Holocaust memory and education. The report highlights how generative AI could distort historical records, and underscores the risk of AI amplifying existing biases, particularly when trained on content from Holocaust denial websites.

 

Harrisburg residents and officials came together Sunday for a “Unite Against Hate” rally in front of the Pennsylvania state capitol after a group of neo-Nazis were spotted walking through the city the day before. The individuals, associated with the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, were carrying swastika flags and chanting racial and hateful speech. Mayor Wanda Williams and the city’s police commissioner, Thomas Carter, emphasized that hateful ideologies such as these have no place in Harrisburg. The city assured residents that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.  

 

The rally was attended by local residents and served as a platform for residents to voice their concerns surrounding the show of hate and support for a more inclusive Harrisburg. Participants, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, expressed their determination to prevent hate groups from infiltrating their spaces. The city’s strong response and the community’s solidarity at the rally send a clear message that hate has no home in Harrisburg.

 

Approximately 44% of hate crimes reported in the State of New York in 2023 targeted Jews according to a new report released Thursday by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. This report highlights a concerning trend amid an 89% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in New York since 2018, reaching a total of 477 cases last year. 

This trend does not seem to be slowing in 2024. Last month the New York Police Department stated there were 30 antisemitic hate crimes in New York in the month of July, a 200% increase compared to the 10 antisemitic incidents in the same timeframe last year.

 

 

 

 

FCAS is a nonpartisan, registered 501c3 non-profit organization. We do not support any political party or candidate. We never endorse candidates for office. We do call on everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to support the fight against Jewish hate and all hate.

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