Jews abandoning Ivy League – a smart idea or a calculated plan to create Jew-free campuses?

If you listen to William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, his best advice for Jewish students is to “move on from Ivy League universities.”

His reasoning is: “If they don’t want us, we should go elsewhere and perhaps it will be instrumental in having the Ivy Leagues change their world-views and how they interact and engage with Jewish students.”

But is that a smart strategy or does it play into the hands of antisemites who actually prefer a Jew-free presence on their campuses? As shocking as that may sound, it was reported, some time ago, that an action taken by UC Berkeley was tantamount to their having set up Jew-free zones, following a decision by “nine student groups that voted to adopt bylaws that state they will not invite any visiting speakers to campus who ‘hold views in support of Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel and the occupation of Palestine.’”

Although the position was taken “under the justification of protecting the safety and welfare of Palestinian students, does anyone believe that those students would be physically harmed if speakers with Zionist viewpoints were allowed to speak at the campus? This pathetic excuse sounds more like a clever way to avoid unwanted speech that is not popular with the Woke and progressive crowd, represented by many of the faculty and administrators who no longer believe in the free exchange of ideas and debate. That is why they refer to it as something which presents a danger.

But, up to this point, no one has heard of Jewish students persecuting Palestinian students, nor is it likely that such an occurrence is a looming threat. Nonetheless, little by little, Jews are feeling alienated, an unprotected class and very much persona non grata on their campuses; just because of their ethnic similarity to the Jewish state and the war being waged as a result of the massacre perpetrated upon innocent Jews on Oct. 7.

Daroff goes one step further in his thinking, though. He believes “if Jewish alumni stop giving money and Jewish parents stop paying tuition, hopefully that will have an impact.” But with millions pouring in annually from large Middle East donors with a personal interest in the political leanings of these universities, will a few million dollars really hurt these institutions?

According to one source, “between the years 2014 and 2019, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates donated at least US$4.4 billion to numerous US colleges. Together with donations from other Middle East nations, over the five years in question, more than US$5 billion was donated to American universities from authoritarian Middle Eastern nations.”

It doesn’t appear that the loss of Jewish tuition will put a dent in these universities, whose loyalties are apparently purchased and sewn up by many of the same countries that harbor terrorist leaders and are rooting for Hamas.

While no one relishes the idea of attending a university whose atmosphere is less than friendly and inviting towards its Jewish students, the thought of a top university with no Jewish population, in some ways, feels like a win for those who despise Jews and now view them as part of the oppressor class which promotes colonialism and the suppression of other minorities who lack their “privileged status.”

Although boycotting these institutions of higher learning would be self-imposed, the end result is the same because, either way, Jews are no longer present.

The last time a situation even remotely similar to this occurred in the U.S. was prior to World War II, when American universities were “rife with antisemitism.” Consequently, “Jews who wished to attend these coveted halls of learning were met with closed doors rather than open arms.”

The prejudice was so blatant that Yale University, to this day, has preserved a folder that was then labeled, “Jewish Problem.” One memo “from the Admissions Chairman of 1922 urged limits on ‘the alien and unwashed element,’” in the hope of severely limiting entrance to Jews. Another account recalls that “there was an ethnic prejudice that partook of certain stereotypes of Jews as lacking class, as being grasping or overly ambitious.”

Astonishing as all that sounds, it wasn’t until the 1950s that things began to change, following the Holocaust and the emergence of the civil rights’ movement which promoted a more tolerant viewpoint towards minorities. That’s when American universities began to freely open their doors to Jews, but now we are in a reversal of that policy. Ivy League schools, these days, have fewer Jews than 20 or 30 years ago, and that is due to their desire to “increase the number of international students,” at the cost of reducing the Jewish population. More and more students from such places as East Asia, South Asia and the Arab Gulf states are being accepted, replacing a once robust Jewish student population.

In the end, campuses without a Jewish presence would miss a great reservoir of intellect, creativity, innovation and unique thinking, all of which can only serve to enhance these learning institutions and add to their lists of distinguished graduates who will, undoubtedly, go on to break many glass ceilings in a variety of arenas.

But this is not the only reason Jews should think twice about abandoning Ivy League universities. Their ability to make a positive impact upon others in their school community is vital at a time when so much of what is believed about Jews and the State of Israel is based on false narratives, as well as little exposure to Jewish individuals who, if they got to know and befriend. This would help to remove false impressions along with the usual stereotypical behaviors purposely associated with Jews by those who hope to smear them.

A school with no Jewish presence leaves other students to continue speculating and being misinformed without any challenge to them. Unquestionably, it is each person’s responsibility to do their own research about others, but if they fail to do so, at least hearing the truth from the mouths of Jews, who happen to be in their classes and dormitories, will go a long way. 

In truth, a Jew-free campus is more of a punishment to its non-Jewish students and faculty than it is to the Jewish students who strive to get the best education money can buy (although, these days, that has become debatable).

These universities may have abandoned the Jews, as they have in the past, but to do likewise and abandon them, might result in the undoing of the best education one can get – learning tolerance for others, as well as the importance of living together in a diverse world with a variety of viewpoints!