Speaking to college audiences, I have been careful to give proper context to the contemporary resurgence of campus anti-Semitism. The troubling incidents that have emerged on many campuses in recent years have been conspicuous not because they reflect a broader atmosphere of hostility toward Jews but rather because they have been ugly exceptions in an environment that has been welcoming in other respects to Jewish students. Indeed, some commentators have described the current moment as a “golden age” for Jewish life on campus. Close observers have noted the paradox that American colleges have emerged as a flashpoint for anti-Semitic incidents a time when they have provided a positive environment in most other respects.”

The United States in recent years has enjoyed a period of almost philo-Semitic tolerance for Jews, in contrast to the experience of Jews elsewhere in the world. Research by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research (and others) confirms the general perception that positive attitudes toward Jews have been growing steadily over the last 40 years, whereas negative perceptions have declined precipitously. Similarly, many college campuses have provided numerous accommodations to Jewish students, such as excused absence for religious holidays, kosher dining facilities, chaplaincy services, Hillel, and Jewish studies courses. By and large, Jewish students no longer face the forms of institutional discrimination in academic admissions, undergraduate housing, faculty selection, and club membership that they experienced for a significant part of the twentieth century. On the other hand, allegations of anti-Semitic activity appear to have increased on college campuses in recent years and have included physical assaults, stalking, intimidation, vandalism, and various forms of hate speech.