Opinion: Antisemitism on campuses exists, even if some don’t see it

Released on August 5, the Government of Canada-commissioned Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences study — CASE — produced a finding that should have ended complacency about the climate facing Jewish students: some 96 per cent of those surveyed reported experiencing or witnessing at least one form of antisemitism during the previous year. The study also collected more than 1,200 accounts of antisemitism by asking open-ended questions.

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The Jewish students surveyed were not monolithic in their relationship to Zionism. CASE defines Zionism as the belief that Jewish people have the right to self-determination in part of their ancestral homeland. Sixty-nine per cent said Zionism was very important to their identity, 18 per cent somewhat important, six per cent not very important and seven per cent — 55 out of 762 valid respondents — not important at all.

Across the first three groups, concern about antisemitism remained substantial. Among those for whom Zionism was very important, 95 per cent either strongly or somewhat agreed that antisemitism was a serious problem on their campus. That fell to 79 per cent among those for whom it was somewhat important and 61 per cent among those for whom it was not very important.

Among students for whom Zionism was not important at all, only 11 per cent agreed antisemitism was a serious campus problem. None strongly agreed. Sixty-seven per cent of this group strongly disagreed with the statement “Antisemitism is a serious problem on campus.”

The divide becomes even more striking when respondents are asked about concrete incidents rather than general perceptions. Forty-two per cent of students for whom Zionism was very important reported antisemitic remarks or gestures directed at them often or occasionally; among those that rejected Zionism most, just four per cent did. Sixty-nine per cent of the first group reported frequently or occasionally witnessing antisemitic remarks directed at somebody else. Among the least-Zionist respondents, that fell to 13 per cent.

Only 23 per cent of respondents for whom Zionism was very important agreed their campus was safe and inclusive for Jewish students. Among those for whom Zionism was not important at all, 92 per cent said it was.

In any case, there is a mountain of evidence on one side of this divide: police-reported hate-crime statistics, public-opinion surveys of Canadians showing wider recognition of anti-Jewish hostility, the testimony of Jewish students and the broader documented escalation of antisemitic incidents. CASE does not stand alone. Its findings sit inside a much larger evidentiary record.