Jewish parents grapple with college choices in antisemitic climate: 'This is absolutely absurd'

Anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrations at top universities across America have forced Jewish parents to grapple with whether they can send their children to institutions where safety is no longer a given. 

Anya Farber, whose only son is currently looking at colleges, told Fox News Digital that facets historically used to select a school such as location, size, available courses, and athletic programs take a backseat for her right now. Instead, the No. 1 priority is making sure her son can safely attend school as a proud Jew.

"That's our reality now as Jewish parents. That's our reality," Farber told Fox News Digital, adding that antisemitism isn’t limited to the elite institutions such as Columbia and Harvard that generate the most headlines.

"We are actually … not looking at universities in the United States at all, period," she continued. "This is absolutely absurd. This is America. You shouldn't fear for your safety, and everyone is supposed to have equal rights here. You know, there was a time, a very dark time in U.S. history where certain groups of people weren't able to go to the same universities, walk in the same entrances, use the same water fountains. That is literally what's coming back right now."

USC STUDENT RECOUNTS DISAPPOINTMENT AFTER GRADUATION COMMENCEMENT WAS CANCELED DUE TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS

A protester holds a sign during a march on Columbia University campus in support of a protest encampment supporting Palestinians. (REUTERS/David Dee Delgado)

Farber, a communications expert who hosts the podast TalkIsrael, said she was "sickened" about her son’s safety, and said anti-Israel protesters are simply Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist supporters. 

"They are screaming, ‘I am Hamas,’ OK, Hamas and Hezbollah are ISIS, al Qaeda. They are designated by the U.S. as terror groups. The U.S. does not negotiate with terrorists, but yet university administrations are negotiating with terrorist groups," she said, adding that things are particularly scary at schools in New York City despite a significant Jewish population. 

"Can you walk on the street with Judaica on and feel like you won’t be assaulted? No," she said. 

She said it’s extremely difficult to explain to her son that echoes of 1930s-era antisemitism are occurring today. 

Student protesters march around their encampment on the Columbia University campus, Monday, April 29, 2024, in New York.  (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

"My son has seen those side-by-side pictures of the Nazis blocking entrances to Jews next to what's happening right now on college campuses in America," she said. "To say it's heartbreaking, to say it's upsetting, it doesn't even scratch the surface."

She said that her son, who started a Jewish club in his public high school and "proudly wears a Star of David around his neck," might have to give up baseball because he wouldn’t feel safe at many American colleges that are interested in him. 

"He's had an opportunity stolen from him … he gets all these packets from universities in the mail all the time. We throw them out," she said. 

"Every single American, Jewish or not, should be concerned. Because you don't have to be Jewish, but maybe one of these terrorist groups thinks you look Jewish and you get assaulted on campus," she added. "I was a proud American. I am a disillusioned American now. I am a parent who is heartbroken." 

Dozens of anti-Israel protests have broken out at colleges across America in recent weeks, with a variety of elite institutions being overwhelmed with antisemitic behavior. Protesters at Columbia University and other schools have chanted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," a slogan condemned by critics as antisemitic that's also used by Hamas. The phrase is widely interpreted as calling for the destruction of the state of Israel and removal of the Jewish people, although its proponents often deny that meaning.

The nationwide movement has spread to schools like Columbia, Yale, MIT, UC Berkeley, University of Southern California, Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Northwestern University, Vanderbilt University, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia and many others.

UNIVERSITIES CRACK DOWN ON ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS AS PROTESTERS CALL FOR 'AMNESTY'

People hold banners as students build a protest encampment in support of Palestinians, at the University of Southern California's Alumni Park, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 24, 2024.   (REUTERS/Zaydee Sanchez)

Ari Kirschbaum, a Long Island-based father whose son committed to Binghamton University in New York, said antisemitism on college campuses has "always been an issue" and a lot of research was done before selecting a college. 

"We talk to a lot of Jewish leaders on campuses to see the elements on campus and the attitude and the vocalization and the emotional outpouring against Jews or against Israel, which is directly related to one another at these schools and on college campuses," the father told Fox News Digital. 

Kirschbaum said his son had many doors opened for him, largely because he is an accomplished athlete who was heavily recruited, but it was critical to make sure he didn’t select the wrong institution. 

"We have to make sure that it was a safe environment for Jews. It was not a, you know, an openly anti-Israel or openly anti-Jewish campus," he said, noting that he spoke with roughly 100 Jewish leaders and rabbis at various schools throughout Division One "to get a lay of the land there." 

The father said that antisemitism has been rampant on college campuses for quite some time, and the reaction to Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel, and the Jewish state's subsequent military response, has brought much-needed attention to the problem.

"It was out there, but obviously not publicized. It was out there but not covered. It was out there, not as loud out there, not as prominent," he said. 

"I think most Jewish parents right now are seeing it, as opposed to merely hearing about it secondhand," Kirschbaum added. "I think it's more tangible now, and I think it's become a very front page issue for parents when it comes to picking a college for their students."

ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENT PROTESTS THREATEN TO CANCEL GRADUATION CEREMONIES IN REPEAT OF COVID ERA

A pro-Gaza ceasefire tent encampment at Columbia University on April 28, 2024. (Getty Images)

Greg Schneider, a security professional who lives in California, told Fox News Digital he cautioned his son about antisemitism on college campuses prior to October 7 because it’s been "spiking here in America for a long time." His son, an 11th grader who is interested in music, might avoid certain schools as a result. 

"He’s looking at music programs, and there’s one at a local university - I don’t feel comfortable sending him there just because of the political environment that’s situated at that particular university," he said. 

"It's hard, even though they've grown up with a strong Jewish identity, you know, they just want to fit in and be just like everybody else in a certain extent. And it's the point of we’re educating them to understand what is antisemitism," he continued. "For my older one, I would actually recommend more of a gap year, if you will, in Israel."

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He said he agreed with the sentiment that it was the worst environment for Jews domestically he'd seen in his lifetime.

"It transcends many different elements, from Jewish stores, cemeteries, your synagogues, schools," he said. "We've been targeted for a long time, even going back a couple millennia. To have it come to this type of head is something I haven't seen before. And it's sad to see, even within the Jewish community, some going to mute their identity … That's how the bad guys win, if you will."

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.