Brandeis receives an ‘A’ for its response to antisemitism and for its active Jewish life
April 17, 2024
On April 11, 2024, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released its first ever Campus Antisemitism Report Card, assessing 85 campuses nationwide. Brandeis was one of only two institutions to receive an ‘A’ for our work responding to antisemitism and for promoting a positive climate where Jewish students can feel comfortable being themselves.
Since its founding in 1948 by the American Jewish community as an antidote to antisemitism and to quotas on Jewish matriculation in higher education, Brandeis has been open to all qualified individuals and has opposed hate toward any group. Our founders knew that hate often begins with but rarely ends at antisemitism, and we are proud to be acknowledged for our continued support for our Jewish students, faculty, and staff at a time when many campuses are struggling to protect these members of their community.
In addition to our response to antisemitism, the ADL complimented Brandeis for its active and robust Jewish life, which is integral to the fabric of life at our university overall. Brandeis includes Jewish students from a wide range of diverse backgrounds, all of whom are encouraged to bring their full selves to campus; we feature a strong Hillel with 25 groups and projects spread out across the university; the academic calendar is rooted in the Jewish calendar; we maintain a pioneering Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department; and we are home to numerous research centers and institutes relating to Israel, the Middle East, modern American Jewry, Jews and gender, European Jewry, and Jewish education.
Brandeis has been and will remain a community rooted in purpose, guided by our founding Jewish values of openness, a reverence for learning, and a commitment to repairing the world. We will continue to be a leader in the ongoing fight against Jew hatred and against the exclusion of any group from the opportunities to learn and thrive.
To learn more about what Brandeis doing in this space, visit the website of the Brandeis University Presidential Initiative to Counter Antisemitism, and to read this article about our ongoing collaboration with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.