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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But another CASE finding deserves attention.

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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.

Then the pattern collapses.

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.

The magnitude of the discrepancy also raises the question of whether something resembling denialism is operating — not necessarily a conscious rejection of facts, but a tendency to minimize or reclassify evidence that conflicts with one’s political framework. One possible explanation is psychological or social: for some students, acknowledging pervasive antisemitism may conflict with their understanding of Jewish identity or with a desire for social acceptance.

The least-Zionist respondents are not merely less likely to regard antisemitism as a problem. Across multiple measures, antisemitism almost disappears from their reports and perceptions of the campus environment.

Jewish students who do not see antisemitism as a serious problem should not negate the experiences of the majority of those who say that it is. We rarely accept that standard when discussing racism encountered by other communities. It should not apply here.

CASE reveals two things simultaneously. First, antisemitism is reported extraordinarily widely among Jewish students. Second, a small subgroup for whom Zionism is unimportant, for some reason or another, is less likely to notice antisemitism on campus.

What the CASE study exposes, therefore, is something deeper than ordinary disagreement. Even Jewish students with somewhat weaker attachment to Zionism continue to report antisemitism at substantial levels. The dramatic break occurs only among the group for whom Zionism is not important at all. Such outright detachment appears to be associated with the near-erasure of antisemitism from their perception of campus life. 

The serious question is therefore no longer whether antisemitism exists on Canadian campuses or in the wider society. There is far too much evidence for that question to remain intellectually credible. The question is why, for a small group of Jewish students, so much of it becomes almost invisible. And that’s important whenever a select minority of voices are elevated precisely because they deny or minimize the antisemitism documented by their peers. The evidence does not disappear because some refuse to recognize it. Only the recognition does.

Methodological note: CASE used targeted, network-based recruitment because there is no complete national sampling frame identifying Jewish postsecondary students. Its regional distribution broadly tracks the Census geography of young Canadian Jews, and recalibration by broad region and gender changed the two headline exposure measures only marginally: 89.1 to 87.4 per cent and 95.7 to 95.4 per cent.

National Post

Jack Jedwab, President & CEO, Association for Canadian Studies & Metropolis Institute

Paul Holley, Research & Evaluation Director, Association for Canadian Studies & Metropolis Institute

Cary Kogan, Professor, University of Ottawa, and co-President of the Network of Engaged Canadian Academics

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