Antisemitism is not a problem of the past on campuses

By Jay Roberson

The Israel-Hamas conflict started in 1947, but following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, incidents of antisemitism have been rising at a concerning rate.

Many people think antisemitism is a problem of the past, but more incidents are occurring everyday, particularly on college campuses. According to Hillel International, a worldwide Jewish campus organization, antisemitic incidents against college students have gone up by 700% from 2022 to 2023. 

According to the same report, in the 2023-24 year 1,854 incidents of antisemitism were reported on college campuses. Last updated by Hillel International on April 2, it reported 1,408 incidents of antisemitism have been reported on college campuses for the 2024-25 academic year.

In recent weeks at Rider, several Jewish students dealt with antisemitism on campus. One incident included an anonymous student submitting an RSVP to a Hillel Passover Seder event with the name “Hitler.” Another incident involved the carving of swastikas into a Jewish students door in Poyda Hall. These acts of hatred did not go unseen by the Rider community. 

This past weekend, on April 13 around 2 a.m., Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is open about his Jewish identity, was the victim of an arson attack after celebrating the first night of Passover with his family, according to USA Today. A man turned himself in on April 15 and was arrested on charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson and more.

Though the suspect’s motivations were not confirmed, the attack coming after the first night of Passover might be more than just a coincidence.

In an April 7 universitywide email from Rider President Gregory Dell’Omo, he said, “Let me be perfectly clear: antisemitism and hate have no place at Rider University. These acts are not jokes. They are not pranks. They are despicable displays of bigotry that cause real harm.”

These acts are not the first antisemitic incidents to occur on campus this semester. According to an email from Rider’s president and provost along with other witnesses, Performing Arts Department Chair Todd Dellinger made a gesture resembling a Nazi salute at a full department meeting, attempting to mock Elon Musk, who appeared to make a similar gesture at  a rally celebrating President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.

Attempting to pass these behaviors off as jokes is harmful to the Jewish community, and normalizes bigotry and hate as an excusable action. 

In an interview with The Rider News on April 7, Ethan Elkin-Handleman, president of Rider’s chapter of Hillel, said, “There’s a lot of heightened tensions across the country … I’ve had friends that go to the University of Pittsburgh, and they haven’t been attacked, but someone on their street was physically attacked for being Jewish.” 

According to a survey done by the American Jewish Committee in 2024, 33% of American Jewish people have been the target of an antisemitic attack, in-person or virtually, at least once in 2024. Additionally, the survey also reported 35% of American Jewish college students have reported experiencing antisemitism at least once during their time on campus. 

Because Rider is such a small community, we need to do our part in combating antisemitism on campus and in our everyday lives. Do not let these hateful actions fly over your head because you are uncomfortable with a simple conversation; your Jewish friends feel the discomfort everyday.

Jay Roberson is a senior English and secondary education major