The Anti-Defamation League has given Princeton a C in its third annual Campus Antisemitism Report Card earlier this month. In 2024, Princeton got an F on its first report card.
The ADL has historically been considered one of the most prominent Jewish civil rights organizations, though its credibility has been contested in recent years. The league assesses 150 colleges and universities nationally, but many members of the Jewish community on campus consider the C grade to be unreflective of the state of Jewish life at Princeton, believing that Princeton deserves a higher grade.
However, Scott Richman, Regional Director for ADL New York and New Jersey, was confident in the grade.
The report comes in the wake of University research grants suspended because of a federal antisemitism investigation launched into Princeton; a fire alarm pulled and an ensuing protest during former Israel Prime Minister Natfali Bennett’s visit to Princeton; and an investigation over the summer into a swastika on a graduate student apartment building.
Richman believes that, when taking into consideration structural responses to antisemitism and aspects beyond Jewish student life, the grade is in fact reflective.
According to Richman, “the Report Card evaluates … using 32 criteria across three main categories: Publicly Disclosed Administrative Actions, Campus Conduct and Climate Concerns, and Jewish Life on Campus.” he stated.
Richman also disclosed that some of the other most heavily weighted factors include whether a “university explicitly prohibits antisemitism in its non-discrimination policy, whether it publicly condemns antisemitism, and whether there is an active Jewish organization on campus.”
Richman wrote that “Princeton’s C grade reflects a combination of remaining policy gaps and ongoing concerns about campus climate.”
Some of the persisting problems at Princeton, according to Richman, include “the absence of explicit prohibitions on antisemitism in the university’s non-discrimination policy and the lack of mandatory antisemitism training for all members of the campus community.”
“Additionally, incident rates — measured relative to student population and compared with peer institutions — continue to be a factor,” he wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Jeremy Arking ’29, the education chair of the board of the Center for Jewish Life, said “it’s nice to see an improvement, but it still doesn’t feel at all reflective of my experience.”
“I feel not only tolerated but embraced by the broader Princeton community. The [Jewish] community is thriving, and more importantly, a lot of my non-Jewish friends have expressed a lot of interest in my religious practices,” he added.
Kylie Shulman ’29, a member of the CJL and Chabad, shared similar sentiments regarding the grade being unreflective of Jewish life at Princeton. “One of the reasons I applied to Princeton was their dedication to the safety of Jewish students on campus,” she shared.
“I’ve brought friends who aren’t Jewish to things like Shabbat and they’re always excited to attend, and I credit Princeton a lot in how they’ve fostered an inclusive environment,” Shulman added.
Other students spoke to the strengths of Jewish life on campus.
Sierra Kirchiver ’29, the co-communications chair on the CJL Student Board and the Shabbat chair on the Kesher Student Board, stated that she believes Princeton’s grade should be higher, referencing among other things the fact that “the CJL Dining Hall is on the dining plan for every student.”
“There are constantly non-Jewish students eating the CJL, which normalizes Jewish life for everyone,” she added.
Sophie Miller ’27, the co-president of the Kesher reform group within the CJL and a member of the CJL student board, shared similar sentiments about the strength of Jewish life.
“I think that the ADL and the C grade they gave us is still not representative of this Jewish community,” Miller said when asked about the ADL in particular. “The report is predicated upon negative factors.”
Though the majority of student voices believed the ADL’s grade was too low to be a reflection of Jewish life at Princeton, a few students voiced drawbacks to Jewish life on campus, and one student affirmed the ADL’s grade outright.
Kirchiver, who indicated that she disagreed with the grade, did additionally say, “I do think [Jewish life at Princeton] tends to be split between ‘CJL-ers’ and ‘Chabad-ers,’ and I’ve found that there is less overlap between the two groups than what I would hope for.”
Building on this initial critique, Jordan Green ’29, a member of Tigers for Israel, stated her belief that the ADL’s C grade does in fact reflect the situation on Princeton’s campus, though it may be a little bit harsh.
“Jewish life on campus is wonderful and vibrant,” she began. “[But] it can be uncomfortable at times to be Jewish or Israeli on campus.”
“There’s definitely an anti-Israel, and perhaps anti-semitic, trend on campus which if not reacted to correctly could cause the situation to deteriorate. I definitely think that Zionist Jews and Israelis, as well as Zionist non-Jews, need to do a better job advocating for ourselves,” she said.
David Estrada is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Los Angeles and can be reached at de8214[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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