Colleges' tepid responses and weak punishments to anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have high school families rethinking university choices

As colleges around the United States continue to issue weak responses to instances of overt anti-Semitism, some high school seniors are reconsidering where they might apply out of safety fears. A shocking image projected onto the library of George Washington University: 'Glory to our martyrs' Palestinian students take part in a protest in support of the Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, at Columbia University in New York City Jury called the university's response to the incidents 'really disheartening.' Protesters encircle a man, moving through the yard, holding up keffiyehs before he slips into a nearby building MIT's Coalition Against Apartheid students protest at the main entrance to the university, preventing Jewish students from using it last Thursday Counter-protesters supporting Israel yell across at City University of New York students and other supporters of Palestine as they hold a rally in front of the Chancellor's office in midtown Manhattan on November 02, 2023 A demonstrator holds a megaphone as students of American University attend a campus protest against ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza in Washington, D.C Four college admissions counselors, whose students are Jewish, said the breakout of their war has impacted the perspective the students take when considering where to apply, and has become a source of anxiety for parents. One Jewish mother of twin high school seniors in Massachusetts, said her kids had abandoned applications to two colleges because they felt some departments at the schools were anti-Semitic beyond immediate redemption. Jewish students often assess access to kosher dining options, religious services, and accommodations for the scheduling commitments that come with the Jewish holidays A woman shouts slogans as NYU students participate in a walkout during a national day of action called by the 'Students for Justice in Palestine' at Washington Square park Beyond the incident mentioned above at GWU, several elite campuses have seen disturbing displays of anti-Semitism since October 7.