Jewish students at US universities have an overwhelming sense of fear and sadness since the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas, according to a recent survey by the Jewish university organization Hillel International, writes V4NA international news agency
The survey found that 51per cent of US respondents reported feeling less safe on campus than they did prior to the 7 October attacks, according to Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International. According to the survey, 84 per cent of Jewish students said the situation in Israel and Gaza is affecting them, with 68 per cent reporting feelings of sadness and 54 per cent experiencing fear.
The research also revealed that more than a third, 37 per cent, feel compelled to hide their Jewish identity. And 35 per cent of respondents reported that Jewish people have been subjected to hatred or acts of violence on campus.
In the past six weeks, more than 500 anti-Semitic incidents – a 1,000% increase from any prior six-week period examined by Hillel International – have been reported to the Jewish organization, including vandalism, hate speech, harassment and intimidation, as well as 33 physical assaults on Jewish students.
Similar news has come from the United Kingdom. Jewish students at UK universities are deeply anxious following an unprecedented rise in anti-Semitism, BBC News has been told. The Union of Jewish Students president, Edward Isaacs, said that they had never seen such a surge in anti-Semitic incidents as in the recent period since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict.
The Community Security Trust recorded 67 antisemitic incidents from October 7 to November 3 at 29 campuses, compared with 12 in the same period last year.
In Germany, a student described her fears and and told the weekly Die Zeit how she went through the initial period after the Hamas attack in an interview, reviewed by the CNE Christian news portal. She revealed that
she had nightmares of beheadings, rapes and kidnappings at night during the first few days after the attacks and did not dare go to university.
Now she dares attend seminars, but finds it difficult to concentrate, and speaks more softly – and never utters a word about the war. She no longer wears her Star of David necklace lest she should be recognized as Jewish. She said she never wanted to hide „but now I have to. She distrusts even those of her friends and acquaintances who did not get in touch with her after the attacks.
And I had to cut ties with some left-wing and queer people because they didn’t want to condemn the terror committed by Hamas or, even worse, celebrated it.
She distrusts even those of her friends and acquaintances who did not get in touch with her after the attacks.
