Why is it important to measure the pervasiveness of anti-Zionist faculty?
The Anti-Zionist Faculty (AZF) Barometer identifies and measures the presence and activity of anti-Zionist faculty on U.S. college campuses.
While much attention has been paid to the antisemitic behavior of anti-Zionist students and student groups and the inability or unwillingness of school leaders to address it, the enormous influence of anti-Zionist faculty on campus climate is often overlooked because much of it happens away from public view, in classrooms and conference halls, at faculty and academic senate meetings, and via internal communications. Unlike students whose more public-facing behavior is limited to the few years they are enrolled at the school, or university presidents who are easily fired or forced to resign if their performance is deemed unacceptable by school trustees or faculty, most anti-Zionist faculty members are tenured or tenure-track, which means they can, with impunity, incorporate anti-Zionist advocacy and activism into their professional activities for decades. Many anti-Zionist faculty also serve in administrative roles such as department chairs and deans, wielding still more influence over campus life.
Importantly, AMCHA’s studies have demonstrated the significant contribution of anti-Zionist faculty – as individuals, members of academic departments, or part of an anti-Zionist faculty group -- to the incidence of behavior targeting Jewish students for harm. Our research has consistently found that the number of faculty members who publicly support an academic boycott of Israel - the academic arm of the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement – is strongly correlated with the incidence of antisemitic assault, harassment and vandalism at their schools.
Our studies have also demonstrated that anti-Zionist faculty are likely to inject their anti-Israel advocacy and activism into their classrooms, conference halls, and departmental communications, and that such faculty behavior, in turn, is likely to incite increased student anti-Zionist expression and activity, and to foment antisemitism.
Finally, a recent AMCHA study found that over and above the contribution of individual anti-Zionist faculty to incidents that target Jewish students for harm, faculty members’ association with each other as part of the anti-Zionist group Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) played a pivotal role in the surge in violent campus antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023. Dozens of FJP chapters were established after the Hamas attack in response to a call from the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, for the express purpose of promoting the academic boycott of Israel, or academic BDS, on their campuses. Many of these FJP chapters not only hosted virulently anti-Israel events and authored anti-Zionist statements, they often collaborated in these endeavors with anti-Zionist student groups and academic departments at their schools.
Given the out-sized influence wielded by faculty and the clear contribution of anti-Zionist faculty to the incidence of campus antisemitism, we endeavored to create a single measure that could quantify the presence and activity of these faculty in order to better understand and address their considerable impact on campus life.
The Barometer provides a clear, data-driven tool to help stakeholders advocate for measures to protect Jewish and pro-Israel students, preserve academic freedom, and address the institutional normalization of antisemitism.
How can the Anti-Zionist Faculty Barometer be used?
The Anti-Zionist Faculty (AZF) Barometer identifies and measures the presence and activity of anti-Zionist faculty on U.S. college campuses. It provides a clear, data-driven tool to highlight the prevalence of anti-Zionist faculty on a campus and help stakeholders to better understand an important determinant of campus life for Jewish students. This information can be used in variety of ways.
Students or prospective students and their families can use the AZF Barometer to help gauge how comfortable a Jewish or pro-Israel student might feel expressing his or her religious identity, beliefs or opinions in the classroom or campus square at any particular school. The barometer not only provides one important predictor of campus climate for Jewish students, it also allows the user to easily explore which faculty members may be inclined to bring their anti-Zionist sentiments into the classroom, and which academic departments have taken official stances against Israel, Zionism or Zionists. This information can help a student or prospective student decide which classes to take or which majors to pursue at a given school.
Since the AZF Barometer only focuses on anti-Zionist faculty, we recommend combining the information it provides with more general information about antisemitic activity on a campus, which can be found in one or more of AMCHA’s databases, including its database of antisemitic incidents, anti-Zionist student groups, and student BDS activity. In addition, in order to gain a more well-rounded sense of how well a given school will suit a particular student, users of the barometer should also explore resources that highlight the positive aspects of Jewish life on campus, such as those provided by Hillel International, Chabad on Campus, and other Jewish community organizations.
The AZF Barometer can also be used by university leaders, government officials and Jewish communal organizations and members of the concerned public to better educate themselves about the significant role that anti-Zionist faculty play in the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish members of the campus community, and using this understanding to help craft policy, legislation, and advocacy campaigns to address campus antisemitism.
How were the rankings determined?
The rankings are based on publicly available data that evaluate multiple factors:
- The presence of Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) chapters.
- The number of events and statements sponsored or authored by FJP or aligned groups.
- The number of faculty who openly support academic boycotts of Israel.
- Whether university departments issue or endorse statements that take anti-Zionist positions.
Each factor contributes to the overall score, with campuses categorized into six levels, from Negligible (0) to Extreme (5).
Are these rankings the only resource I should consider when evaluating a campus?
No. The AZF Barometer focuses solely on the presence and activity of anti-Zionist faculty and does not assess the positive aspects of Jewish life on campus. For a well-rounded evaluation, prospective students and their families should combine this data with resources like Hillel International’s top colleges by Jewish population and AMCHA's broader data on campus antisemitism.
How often is the data updated?
The AZF Barometer is updated annually. The current rankings include:
- Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP) chapter presence through October 31, 2024.
- FJP events and statements data from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
- Faculty academic boycotter data through October 31, 2024.
- Departmental anti-Zionist statements through October 31, 2024.
What can I do if a campus I care about has a high ranking (4 or 5)?
You can:
- Contact university administrators and legislators to share the rankings and demand policies that protect students from faculty misuse of their positions to promote antisemitism.
- Raise awareness by sharing AMCHA’s research, educational videos, and rankings on social media.
What is Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP), and why is it significant?
Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP), a national network with chapters on over 160 campuses, was established after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack in response to a call from the U.S. affiliate of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), the academic arm of the BDS movement with foundational ties to five U.S. designated terrorist organizations including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The primary mission of FJP chapters is to use their members’ academic positions and departmental resources to actively promote the academic boycott of Israel (academic BDS) by engaging in actions to purge their campuses of Zionism and Zionists. Campuses with active FJP chapters experience higher rates of violent antisemitic activity, including physical assaults and death threats, making their presence a key factor in the AZF Barometer.
Can campuses with lower rankings still have antisemitic incidents?
Yes. A lower ranking on the AZF Barometer indicates minimal anti-Zionist faculty presence or activity but does not guarantee the absence of antisemitism or anti-Zionist student behavior. The Barometer specifically measures faculty anti-Zionist activity, and additional resources should be consulted for a comprehensive view of campus dynamics.
Does a high ranking indicate all faculty on that campus are anti-Zionist?
No. A high ranking reflects the prevalence of anti-Zionist faculty on a campus, not the views of all or even most faculty members. Many faculty on these campuses remain committed to academic fairness and freedom, and students can still find supportive mentors and allies even at schools with higher rankings.
How should administrators and legislators use this data?
We recommend that school administrators establish robust safeguards and enforcement mechanisms to prevent faculty from using their academic positions and departmental affiliations to promote politically motivated advocacy and activism that directly targets their own students and colleagues for harm.
State and Federal legislators who are responsible for ensuring that government monies given to institutions of higher education are used for educational purposes rather than political ones - especially the implementation of academic BDS, that intentionally subverts the educational process - should consider establishing legislation that would withhold government funding of schools that permit faculty to engage in such behavior.
Finally, in the absence of such actions on the part of school or government officials, advocacy organizations and members of the general public must urge these leaders to take the necessary steps to protect Jewish and pro-Israel students from the antisemitic harms of anti-Zionist faculty, or risk losing students, donors, and the public trust.
Can faculty anti-Zionist activity impact students who are not Jewish?
Yes. Faculty who promote anti-Zionist rhetoric and activism often foster a climate of intolerance and academic imbalance, which can affect all students by discouraging open discourse and critical thinking, as well as depriving them of an objective and accurate understanding of a complex topic of global importance. These activities undermine the principles of academic freedom and intellectual diversity, which are essential for a healthy campus environment.
What are the broader implications of unchecked faculty anti-Zionist activity?
Unchecked anti-Zionist faculty activity contributes to the erosion of academic integrity and a culture of hostility on campuses. It normalizes the exclusion of Jewish and pro-Israel voices and compromises the principles of academic freedom and intellectual diversity, leading to a broader decline in campus culture.
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