We are now well into the 2023-2024 school year and many high school seniors are either finalizing their college application plans or have already done so. But some of those plans are now changing at the last moment. This is particularly true in Jewish families and those of people who are closely affiliated with them. After seeing the massive outbreaks of antisemitic activism and even violence taking place, particularly at Ivy League schools, some Jewish students have withdrawn their names from consideration at universities such as Harvard. Once seen as the crème de la crème of collegiate destinations, the institution now simply looks unsafe for Jews and those who support them. (National Review)

Even if he were offered a full-ride scholarship to an elite university, Anton Frenk “would turn it down in a heartbeat.” The high-school senior from New York City would “have loved to go to Harvard, Yale, or any Ivy League School,” just a few weeks ago but that all changed after the Hamas attack of October 7.

“Seeing what’s happening on those campuses, I don’t feel that it would be worth it to have to fear for my life every single day just to get a quality education that I could find in an environment without that sort of cutthroat antisemitism,” the teenager, sporting black nail polish, a gaming headset, and flowing black hair, told National Review.

Frenk’s parents fled the former Soviet Union looking for a better future for their son. Although not raised strictly observant, like many American Jews, he goes to synagogue on high holidays, had a Bar Mitzvah, and wears a Star of David necklace. “I’ve had to hide it recently when I’ve been going into the city for various because I almost got attacked.”

The student featured in the excerpt above, Anton Frenk, said that he briefly considered abandoning his plans to go to college anywhere. In the end, he applied to some other, smaller colleges that hadn’t drawn so much attention for antisemitic protests and violence. The head of one organization specializing in helping students be accepted at larger, prestigious schools reported a sharp increase in contacts from parents who don’t want their children applying to Cornell or Columbia.

At least thus far, this isn’t looking like a short-term, transitionary issue. Once the bandage was ripped off and the underlying Jew hatred was exposed, it quickly seemed as if it might be impossible to put the antisemitic genie back in the bottle. Some of the worst schools, including the ones listed above, are obviously controlled by administrations and faculty where the same underlying biases run deep. They’ve made a few guarded noises about working to ensure the safety of Jewish students, probably out of fear of losing even more money, but they’re not doing much to tamp down the “free speech” of their students who are marching in the campus square demanding the erasure of Israel.

The decay in the heart of our system of higher education system didn’t come out of nowhere on October 7. It’s been evolving for quite a while now. The nation’s college campuses have long been hotbeds for activism and social unrest, but the fundamental nature of such movements has changed. Back in my day, there were protests at schools, but they typically involved things like opposition to the war in Vietnam or occasional incidents of police brutality. Most of the students’ time was occupied with the work required to graduate and prepare for a professional career mixed with some raucous partying.

Today, however, we’re seeing a culture of indoctrination focused on immersion into a series of movements ranging from gender confusion to a perceived battle against the “oppression” of anyone who isn’t a straight, white, cisgender male. It’s amazing that they find time to study or take exams. Parents should have a significant voice in this debate since they are frequently the ones putting up significant amounts of money for their children’s secondary education. They should be voting with their wallets if they want to see these schools get back on track.