Antisemitism on college campuses has drastically increased since the outbreak of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri are no exceptions.
Student-led anti-Israel walkouts with antisemitic signs and chants are occurring at the University of Kansas, and an empty table set up to bring attention to the Israeli hostages was destroyed at the University of Missouri.
Antisemitism at KU
As of publication, two anti-Israel student walkouts have occurred on the KU campus, with dozens of student protestors engaged in antisemitic chants while carrying signs and posters. The walkouts, organized by KU’s Muslim Student Association (MSA), are being held to demand that KU Chancellor Douglas Girod issue a statement on behalf of the university in solidarity with Palestinian and Muslim students.
After an initial walkout on Nov. 20, a second was held on Nov. 27 because the demands hadn’t been met. Both walkouts began on the lawn of Allen Fieldhouse and ended in the center of campus in Strong Hall. MSA also partnered with Al-Hadaf KC for a “Week of Palestinian Pride” in solidarity with “those who have been targets of Zionist violence” starting on Nov. 27.
A sit-in protest followed the second walkout as KU did not meet MSA’s demands, and additional protests are expected.
Videos provided to The Chronicle by Jewish KU students show people at the Nov. 27 protest repeating the antisemitic chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Two two-story banners were also hung from the balcony of Strong Hall; one read “Glory to the Martyred,” followed by a list of names of Palestinians who were killed, and the other read “Stop the Palestine Genocide; Free Gaza.”
Protestors chanted “Ceasefire now,” despite the fact that there was an active ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at the time of the protest. Additional chants included “Two, four, six, eight, Israel is a racist state,” “KU, KU [also, Biden, Biden], don’t you lie, because of you, children die,” and other messages against support of Israel by both KU and the United States.
Other videos show that protest leaders gave speeches demanding that the university stand in solidarity with its Palestinian and Muslim minority students and stop supporting any programs involved with Israel. One speaker said that KU sends students on Birthright, and that Birthright takes students on a tour of Israel without showing them the situation of Palestinians — neither statement is true. She also claimed that software developed by KU was being used by Israel to track Palestinians by facial scanning.
According to a story on KU MSA’s Instagram page, Arabic phrases were also chanted, including some meaning “From the river to the sea, Palestine is Arab” and “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want Zionists here.” The Instagram story also instructed attendees to “not engage with people who are countering what we are walking for,” as well as to “be as loud as you can” when chanting, follow guidelines for protesting and “be respectful.”
Jewish organizations KU Chabad and KU Hillel have been providing support for Jewish students in distress amid the rising antisemitism. Both helped coordinate KU’s vigil in support of Israel with Jewish fraternities and Students Supporting Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 massacre, and they continue to offer support for KU’s Jewish population.
“Jewish students are experiencing a mix of deep-felt support from their campus communities who recognize the pain, fear, and shock the Jewish community has been feeling for the last two months,” said Bailey Nakelsky, interim executive director at KU Hillel, “and also an uptick in incidents of hatred and antisemitism. We are working to ensure that Jewish students continue to feel safe and supported not just this week, but in the weeks to come as we continue to follow the news in Israel and observe incidents on campus.”
Since the outbreak of the war and rising antisemitism, KU Chabad has been witnessing an increase in Jewish engagement, with students reaching out to connect via Shabbat dinners, Torah class and wearing tefillin. The organization has also increased its campaign to ensure that every Jewish student has a mezuzah on their dorm room doorpost.
“Sadly, we are seeing a significant uptick in anti-Israel and antisemitic activity across our country, and nowhere is this felt more than on college campuses,” said Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, director of KU Chabad. “The message that we are giving our students is the importance of fighting darkness with light, fighting hate with love. Every mitzvah that we do brings more light into this world and serves as a merit for our brothers in Israel. At KU Chabad, we are present on campus 24/7 to support our students during this very vulnerable time.”
Antisemitism at MU
Students Supporting Israel (SSI) shared on its Instagram page that someone at MU destroyed an empty table that brought attention to the hostages held by Hamas. The table, which was on the campus’ “Speaker’s Circle,” was upturned on Nov. 29, and all the items on the table were damaged.
Daniel Swindell, an MU alumnus who often volunteers with Chabad at Mizzou, helped set the table up with Chabad and SSI, using his own dishes. He told The Chronicle that a woman approached them at the table antagonistically, arguing about Israel and the war. She then flipped the table and hurried off; Swindell called the police.
“It’s very painful that a student would feel so hostile when seeing pictures of kidnapped Jewish people,” Swindell said.
MU commented on the SSI Instagram post with an official message which read, “Yesterday, there was an incident of vandalism at Speakers Circle on the MU Campus. The perpetrator was arrested for 2nd-degree property damage and is scheduled to appear in court. The individual has also been referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Support to go through our student conduct process. We support freedom of speech and freedom of expression on our campus. We do not tolerate acts of vandalism or violence.”
Jeanne Snodgrass, executive director of Mizzou Hillel, told The Chronicle that, “at Mizzou Hillel, we have focused our efforts on providing a warm, welcoming, and safe environment for Jewish students… We were saddened to hear about this reaction to the display in Speaker's Circle which was bringing attention to the plight of the hostages still held by Hamas. At the same time, we also heard of many good conversations and messages of support that others shared with the students and community members with the display, and this gives us hope that our Mizzou community can continue to provide care and support for one another.”
Additionally, the Muslim Student Organization at MU has been holding marches to the Columbia, Missouri, City Hall demanding that city officials call for a ceasefire. These marches are held in partnership with Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine (MSJP), the Islamic Center of Central Missouri, Mizzou Young Democratic Socialists of America and Mid-Missourians for Justice in Palestine.
MSJP also claimed on its social media that the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is not antisemitic.