Combat Antisemitism Movement, June 11, 2025
“If there’s one change I hope this research can help drive, it’s the return of real intellectual accountability on campus — where extremist ideologies aren’t ignored or silently tolerated, but directly confronted and debated.”
Dr. Gunther Jikeli — a historian and sociologist specializing in contemporary antisemitism — holds the Erna B. Rosenfeld Professorship at Indiana University’s Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism (ISCA) at the Borns Jewish Studies Program. He is also an associate professor of Germanic Studies and Jewish Studies at IU and leads the Social Media & Hate research lab.
In a new preliminary report, “Anti-Israel Campus Groups: Online Networks & Narratives,” Jikeli and his research team map the growing web of anti-Israel campus activism in the U.S., with a particular focus on how it plays out online.
The study analyzes over 76,000 Instagram posts by anti-Israel campus groups and tracks a clear spike in antisemitic incidents — particularly following the October 7 Hamas massacre. It finds a strong correlation between the number of active anti-Israel groups on campus and the frequency of antisemitic incidents. It also highlights how rhetoric invoking “resistance,” “martyrdom,” and accusations of genocide has become increasingly normalized. Furthermore, the research spotlights the leading role of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and its close collaborations with radical non-campus groups, such as the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM).
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) spoke with Jikeli about his findings, the implications for Jewish students, and how institutions and communities can respond.. … [To read the full article, click here]