Chicago Jewish community calls for increased action against antisemitic speech amid campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza

After weeks of area college students protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as part of a nationwide movement, leaders of Chicago’s Jewish community responded Wednesday by demanding action against hate speech as a group of Northwestern students filed suit against their school for allowing protests there to become “increasingly hostile to Jews.”

Meanwhile, seven members of Northwestern’s President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate stepped down to protest the university’s agreement with protesters. The agreement outlined a plan intended to allow demonstrations to continue while preventing the chaos and occasional violence that has engulfed other campuses across the country.

“These encampments are not intended to support peace or even peaceful dialogue,” Rebecca Weininger, assistant regional director of advocacy for the ADL Midwest said at a downtown news conference with other Jewish leaders Wednesday afternoon. “They are platforms for antisemitism and their participants threaten and harass Jewish students.”

The unnamed plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court accused Northwestern of fostering a “dystopic cesspool of hate” by allowing a protest encampment to remain on campus and negotiating with the student organizers. All three plaintiffs are Jewish and allege that they experienced incidents of antisemitic conduct while passing by the encampment, according to the filing.

The suit does not seek monetary damages beyond payment of legal fees. Attorney Steven Blonder said the plaintiffs want the university to enforce its policies regarding use of campus space and code of conduct.

“(Northwestern has) been a moving target,” he said. “This is about creating an environment where students can learn.”

Members of the advisory committee said in a letter dated May 1 to President Michael Schill that university leadership had not consulted them during negotiations with organizers and that the committee had not been used for its intended purpose.

“In light of the University leadership’s decision not to utilize the committee for its stated purpose, we can no longer continue to serve in this role,” the letter said.

A university representative did not immediately return a request for comment about the lawsuit but said in an earlier statement that it was committed to “protecting Jewish students, faculty and staff.”

“We will continue to engage with all members of the Committee — including the members who have resigned — and other Jewish members of our community, to ensure the vital objectives of this Committee continue,” it said in a statement regarding the committee resignations.

Tensions at Northwestern are the latest in a movement that has left universities across the country in a fiery debate over balancing free speech and concerns of antisemitic rhetoric.

In Washington, the House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to the nationwide student protest movement.

The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal anti-discrimination law that bars discrimination based on shared ancestry, ethnic characteristics or national origin. It now goes to the Senate where its fate is uncertain.

A dozen Jewish Northwestern students traveled to Washington to lobby lawmakers on behalf of the legislation. The trip, organized by a group of alumni, was made up of “proud Jews passionate about combating antisemitism,” said Susan Radov, a graduate business administration student.

“We’re meeting with representatives who have been very vocal about the antisemitism on campus, and those who distinguished beautifully between hate speech and free speech,” said Radov, 26. “We’re thanking them for their support, and discussing further measures for more widespread accountability for U.S. universities.”

Radov said the Jewish community was frustrated with university officials’ response to the encampment, including the agreement with organizers reached Monday. She frequently heard protesters use phrases such as “Death to Jews,” and saw students wearing Hamas scarves, she added.

“I think there has been a lack of holistic response and advocacy for Jewish students and for the 1,000 plus Israelis who were murdered on Oct. 7, and lack of a real condemnation of Hamas,” Radov said.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents have been surging nationwide on college campuses. Representatives from the ADL, along with the Jewish United Fund, elected officials and religious leaders gathered at the Chicago Loop Synagogue to express concerns over rising hate speech.

“Jewish students who stand with Israel are shamed and shunned, made to feel unsafe on their own campuses, in their schools,” Rabbi Michael Siegel said. “We have a voice, and we are using it. We will not be silenced. It is our right as citizens of this great country.”

Ald. Debra Silverstein, 50th, said that the city has yet to take concrete action to protect the rights of the Jewish community as antisemitic speech festers on both university and school campuses. Silverstein’s ward covers the largest Jewish population in Chicago.

“I too strongly support the First Amendment and the right of free expression,” Silverstein said. “Students have the right to protest, but Jewish students also have the right to feel safe on campus.”

Several CPS high schools had planned campus sit-ins and walkouts Wednesday, inspired by the encampments. Community members at the news conference noted that it coincided with the first day of Jewish American Heritage Month.

Mira Rosenblum, an 18-year-old senior at Jones College Prep, said antisemitism has run rampant at her high school, particularly in the months since Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7. During a past pro-Palestine walkout, she left classes early, fearing for her safety.

“It’s really the (student) leaders that are pro-Hamas and pro- the destruction of Israel, and that are very antisemitic,” Rosenblum said.

Josh Sukoff, a 20-year-old journalism student who made the trip to Washington, said the protests have created a culture of fear on campus among Jewish students. He felt uneasy walking past the encampment, where demonstrators have displayed antisemitic posters and used chants.

He doesn’t think the hate speech will abate soon.

“(Northwestern) is turning its back on the Jewish community,” Sukoff said. “I’ve never felt more unsafe at college.”

Chicago Tribune’s Caroline Kubzansky and The Associated Press contributed.