ADL report says faculty bias and extra-credit incentives fuel campus antisemitism

In a January 2025 report produced with Hillel International and College Pulse, the Anti-Defamation League highlighted allegations that faculty members across multiple campuses are weaving anti-Israel sentiment into their teaching, occasionally rewarding attendance at related events with extra credit. Specific incidents cited involve a UC Berkeley course that supposedly offered credit for a "Thinking from Palestine" series and a teaching assistant who promoted an anti-Israel walkout for extra points; a similar claim arose at UCLA with an "Emergency Teach-in".

At Columbia University, a task force reported that an Israeli student was questioned about settler colonialism and another was labeled a murderer for serving in the Israeli military. UC Berkeley’s assistant vice chancellor denied any record of the extra-credit claim, and Columbia’s administration pointed to recent policy changes aimed at protecting Jewish students. The ADL warns that such faculty behavior, given the power imbalance in classrooms, can exacerbate a sense of insecurity for both Jewish and non-Jewish students, urging universities to adopt comprehensive anti-antisemitism measures.