NYU received a B grade in a recent report compiled by the Anti-Defamation League rating responses to antisemitism on 135 college campuses — labeling the university as “better than most.”
The ADL, a prominent Jewish advocacy group aimed at combating antisemitism on college campuses since October 2023, assessed how each university performed across 30 criteria including conduct policies, resources for Jewish community members and severity of “antisemitic and anti-Zionist incidents.” The score came three days after the U.S. Department of Justice announced the creation of a Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism to investigate NYU, along with nine other colleges — each of which received a C grade or lower in the ADL’s ranking.
In April 2024, NYU received a C grade on the ADL report as the organization criticized the lack of “mandatory antisemitism education,” the presence of “hostile anti-Zionist student groups” and “anti-Zionist rhetoric” at several pro-Palestinian protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. The ADL cited individual protesters’ chants and signs — including “Zionism will fall, Israel will fall” and “Hillel Clubs are Israeli Spies” — a picket at an NYU Hillel Shabbat dinner in May and three Jewish students’ now-settled lawsuit accusing the university of an indifference toward antisemitism on campus.
“I am happy to see the public take notice of all of NYU’s efforts in countering antisemitism,” Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, the executive director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, said in a statement to WSN.
The nonprofit gave both Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles a D grade, Harvard University a C and the University of Minnesota a failing grade.
Since the ADL’s last report, NYU appointed a Title VI coordinator to oversee complaints relating to race, color and national origin, updated its student conduct guidelines to cite “code words, like ‘Zionist,’” as examples of potentially discriminatory speech and released modules on Brightspace mandating that students consent to the new guidelines. The conduct policy was updated in response to over 300 community members’ “calls for greater clarity” during listening sessions, which were organized over the summer after dozens of students and faculty faced arrests, suspensions and other sanctions for participating in pro-Palestinian protests.
In October, ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt commended NYU for its updated student conduct policy and “high completion rate by almost 80%” of the mandatory modules in a letter addressed to NYU President Linda Mills. Greenblatt said the university’s “positive changes” would be reflected in the organization’s 2025 report.
“Having reviewed the updates you shared in September, we commend you for the proactive steps your institution has taken to foster a safer and more inclusive environment for Jewish students and all students, particularly in light of the antisemitism crisis faced by campuses nationwide,” Greenblatt wrote in the letter. “These initiatives align with ADL’s recommendations for combating antisemitism on college campuses.”
In December 2023, Mills and Senior Vice President for University Life Jason Pina had also sent a letter to ADL administrators addressing its investigation into how colleges would respond to a member of the community calling for “a genocide of the Jewish people,” affirming that an NYU community member would have faced disciplinary procedures. NYU has also hosted events convening university presidents to promote dialogue on antisemitism.
“NYU has been at the forefront of U.S. universities in working to eliminate antisemitism on campus,” university spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to WSN. “We’re pleased that the latest report card from the ADL recognizes NYU’s efforts.”
Update, March 13: This article was updated with a statement from a university spokesperson.
Contact Amelia Hernandez Gioia at [email protected].
