Vast majority of Jewish college students compelled to hide their Jewishness

More than three-quarters of Jewish college studies around the world conceal their religious identity, according to a new study, two years after the October 7 invasion kicked off a wave of campus antisemitism.

By World Israel News Staff

More than three-quarters of Jewish college students around the world feel the need to hide their Jewish identity on campus, according to a new study, highlighting the impact of nearly two years of post-October 7 antisemitism.

On Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League published the results of a comprehensive global study conducted over the 2024-2025 academic year, engaging 1,727 Jewish students from more than 60 countries across six continents.

According to the ADL, 78% of respondents said they felt the need to conceal their Jewish identity on campus, while 81% said they needed to hide their Zionist beliefs.

Women were more likely than men to hide their Jewish identity (82% vs. 73%) and their Zionist identity (85% vs. 75%).

“This survey exposes a devastating reality: Jewish students across the globe are being forced to hide fundamental aspects of their identity just to feel safe on campus,” said Marina Rosenberg, senior vice president of international affairs at the ADL.

“When over three-quarters of Jewish students feel they must conceal their religious and Zionist identity for their own safety, the situation is nothing short of dire. As the academic year begins, this data provides essential insights to guide university leadership in addressing this campus crisis head-on.”

The study also found that evidence that violence or the threat of violence was widespread, with over a third of respondents (34%) saying they personally knew Jewish peers who were physically threatened, and one in five (19%) knew Jewish peers who were physically attacked.

One student at the University of Vienna described feeling “terrified” on campus when anti-Israel student activists held a pro-Hamas “Intifada Camp” on campus.

“There was an ‘Intifada Camp’ glorifying Hamas on campus, and our building already had antisemitic graffiti on it,” said Victoria, a Jewish Studies major.

“One day, I was terrified to attend a seminar – there were only 10 of us in the lecture hall, and there were rumors that camp participants would roam campus looking for ‘Zionists.’ We canceled the seminar and fled through the back exit. For a moment, I felt like it was the 1930s, and Jewish students were being chased from their universities.”

Researchers found that Orthodox Jewish students reported experiencing higher levels of discrimination, with a rate twice that of non-Orthodox Jewish students.