New Study Reveals Most Jewish Students Worldwide Conceal Their Identity on Campus

A new study has exposed a disturbing reality on university campuses worldwide, finding that more than three-quarters of Jewish students are hiding their identities amid an increase in antisemitism. The report, a joint publication by the ADL and the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS), surveyed over 1,700 students across 60 countries and revealed that 78% conceal their religious affiliation, while 81% hide their support for Zionism.

The findings reflect a climate of fear that has intensified since the October 7, 2023, massacre. One in three students reported knowing a classmate who had been threatened, and nearly one in five knew someone who had been physically assaulted. Orthodox students faced double the discrimination of their peers, and Jewish women were found to be far more likely than men to conceal their identities.

Josh Cohen, the WUJS president, said the results were "distressed and disappointed," but "not at all surprised," as Jewish students have been speaking out about rising antisemitism since October 7. A student in Vienna, who preferred to be identified as Victoria B., shared a harrowing account of her experience. She described an "Intifada Camp" glorifying Hamas on campus, and after hearing rumors that participants were roaming the campus looking for "Zionists," she and her classmates canceled a seminar and fled through a back exit. "For a moment, I felt like it was the 1930s, and Jewish students were being chased from their universities," she recalled.

The report urged universities to take immediate action, including formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism. Marina Rosenberg, the ADL's senior vice president for international affairs, stated that the survey "exposes a devastating reality" and that when such a large percentage of students feel forced to hide who they are just to feel safe, "the situation is nothing short of dire."