Rutgers University has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.

Litigation & Investigations

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation following antisemitic incidents reported on campus in October and November 2023.

In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights entered into a resolution agreement with Rutgers, outlining a series of actions that the university must take to address antisemitism on campus.

What’s Happening on Campus?

Rutgers has experienced a significant rise in antisemitism on campus. The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at Rutgers has been very active both before and after October 7 2023, calling on the University to divest from Israel and staging regular protests and sit-ins. In the wake of October 7 2023, SJP described the attacks as “justified retaliation.”

There have been some antisemitic speakers on campus in recent years. In December 2023, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer called on the administration to take action after a Rutgers-sponsored event announced the inclusion of Marc Lamont Hill and Nick Estes, who have been accused of promoting antisemitism and anti-Israel bias.

Additionally, the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) house has been vandalized four times in the past few years. According to reporting, the house was egged during a 2021 observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, and again in 2022 during another memorial event. Days later, students reported that four carloads of people waving Palestinian flags stopped in front of the fraternity house and yelled antisemitic slurs.  In September 2022, another egging was reported on Rosh Hashanah.

In one particularly serious incident on campus in the fall of 2023, a Rutgers University student posted on YikYak, “Palestinian protesters, there is an Israeli at AEPi go kill him.” The student has been charged with bias intimidation, terroristic threats and false public alarm.

In August 2024, several residential assistants (RAs) left a mandatory virtual “bystander intervention” session aimed at training them to identify antisemitism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia after a Jewish speaker discussed Hamas’ antisemitism.

In October 2024, at an anti-Israel SJP protest targeting an event hosted by Chabad, protesters chanted, “there is only one solution; Intifada, revolution,” a slogan commonly used as a call for violence against Israel and the Jewish community.

University Policies and Responsive Action

President Jonathan Holloway made a statement in October 2023 condemning the actions of Hamas. In late 2023, Rutgers suspended Students for Justice in Palestine. The group was reinstated and then suspended again in August 2024.

Following the establishment of an anti-Israel encampment, University administrators agreed to several asks from the protestors, including to review the demand that universities divest from companies associated with Israel. The University did note that, while jobs would not be terminated and pay would not be reduced, student protestors “were subject” to the University’s Code of Conduct.

The Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Antisemitism and Jewish Life was established in January 2024.

In advance of the 2024-25 academic year, the University developed a new set of Guidelines for Free Expression, prohibiting encampments and outlining permitted protest activities on campus. Additionally, the University has convened a task force to review the Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics to determine if these policies need to be refined to ensure greater accountability.

The University has also launched a Dialogue Across Difference initiative meant to educate the campus and bridge divides across difference, with an initial focus on Jewish and Muslim communities. Moreover, the University Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and Student Affairs have launched the Jewish Ally Zone, which will include workshops on the historical and current manifestations of antisemitism.

The University has also organized a series of discussions on understanding antisemitism and Islamophobia and has developed a mandatory training on antisemitism and Islamophobia for RAs working within Residence Life. The University has also developed a new a Bias Incident Response Protocol and, the University’s counseling and psychiatric service, is establishing a counseling support group for Jewish students, as well as one for Arab students. For faculty members, the University has developed both a set of FAQs on Academic Freedom and Free Speech and a “Navigating Challenge: Teaching in the Present Moment” video.

Rutgers University has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.

Litigation & Investigations

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened a Title VI investigation following antisemitic incidents reported on campus in October and November 2023.

In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights entered into a resolution agreement with Rutgers, outlining a series of actions that the university must take to address antisemitism on campus.

What’s Happening on Campus?

Rutgers has experienced a significant rise in antisemitism on campus. The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at Rutgers has been very active both before and after October 7 2023, calling on the University to divest from Israel and staging regular protests and sit-ins. In the wake of October 7 2023, SJP described the attacks as “justified retaliation.”

There have been some antisemitic speakers on campus in recent years. In December 2023, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer called on the administration to take action after a Rutgers-sponsored event announced the inclusion of Marc Lamont Hill and Nick Estes, who have been accused of promoting antisemitism and anti-Israel bias.

Additionally, the Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) house has been vandalized four times in the past few years. According to reporting, the house was egged during a 2021 observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day, and again in 2022 during another memorial event. Days later, students reported that four carloads of people waving Palestinian flags stopped in front of the fraternity house and yelled antisemitic slurs.  In September 2022, another egging was reported on Rosh Hashanah.

In one particularly serious incident on campus in the fall of 2023, a Rutgers University student posted on YikYak, “Palestinian protesters, there is an Israeli at AEPi go kill him.” The student has been charged with bias intimidation, terroristic threats and false public alarm.

In August 2024, several residential assistants (RAs) left a mandatory virtual “bystander intervention” session aimed at training them to identify antisemitism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia after a Jewish speaker discussed Hamas’ antisemitism.

In October 2024, at an anti-Israel SJP protest targeting an event hosted by Chabad, protesters chanted, “there is only one solution; Intifada, revolution,” a slogan commonly used as a call for violence against Israel and the Jewish community.

University Policies and Responsive Action

President Jonathan Holloway made a statement in October 2023 condemning the actions of Hamas. In late 2023, Rutgers suspended Students for Justice in Palestine. The group was reinstated and then suspended again in August 2024.

Following the establishment of an anti-Israel encampment, University administrators agreed to several asks from the protestors, including to review the demand that universities divest from companies associated with Israel. The University did note that, while jobs would not be terminated and pay would not be reduced, student protestors “were subject” to the University’s Code of Conduct.

The Chancellor’s Advisory Council on Antisemitism and Jewish Life was established in January 2024.

In advance of the 2024-25 academic year, the University developed a new set of Guidelines for Free Expression, prohibiting encampments and outlining permitted protest activities on campus. Additionally, the University has convened a task force to review the Student Code of Conduct and the Code of Ethics to determine if these policies need to be refined to ensure greater accountability.

The University has also launched a Dialogue Across Difference initiative meant to educate the campus and bridge divides across difference, with an initial focus on Jewish and Muslim communities. Moreover, the University Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and Student Affairs have launched the Jewish Ally Zone, which will include workshops on the historical and current manifestations of antisemitism.

The University has also organized a series of discussions on understanding antisemitism and Islamophobia and has developed a mandatory training on antisemitism and Islamophobia for RAs working within Residence Life. The University has also developed a new a Bias Incident Response Protocol and, the University’s counseling and psychiatric service, is establishing a counseling support group for Jewish students, as well as one for Arab students. For faculty members, the University has developed both a set of FAQs on Academic Freedom and Free Speech and a “Navigating Challenge: Teaching in the Present Moment” video.