Jersey H.S. to Screen Visiting Colleges for Antisemitism

A New Jersey Jewish high school will not allow visits from colleges that haven’t declared in writing that Jewish students on campus will be defended by school leadership.

Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC), located in Teaneck, New Jersey, released a letter Monday stating that colleges must provide a written, detailed plan of action from university leadership that will “protect and maintain the safety and security of our graduates on their campuses as Jews” in order to visit the school’s campus to recruit students.

Citing the Hamas terrorist massacre in Israel earlier this month and the rise of antisemitic threats and actions, especially on college campuses, in the attack’s aftermath, the letter emphasized the importance of college leadership protecting Jewish students.

“While antisemitic hate crimes have been steadily increasing in recent years, they have become alarmingly brazen in recent weeks. The conditions for Jewish students on many college campuses are intolerable. We are carefully monitoring the statements that universities have (or have not) issued, scrutinizing actions that college administrators have taken and hearing directly from our alumni about the discrimination they are currently experiencing. We applaud the leaders who have written to university presidents to express their shock and disappointment for their dereliction of duty to ensure the safety of their Jewish students,” the letter read.

In addition, TABC stated that colleges interested in recruiting the school’s students would be required to assure Jewish students’ safety on campus.

“Before college representatives can enter our building, they must bring a statement from their university leadership detailing their plans to protect and maintain the safety and security of our graduates on their campuses as Jews. We will continue to communicate to each college our serious concerns about the hostile environment permitted on their campuses based on the trends and incidents we are so closely tracking,” the letter continued, and that any college that would not meet these demands would “not be welcome here at TABC.”