(From Fighting Back: A Handbook for Responding to Anti-Israel Rallies on College and University Campuses)

The following scenarios are adapted from authentic incidents on campuses across the country. The answers are intended to help you think about different ways to address these concerns.

If you are encountering any of the scenarios presented, or would like to seek assistance with other situations where you feel targeted by hate on your campus, please do not hesitate to call ADL.

Q. Recently, an anti-Israel group organized a protest rally on my campus. During the event, several speakers shouted anti-Semitic slurs and degraded Jews in general. Some of the speakers were faculty, others students, and yet others were from outside the university's community. I was deeply offended by their comments. Isn't such hate speech against the law? Is there anything I can do about these rallies?

A. Both the protest rallies and the speakers' comments are likely protected speech, and not subject to discipline. In general, speeches at a political protest rally on a university campus are protected from discipline by both private and public schools, so long as no specific threats were directed at an individual student or group of students. The fact that you were offended by the words does not mean that they are unlawful.

Since your true concern is with the behavior you experienced, you should also urge your university administration to issue a public statement against hateful speech that occurs at a rally. When administrators speak out and condemn the hateful nature of the speech, they are exercising their own right to free speech and academic freedom and are expressing their objective that all students are ensured safety on campus.

Q. During a recent anti-Israel protest, several of the participating students singled me out as a Jewish student. They pushed me up against a wall, threatened to physically hurt me, and made anti-Semitic comments, like calling me a "Dirty Jew" and saying that "Hitler didn't finish the job." I feel insulted and threatened. What can I do?

A. The first thing you should do is contact your university police or local police station and report the incident. It is illegal to physically assault and threaten another person.

Further, most states have laws against this type of verbal provocation, often called "fighting words". It is possible that the words directed at you, even if you were not physically touched, might constitute fighting words.

You should also report the incident to the university. If you do not feel comfortable contacting the university yourself, you can ask a friend, faculty member, or school counselor to do it for you. Most universities allow anyone to report a violation of the code of conduct, regardless of whether he was the victim of the incident. Faculty members and counselors can be good resources for helpful advice and guidance in resolving the issue. You can ask the local Hillel to speak out on the issue so that you do not feel alone.

ADL, with its extensive academic and law enforcement contacts, is a valuable resource as well. As a respected off-campus agency, it can be most effective when working in concert with on-campus groups and individuals.

You should also review your university's written policy prohibiting student-to-student discrimination based upon race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, and sex. The university can take disciplinary action against students who intimidate and threaten other students in violation of that policy.

Q. Following a recent anti-Israel rally, several students posted anti-Semitic flyers around campus. Can I have these removed?

A. Most universities have policies for posting flyers. If these were not posted in accordance with that policy, the university may take the flyers down. If this does not happen, contact the university and complain about the flyers and the fact that they have not been removed. If there is still no action, contact the university again to register a complaint about its failure to act. Given the diffuse nature of campus administrative responsibilities, be sure to register your complaint with a variety of relevant offices (i. e. Student Affairs, Housing, Campus Union, individual departments, maintenance, police, etc.) You can counter offensive flyers with your own flyers that represent your views, and counter any offensive language or biased statements in the other flyers. If the offensive flyers were posted on campus bulletin boards, this may be the most effective--and only— way to reach the same audience.

You might also ask the university simply to respond to the flyers by explicitly stating that it does not condone racist, anti-Semitic behavior, whether in flyers or in speech. When a university responds with a strong statement condemning such behavior, it sends a strong message of community and respect to all students.

Q. In celebration of the festival of Sukkot, my fellow Jewish students and I got permission to construct a sukkah on our campus. Several days later it was defaced with swastikas. What should I do?

A. This is a criminal act of vandalism, committed out of hate. You should report it to the university police and/ or the local police department. You should take pictures of the swastikas to preserve a record of the crime. Have the swastikas removed after the photos are taken and the police complete their on-site investigation.

If you know who committed the crime (or have concrete suspicions), you should report that to the police and university administration as well, so that both criminal charges and disciplinary proceedings can be pursued.

Q. A panel discussion is taking place on campus, sponsored by a Muslim student organization. As advertised, the program appears to be balanced in that an Israeli and a Palestinian will speak on the panel. As it turns out, the Israeli is as harshly critical of Israeli policy as is the Palestinian. Is there anything that can be done to ensure a balanced discussion the next time around?

A. The best thing to do in this situation is to counter this speech with your own speech: set up a debate that is truly balanced, write a letter to the editor of your campus newspaper, or find and invite pro-Israel speakers to your campus. Or, invite the Muslim student organization to co-sponsor a debate with you, where each of you can present a speaker. If they are not willing to do so, make that fact public on the campus, and sponsor your own presentation without them.

Your university Hillel or local ADL can assist you in finding engaging and informative speakers to participate in panels or speaking engagements that you put together.

Q. This past week there was an anti-Israel rally on campus, where students held signs saying "Zionism = Racism," and "Israel = Nazism," and constructed mock Israeli checkpoints on the main campus thoroughfare which included pictures of bloodied Palestinian babies. Anti-Semitic flyers were posted around campus, and a student who sits next to me in one of my classes had a Star of David with a slash through it on his notebook. It seems that almost every week there is a protest, a speaker, or a rally of this sort. The amount of offensive comments flowing from these events has increased steadily as well. I feel insecure walking through campus, going to the dining hall, or even attending class. What can I do?

A. General non-targeted expressions of anti-Semitism, although hateful, offensive, and sometimes scary, are protected by the First Amendment and not legally actionable. However, depending on the frequency, location and intensity, a threshold may be crossed and a hostile learning environment may exist, creating possible avenues of legal recourse.

Additionally, if the people holding the signs or manning the mock checkpoints are blocking your access to class, then the school should respond and ensure your safe passage to class or other university locations.

If you have been singled out and are the target of harassment on your campus which has become so pervasive, persistent or severe that you feel insecure going to class or even walking across campus, you should immediately contact the university to file a complaint.

If the harassment is based upon your race, color, or national origin and the university receives federal funding (most do), then the administration has an affirmative duty to prevent such an environment from continuing on the campus. Such harassment may be in violation of federal law. Many state laws extend this protection to religion, sexual orientation and gender bias as well.

If your university takes no actions to eliminate the problem, and you have registered a complaint about the hostile conditions that exist, you may need outside legal assistance. A school violates its legal duty to prevent a hostile environment when (1) there is a hostile environment (2) the school has notice of the problem, and (3) it fails to respond adequately to remedy the situation.

Q. While I was trying to go to class, a group of anti-Israel protesters blocked my access to the building. They made threatening comments towards me and degraded my Jewish heritage. Is there anything I can do about this?

A. Depending upon the severity of the threats, the conduct may violate state and federal law. If you felt threatened by the incident, you should contact your local and/ or university police department and file a report.

In addition, it is probably a violation of your school's policies for protesters to block your access to classrooms and university buildings. You should report this incident to the university, which can subject the students involved in the protest to disciplinary action.

Q. While attending a recent on-campus Israel-Palestine debate sponsored by an anti-Israel group, I was singled out and searched, and then placed under "security surveillance" by the students hosting the debate. They followed me to my seat and stood behind me throughout the debate. I believe this was because I am Jewish. Can they do this to me?

A. This group cannot use the event as an opportunity to discriminate and humiliate other students on campus. Such harassing behavior by students probably violates the school's code of conduct. You should immediately contact the university to make it aware that such conduct occurred and work with the administration to remedy the situation and discipline the perpetrators.

Q. My university does not have a student code of conduct that prohibits students from harassing each other. Is there anything I can do to get one written?

A. You can help your university to develop guidelines to prevent this type of discrimination on campus. ADL has many resources to help schools and students develop rules to prevent discrimination, including model and sample codes of conduct, such as those at the conclusion of this pamphlet. Feel free to contact your local ADL office for assistance.

Q. I was harassed by students participating in a recent anti-Israel rally. Three students came up to me and made anti-Semitic statements. They followed me to class yelling "Zionism is Racism." I reported the incident to my university, but it failed to take any action against the other students. What should I do now?

A. You should contact the University to make sure that they have reviewed your complaint. It is possible that they are conducting an investigation before holding any disciplinary hearings. If they have decided not to go forward with any disciplinary action, find out the reason. Perhaps they settled the issue with the students in an alternative way. Keep in mind that your university might have a non-disclosure policy regarding school disciplinary actions, and may not be willing to inform you about the actions it took.

If the harassment you suffered continues, and the university continues to refuse or fails to rectify this, you might consider pursuing legal action against the school. If the school receives federal funds, it has an affirmative duty to eliminate a hostile environment of which it is aware, and it is liable to you if it fails to do so.

If the harassment you suffered included threats of physical violence against you, then you should contact the local police. They may be able to bring charges against the individuals that threatened you.