Rice University is served by the Houston Hillel and a Chabad.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In February 2024, at an anti-Israel protest organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, Party for Socialism and Liberation and Democratic Socialists of America at Rice University, protesters chanted, "Globalize the Intifada.” Protestors also held signs with messages that included "By any means necessary" and "Resistance against occupation is a human right,” slogans commonly used to support Hamas’ antisemitic October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

In April 2024, at an anti-Israel encampment organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and Palestinian Youth Movement at Rice University, protesters displayed signs with messages that included: “We must divest from Zionism,” “Zionists stay mad” and “Ugly Zionist says what?”

In December 2024, an individual displayed patches with a Star of David and a swastika, both crossed out.

University Policies and Responsive Action

In December 2023, President DesRoches issued a statement making clear that calls for violence or genocide against Jewish students or any other group of persons would violate Rice’s policies.

In May 2024, the University expressed a commitment to improving the campus climate for Jewish students by raising awareness of Judaism and antisemitism and promoting religious diversity within educational efforts, among other items.

In advance of the 2024-25 academic year, Rice made changes to protest and demonstration policies, including outlining time, place, and manner restrictions, to ensure the University can be more proactive and responsive to conduct that violates school policies. New roles were also assigned to current facility employees to monitor and report any posters that do not comply with campus policies.

The Dialogues on Community at Rice (DCR) workshops are required for undergraduate students in their first semester at Rice and discuss antisemitism and other forms of religious discrimination. In 2025, instructors also added a pilot unit on free expression and living in a close community - designed to be an introduction to the importance of civil dialogue on campus.

In addition, a committee was formed to plan and promote civil discourse across campus, offering several events related to this topic. The University has also created Rice Reflects, a robust, provost-led initiative to highlight opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to have constructive conversations across differences. Furthermore, the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence and the Baker Institute for Public Policy have collaborated on the development of a multiyear program to significantly enrich civil discourse and free expression across campus, titled “Projects in Dialogue and Free Expression.”

Hillel's counselor provides in service training for the Rice Wellness Center on how to address Jewish and Israeli student needs and the Executive Director of the Houston Hillel provides similar education to student affairs staff about antisemitism and Jewish student needs.

The President has also convened a senior leadership task force to understand and address all student-life matters that impact the campus, including reports of antisemitism in the campus community. Among other initiatives, the task force has retained an adviser to help it formulate strategies and programming to strengthen Jewish life on campus. Furthermore, a new Assistant Director for Religious Diversity and Pluralism supports efforts to cultivate a religiously plural environment at Rice. Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance has also conducted a religious campus climate survey. The Bonuik Center has also done a specific study on antisemitism.

In January 2025, the University hosted an international conference on efforts to combat antisemitism in Europe and the U.S. in the wake of World War II: “Rethinking Anti-Antisemitism and Philosemitism.” In April 2025, the University co-hosted, with Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Holocaust Museum, a conference on “Antiscience and Antisemitism: An Alarming Convergence.”

The University has also received a substantial gift from an alumna to create the Jewish Life at Rice Fund, and another gift to establish the Kraft Family Professorship in Jewish Studies.

Rice University is served by the Houston Hillel and a Chabad.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In February 2024, at an anti-Israel protest organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, Party for Socialism and Liberation and Democratic Socialists of America at Rice University, protesters chanted, "Globalize the Intifada.” Protestors also held signs with messages that included "By any means necessary" and "Resistance against occupation is a human right,” slogans commonly used to support Hamas’ antisemitic October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

In April 2024, at an anti-Israel encampment organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and Palestinian Youth Movement at Rice University, protesters displayed signs with messages that included: “We must divest from Zionism,” “Zionists stay mad” and “Ugly Zionist says what?”

In December 2024, an individual displayed patches with a Star of David and a swastika, both crossed out.

University Policies and Responsive Action

In December 2023, President DesRoches issued a statement making clear that calls for violence or genocide against Jewish students or any other group of persons would violate Rice’s policies.

In May 2024, the University expressed a commitment to improving the campus climate for Jewish students by raising awareness of Judaism and antisemitism and promoting religious diversity within educational efforts, among other items.

In advance of the 2024-25 academic year, Rice made changes to protest and demonstration policies, including outlining time, place, and manner restrictions, to ensure the University can be more proactive and responsive to conduct that violates school policies. New roles were also assigned to current facility employees to monitor and report any posters that do not comply with campus policies.

The Dialogues on Community at Rice (DCR) workshops are required for undergraduate students in their first semester at Rice and discuss antisemitism and other forms of religious discrimination. In 2025, instructors also added a pilot unit on free expression and living in a close community - designed to be an introduction to the importance of civil dialogue on campus.

In addition, a committee was formed to plan and promote civil discourse across campus, offering several events related to this topic. The University has also created Rice Reflects, a robust, provost-led initiative to highlight opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to have constructive conversations across differences. Furthermore, the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence and the Baker Institute for Public Policy have collaborated on the development of a multiyear program to significantly enrich civil discourse and free expression across campus, titled “Projects in Dialogue and Free Expression.”

Hillel's counselor provides in service training for the Rice Wellness Center on how to address Jewish and Israeli student needs and the Executive Director of the Houston Hillel provides similar education to student affairs staff about antisemitism and Jewish student needs.

The President has also convened a senior leadership task force to understand and address all student-life matters that impact the campus, including reports of antisemitism in the campus community. Among other initiatives, the task force has retained an adviser to help it formulate strategies and programming to strengthen Jewish life on campus. Furthermore, a new Assistant Director for Religious Diversity and Pluralism supports efforts to cultivate a religiously plural environment at Rice. Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance has also conducted a religious campus climate survey. The Bonuik Center has also done a specific study on antisemitism.

In January 2025, the University hosted an international conference on efforts to combat antisemitism in Europe and the U.S. in the wake of World War II: “Rethinking Anti-Antisemitism and Philosemitism.” In April 2025, the University co-hosted, with Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Holocaust Museum, a conference on “Antiscience and Antisemitism: An Alarming Convergence.”

The University has also received a substantial gift from an alumna to create the Jewish Life at Rice Fund, and another gift to establish the Kraft Family Professorship in Jewish Studies.

Rice University is served by the Houston Hillel and a Chabad.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In February 2024, at an anti-Israel protest organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, Party for Socialism and Liberation and Democratic Socialists of America at Rice University, protesters chanted, "Globalize the Intifada.” Protestors also held signs with messages that included "By any means necessary" and "Resistance against occupation is a human right,” slogans commonly used to support Hamas’ antisemitic October 7, 2023, terrorist attack.

In April 2024, at an anti-Israel encampment organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine and Palestinian Youth Movement at Rice University, protesters displayed signs with messages that included: “We must divest from Zionism,” “Zionists stay mad” and “Ugly Zionist says what?”

In December 2024, an individual displayed patches with a Star of David and a swastika, both crossed out.

University Policies and Responsive Action

In December 2023, President DesRoches issued a statement making clear that calls for violence or genocide against Jewish students or any other group of persons would violate Rice’s policies.

In May 2024, the University expressed a commitment to improving the campus climate for Jewish students by raising awareness of Judaism and antisemitism and promoting religious diversity within educational efforts, among other items.

In advance of the 2024-25 academic year, Rice made changes to protest and demonstration policies, including outlining time, place, and manner restrictions, to ensure the University can be more proactive and responsive to conduct that violates school policies. New roles were also assigned to current facility employees to monitor and report any posters that do not comply with campus policies.

The Dialogues on Community at Rice (DCR) workshops are required for undergraduate students in their first semester at Rice and discuss antisemitism and other forms of religious discrimination. In 2025, instructors also added a pilot unit on free expression and living in a close community - designed to be an introduction to the importance of civil dialogue on campus.

In addition, a committee was formed to plan and promote civil discourse across campus, offering several events related to this topic. The University has also created Rice Reflects, a robust, provost-led initiative to highlight opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to have constructive conversations across differences. Furthermore, the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence and the Baker Institute for Public Policy have collaborated on the development of a multiyear program to significantly enrich civil discourse and free expression across campus, titled “Projects in Dialogue and Free Expression.”

Hillel's counselor provides in service training for the Rice Wellness Center on how to address Jewish and Israeli student needs and the Executive Director of the Houston Hillel provides similar education to student affairs staff about antisemitism and Jewish student needs.

The President has also convened a senior leadership task force to understand and address all student-life matters that impact the campus, including reports of antisemitism in the campus community. Among other initiatives, the task force has retained an adviser to help it formulate strategies and programming to strengthen Jewish life on campus. Furthermore, a new Assistant Director for Religious Diversity and Pluralism supports efforts to cultivate a religiously plural environment at Rice. Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance has also conducted a religious campus climate survey. The Bonuik Center has also done a specific study on antisemitism.

In January 2025, the University hosted an international conference on efforts to combat antisemitism in Europe and the U.S. in the wake of World War II: “Rethinking Anti-Antisemitism and Philosemitism.” In April 2025, the University co-hosted, with Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Holocaust Museum, a conference on “Antiscience and Antisemitism: An Alarming Convergence.”

The University has also received a substantial gift from an alumna to create the Jewish Life at Rice Fund, and another gift to establish the Kraft Family Professorship in Jewish Studies.