Syracuse University
2026 Report Card
Syracuse University has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.
What’s Happening on Campus?
In January 2024, Syracuse University Faculty for Justice in Palestine released a “Statement of Solidarity in Opposition to the Repressive Climate on US Campuses.” The statement rejected a University administrator’s assertion that the term “intifada” was threatening and could be interpreted as advocating for the genocide of Jewish people. University officials called the faculty statement “reprehensible behavior” for putting students, based on their identity, at risk of harassment and potential violence.
In February 2024, a group of Syracuse students and parents submitted a report to the U.S. House of Representatives alleging the University is turning “a blind eye to antisemitism.”
In August 2024, a student at Syracuse University was harassed by an individual who said, "Look behind you, it's Hamas."
In September 2025, a student entered the Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT) fraternity house and threw a bag of pork into the fraternity while the ZBT members were celebrating the first night of Rosh Hashanah. That same month, an individual threatened a student at Syracuse University with a knife and said, "You must be Jewish with a nose like that."
University Policies and Responsive Action
The Syracuse administration has spoken out against antisemitism, including in the aftermath of October 7, 2023, making clear that advocating for the genocide of Jews would violate the University’s codes of conduct. A University administrator also made clear that the term “intifada” constituted “advocating for genocide.”
In late April 2024, anti-Israel protestors established an encampment on campus, and subsequently refused requests to clear out their tents before disbanding in mid-May. The University arrested an individual with a prior felony conviction who had been staying at the encampment despite being unaffiliated with the University.
The University has several leadership groups on campus dedicated to combating discrimination and harassment and creating a respectful, safe, and welcoming environment for all. Additionally, to foster an inclusive campus climate for Jewish students, the University has organized a voluntary training about antisemitism for students (in partnership with the Bias Response Team), a Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowship, a Board of Trustees Special Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and a series of events regarding the on-going war in the Middle East.
In September 2025, following the ZBT incident, the University strongly condemned the incident and referred the perpetrator to Community Standards pursuant to Syracuse’s Student Conduct Code. The student was also arrested by the Syracuse Police Department.
The University has a council consisting of members of Hillel, Chabad, Hendricks Chapel, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Office of Student Experience to assess and support Jewish life on campus. Furthermore, there are several leadership groups on campus dedicated to combating discrimination and harassment.
Criteria
Publicly Disclosed Administrative Actions i
Jewish Life on Campus i
Campus Conduct and Climate Concerns i
*Incident levels reflect the number of incidents relative to the total student population on campus. 'Severe' and 'other' incidents were only counted if they were recorded between January and December 2025.
Syracuse University contributed information to our assessment.
This page was last updated on Mar 10, 2026, 5:34 am