University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.

Litigation & Investigations

In April 2024, ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a Title VI complaint against the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) alleging that the University has failed to address the severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students.

In March 2025, UMass Amherst was one of the 60 schools that received a letter from the Department of Education accusing them of violating Title VI.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In April and May 2024, two anti-Israel encampments were established on the University campus. While the first encampment was said to have ended peacefully, the second resulted in more than 130 arrests.

In November 2024, a swastika was drawn on a white board hanging on the dorm room door of a Jewish student.

In February 2025, at an anti-Israel rally organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Young Democratic Socialists of America, and Young Socialists protesters chanted, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ a slogan commonly used as a call for an end to the Jewish state.

University Policies and Responsive Action

UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes sent a message to the campus community on October 10, 2023 condemning Hamas and its acts of terror against Israel. In March 2024, the University brought Standing Together to campus to facilitate a conversation and educate students.

In September 2024, the Campus Demonstration Policy Taskforce (CDPT) published a series of recommendations to refine campus policies and strengthen the work of the Demonstration Response and Safety Team.

The University has reported that it has several high-level groups, councils, and offices, including the cabinet-level Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Incident Response Team, the Behavioral Intervention Team, and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life charged with advancing equity and belonging and combating all forms of hate; fighting antisemitism is a part of these groups’ missions.

The University has also reported that it has held trainings and workshops for staff, students, employees, and departments on compliance, protected categories, rights, and how and where to report Title VI discrimination, intake and investigation of Title VI reports and complaints, antisemitism and Jewish student experiences, defining and identifying antisemitism, and Islamophobia and Muslim student experiences.

According to the administration, Multifaith UMass was launched in Fall 2025 as a series aimed at promoting religious tolerance and fostering meaningful conversations within the campus community. The University also has a Community, Democracy & Dialogue (CDD) initiative, which promotes the exercise of free speech and nurturing discussions. CDD has hosted events such as “Bringing Jewish and Muslim Students Together Through Dinner and Dialogue.”

In October 2025, the University partnered with the Coalition of Women in German (WiG) to host WiG’s annual academic conference. Upon finding out that WiG has implemented an anti-Israel BDS policy prohibiting anyone relying on financial support from “Israeli institutions” to attend and participate in its programs, UMass’ administration insisted that this policy be abandoned for the conference as a condition of it being hosted on the UMass campus.

University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.

Litigation & Investigations

In April 2024, ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a Title VI complaint against the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) alleging that the University has failed to address the severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students.

In March 2025, UMass Amherst was one of the 60 schools that received a letter from the Department of Education accusing them of violating Title VI.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In April and May 2024, two anti-Israel encampments were established on the University campus. While the first encampment was said to have ended peacefully, the second resulted in more than 130 arrests.

In November 2024, a swastika was drawn on a white board hanging on the dorm room door of a Jewish student.

In February 2025, at an anti-Israel rally organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Young Democratic Socialists of America, and Young Socialists protesters chanted, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ a slogan commonly used as a call for an end to the Jewish state.

University Policies and Responsive Action

UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes sent a message to the campus community on October 10, 2023 condemning Hamas and its acts of terror against Israel. In March 2024, the University brought Standing Together to campus to facilitate a conversation and educate students.

In September 2024, the Campus Demonstration Policy Taskforce (CDPT) published a series of recommendations to refine campus policies and strengthen the work of the Demonstration Response and Safety Team.

The University has reported that it has several high-level groups, councils, and offices, including the cabinet-level Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Incident Response Team, the Behavioral Intervention Team, and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life charged with advancing equity and belonging and combating all forms of hate; fighting antisemitism is a part of these groups’ missions.

The University has also reported that it has held trainings and workshops for staff, students, employees, and departments on compliance, protected categories, rights, and how and where to report Title VI discrimination, intake and investigation of Title VI reports and complaints, antisemitism and Jewish student experiences, defining and identifying antisemitism, and Islamophobia and Muslim student experiences.

According to the administration, Multifaith UMass was launched in Fall 2025 as a series aimed at promoting religious tolerance and fostering meaningful conversations within the campus community. The University also has a Community, Democracy & Dialogue (CDD) initiative, which promotes the exercise of free speech and nurturing discussions. CDD has hosted events such as “Bringing Jewish and Muslim Students Together Through Dinner and Dialogue.”

In October 2025, the University partnered with the Coalition of Women in German (WiG) to host WiG’s annual academic conference. Upon finding out that WiG has implemented an anti-Israel BDS policy prohibiting anyone relying on financial support from “Israeli institutions” to attend and participate in its programs, UMass’ administration insisted that this policy be abandoned for the conference as a condition of it being hosted on the UMass campus.

University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) has a Hillel, Chabad, and Jewish Greek life organizations.

Litigation & Investigations

In April 2024, ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed a Title VI complaint against the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) alleging that the University has failed to address the severe discrimination and harassment of Jewish and Israeli students.

In March 2025, UMass Amherst was one of the 60 schools that received a letter from the Department of Education accusing them of violating Title VI.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In April and May 2024, two anti-Israel encampments were established on the University campus. While the first encampment was said to have ended peacefully, the second resulted in more than 130 arrests.

In November 2024, a swastika was drawn on a white board hanging on the dorm room door of a Jewish student.

In February 2025, at an anti-Israel rally organized by groups including Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Young Democratic Socialists of America, and Young Socialists protesters chanted, ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ a slogan commonly used as a call for an end to the Jewish state.

University Policies and Responsive Action

UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes sent a message to the campus community on October 10, 2023 condemning Hamas and its acts of terror against Israel. In March 2024, the University brought Standing Together to campus to facilitate a conversation and educate students.

In September 2024, the Campus Demonstration Policy Taskforce (CDPT) published a series of recommendations to refine campus policies and strengthen the work of the Demonstration Response and Safety Team.

The University has reported that it has several high-level groups, councils, and offices, including the cabinet-level Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Incident Response Team, the Behavioral Intervention Team, and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life charged with advancing equity and belonging and combating all forms of hate; fighting antisemitism is a part of these groups’ missions.

The University has also reported that it has held trainings and workshops for staff, students, employees, and departments on compliance, protected categories, rights, and how and where to report Title VI discrimination, intake and investigation of Title VI reports and complaints, antisemitism and Jewish student experiences, defining and identifying antisemitism, and Islamophobia and Muslim student experiences.

According to the administration, Multifaith UMass was launched in Fall 2025 as a series aimed at promoting religious tolerance and fostering meaningful conversations within the campus community. The University also has a Community, Democracy & Dialogue (CDD) initiative, which promotes the exercise of free speech and nurturing discussions. CDD has hosted events such as “Bringing Jewish and Muslim Students Together Through Dinner and Dialogue.”

In October 2025, the University partnered with the Coalition of Women in German (WiG) to host WiG’s annual academic conference. Upon finding out that WiG has implemented an anti-Israel BDS policy prohibiting anyone relying on financial support from “Israeli institutions” to attend and participate in its programs, UMass’ administration insisted that this policy be abandoned for the conference as a condition of it being hosted on the UMass campus.