Concerns over anti-Israel protests resurface with the start of a new semester: 'We’re very concerned'

With the return of students to college campuses this month, administrators and pro-Israel activists are concerned about a potential revival of anti-Israel demonstrations that disrupted the operations of major universities in the spring and often confused free speech with outright antisemitism.

On Tuesday, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, spoke with Planet Chronicle Digital to better understand the Jewish community's sense of security as the new semester begins.

Hauer stated that they are concerned about the upcoming events, but the positive aspect is that everyone utilized the summer to prepare for the school year. However, the negative aspect is that everyone had the summer to prepare for the school year.

Nationwide college campuses saw protests at the end of the spring semester in response to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of 40,000 Palestinians since October 7, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry. This figure does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

More than 3,000 arrests were made as a result of violent clashes between protesters and police on campus quads, which disrupted daily operations.

Since then, university administrators have imposed new rules restricting encampments and limiting the duration of demonstrations, allowing protests only in designated spaces and granting campus access only to those with university identification.

"Hauer stated that many campuses acknowledged, regardless of their personal beliefs, the chaos was unhealthy and couldn't persist. As a result, they developed policies on time and place restrictions and how to respond."

The Orthodox Union, led by Hauer, represents a wide Jewish community, including rabbinic families on numerous college campuses, and offers resources to student leaders combating antisemitism on campus.

Hauer claimed that the funding sources behind these protests are "very dark."

According to Hauer, the movement aims to resolve the issue by driving away anyone who supports Israel, as their goal is not to understand each other. Their protest states that they want to establish one state, returning to the pre-48 situation.

Hauer stated that his organization and he do not support the shutdown of protests against the Israeli state or the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Hauer believes that there is room for legitimate protest and that there has been an excessive amount of illegitimate protest in the movement. He thinks it is appropriate for people to protest against the Netanyahu government or its policies, even if they disagree with it. Hauer also believes that people have the right to protest against the existence of the state of Israel, although he does not agree with it."

Although there are limitations for the upcoming school year, Hauer worries that administrators may not be capable of controlling the more extreme aspects of the anti-Israel demonstrations.

Hauer expressed concern because the movement they are facing is extremely strong and has demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability in overcoming safety and protection measures established by campuses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.