Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, antisemitism is surging across campuses including incidents of violence against Jewish students. While no violence has been reported at Saint Louis University, some Jewish students say they feel uneasy and unsafe on campus.

“There are some Jewish students who regret applying and certainly won’t encourage their friends to apply. One student actually confided in me that ‘Being Jewish at SLU feels like I have a target on my back.’ Others are more accepting of the campus climate and are even optimistic about the future,” said Rabbi Hershey Novack, the co-director of Chabad at WashU who also serves as an Affiliate Minister with the Saint Louis University’s Campus Ministry.

One of those students is a 25-year-old Jewish SLU graduate student who wishes to remain anonymous. The student says he began feeling uneasy shortly after the president of the campus Student Government Association (SGA) made pro-Hamas posts on social media.

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I was scared. It was my first day on campus after the attack and within 15 minutes there was a picture taken of me from behind because I was wearing my yarmulke,” said the student, who stopped wearing his yarmulke on campus.

The social posts that sparked concern for the graduate student became the center of a public feud between the SGA president and another member of the student government eventually leading to the impeachment of SGA President Marquis Govan. After the impeachment, the graduate student began to feel a bit more secure.

“I’m back to wearing it on the medical campus because I’m around people who I know the names of and know who I can report to if anything happens. On North Campus do not wear my kippah until I am settled somewhere with a clear view of my surroundings so I can clearly see if there’s a threat. When walking around campus, north in particular, my kippah is often off or under a hood or hat.”

“Jewish students have been proudly wearing Kippahs at SLU since at least the late sixties, possibly earlier,” said Rabbi Novack. “If a Jewish student feels the need to his yarmulke, that tells me that there is a deep-rooted social issue on that campus, and probably a safety issue as well.”

Another Jewish SLU student, who also wishes to remain anonymous, was surprised by the reaction she received from the Jewish Student Association (JSA) which helps promote and support Jewish students on campus. This student, an Israeli, says several of her long-time friends were murdered by Hamas at the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Be’eri.

“I posted what happened to my friends in the JSA group chat,” said the 22-year-old female sophomore. “I suggested that we hold a vigil to support Israel’s soldiers, those killed by Hamas and those taken hostage. Many thought that was a great idea. But nothing happened right away.”

On Oct. 18, the JSA hosted a candlelight vigil to “honor all the lives lost and victims from the recent events in Gaza.” The student says she was upset that the group called for a ceasefire, but did not call for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“Is there any reason why they would not do something specifically for Israelis? We’ve had several people who are in this organization whose family and friends have died. I just think that that would just be a good thing to do.”

(The Jewish Light contacted the JSA via their website but received no response.)

Another Jewish SLU student sophomore Anthony Chaboudei, 20, says he became concerned about his safety when so many of his fellow students expressed support for Palestinians, but could not condemn Hamas. He was also surprised by the reactions of some of the other Jewish students on campus.

“I knew it was the start of a trend that I would not feel too safe around the SLU campus,” said Chaboudei. “I understand everybody has the right to protest, but our Jewish Student Association (JSA) people were legitimately attacking and criticizing Jewish students for wanting to hold a vigil for the kidnapped children of Israel. They criticized them for that, saying they were supporting a genocide, apartheid, for literally having a vigil for innocent civilians who were kidnapped in Israel.”

In response

In response to questions regarding the comments and feelings of these Jewish students Saint Louis University sent the following statement: 

“Any report of a student feeling unsafe is deeply concerning to the University. We encourage any student who is feeling unsafe to contact SLU’s Dean of Students Office so that we can provide them with immediate care and support.

“We also urge any student who has experienced or witnessed a specific situation that has caused them distress to report the incident to the University’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity immediately. SLU has a clear and supportive process to investigate and respond to any incident that’s reported.

“At SLU, the safety and well-being of students of all backgrounds and beliefs is our top priority. We want to assure our students that the University is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and supportive environment where all of them can thrive.

“A range of students have reached out for assistance in the last month, and numerous departments at the University are working with them individually to support their needs. We are also engaging student organizations to ensure that their voices are heard and their concerns are addressed. And we will continue to adapt and adjust our support efforts to meet our students’ needs.”

The 25-year-old Jewish graduate student who wished to remain anonymous said he did contact the Dean of Students office three weeks ago and did receive a response last week.

“The response was from a woman who said she would ‘get the conversation going.’ She seemed pretty sympathetic and overall upset SLU hasn’t done anything,” said the student.

Despite the anxiety, Rabbi Novack remains optimistic that Jewish students have and will always have a place on the campus of Saint Louis University.

“I hope that we can work together to help these talented young people salvage their college careers. With vision and teamwork, I envision a bright future for the Jewish students at SLU,” said Novack.