Schneider talks to Jewish college students about antisemitism on campus in wake of Israel-Hamas war

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A group of Jewish college students gathered in Northbrook Monday with Rep. Brad Schneider to discuss their experiences with antisemitism on campus. Schneider hopes to take their feedback back to Washington to make sure their voices, and all student voices, are heard.

Schneider addressed the group of students from the 10th District he represents, who in turn represented at least half a dozen colleges.

"When I was in school, the challenges you all face didn't exist," he told them. "What's different now is how front and center it is, and it's no more front and center than what's happening on college campuses."

Reports of antisemitism are rising. The Anti-Defamation League has recorded nearly 1,500 antisemitic incidents since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Almost 300 of those incidents have occurred on college campuses.

"There's a lot of people who are really scared. It's a very difficult time to be a Jewish student on a college campus," said Deerfield native Noah Shapiro, who attends George Washington University. "It's easy to say if I'm pro-Israel then I am anti-Palestinian, and that's just not the case. I am pro-Israel, and pro-Palestinian. It's so difficult. People feel like in today's world, you have to think about it in black or white terms, and that's really just not the case."

Protests on college campuses have blurred the lines of what's acceptable and what's not. A Department of Homeland Security report found colleges hare having a difficult time "pinpointing what is violent or threatening or potentially violent activity on campus."

"I think it's very complex, especially here in America where we have the First Amendment, which ensures extensive right to free speech for basically everyone. Sometimes it's pretty difficult to identify whether the speech is considered as free speech or hate speech," said Ido Zimbel, Lake Forest College student.

Rep. Schneider said two main takeaways from the students Monday were that they want their college administrations to be proactive and reach out to them, and for there to be the creation of more safe spaces where students can talk and share their experiences.