Overview

• At a Berlin press conference, the Jüdische Studierendenunion unveiled its “Defending Academic Freedom Means Fighting Antisemitism” catalogue aimed at university leaders and state and federal ministries.
• Core proposals include binding response plans for antisemitic occupations or demonstrations, mandatory qualified antisemitism officers at every university, and laws restricting antisemitic gatherings near campuses.
• JSUD leaders say universities lack clear protocols and capacity to respond effectively to campus incidents, citing a renewed hostile climate since October 7.
• The union’s qualitative survey gathered 78 responses from 27 universities across 15 states, describing threats, slurs, swastikas and explicit calls to violence on campus.
• The agenda also urges adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition in university statutes and potential sanctions for institutions that fail to protect students, citing the Lahav Shapira case that yielded a three-year prison sentence this year with a related proceeding still pending.