Nearly two thirds of Jewish students in Ontario feel like they have to hide their opinion about Israel or Israeli policies in public or social settings due to the increasing amount of anti-Zionism and antisemitic remarks, according to a student pulse check survey released on Wednesday by Hillel Ontario.
Hillel Ontario started the poll in November 2022 as a way for them to gather information on how to help the current Jewish students on campuses across Ontario, and 500 students took part in Wednesday's poll.
The data derived from this survey will help guide our programming and inform our organizational planning and priorities going forward."
Chief Campus and Culture Officer for Hillel Ontario Bev Shimansky
"In order to best meet the current needs of the students we serve, we first need to ensure we fully understand the Gen Z reality," Chief Campus and Culture officer for Hillel Ontario Bev Shimansky said in the press release. "Through this pulse check, we confirmed what we have known to be true for some time - students are struggling with career prospects, mental health and antisemitism. At the same time, students are looking for ways to connect with the Jewish community and Israel on campus. The data derived from this survey will help guide our programming and inform our organizational planning and priorities going forward."
How do Jewish students feel about Hillel and their Jewish identity?
75% of survey takers said that Hillel was important for being the voice for Jewish students on campus and 68% said that they go to Hillel as their Jewish experience on campus.
75% said that their Jewish identity was "central" or "very important" to their identity as a whole.
65% said that being a part of a Jewish community was important to their identity. 33% indicated that they felt connected to the Jewish community on campus.
How do Jewish students feel about Israel?
Around 75% of students said that they feel in some way or the other attached to Israel. And around 70% said that they have been to Israel and 80% said that they are likely or extremely likely to go visit again or visit for the first time.
What did they say about their mental health?
Most of the students who participated say that they are mainly concerned about antisemitism on social media and student unions/student groups on campus.
61% of the students said that they feel like they have to hide their opinion about Israel or Israeli policies in public or social settings due to the increasing amount of anti-Zionism and antisemitic remarks.
56% say that they have to hide their Jewishness in certain settings as well.
"With almost 500 respondents participating, this is one of the most comprehensive surveys of Jewish students ever conducted in Ontario," Chief Communications and Public Affairs officer for Hillel Ontario Jay Solomon, said. "We have always believed that Hillel's role was central to the Jewish campus experience. This survey underscores the importance of our mandate and the value of our efforts. The work of Hillel has never been more important that it is today."
Hillel Ontario is the largest Hillel program in the world. It is located across nine different universities in Ontario with a combined 14,000 Jewish student population.