Yeshiva University quietly builds coalition of institutions willing to expedite transfer processes for Jewish students fleeing antisemitism at colleges since Oct. 7 Hamas massacres.
NEW YORK — Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, describes itself as “intensely Catholic,” but Jewish students who no longer feel comfortable attending their own colleges may soon be trickling onto the sprawling campus located an hour from Pittsburgh.
Since the October 7 massacres perpetrated by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel — in which 1,400 people were killed, including about 1,000 civilians slaughtered amid horrific atrocities — and Israel’s subsequent declaration of war on Hamas, Jewish students have faced intensifying persecution on American campuses. Barricaded inside school buildings or beaten with flagpoles, Jewish students throughout the US — including at what are commonly thought of as the top institutions in the country — report they do not feel safe.
As part of an initiative spearheaded by the New York-based Modern Orthodox Yeshiva University, Franciscan joined a coalition of 100 organizations including “a diverse group of public and private, faith-based, and historically Black colleges and universities.”
“This is a whole network of schools standing in solidarity,” said Stephen Hildebrand, Franciscan University’s vice president for campus affairs.
All of the schools promised to offer “expedited” transfer for Jewish students without bureaucratic delay, Hildebrand told The Times of Israel. Collectively, they “condemned the brutal actions of Hamas,” calling Israel’s war against Hamas “a fight against evil, akin to the fight against ISIS,” according to a coalition statement.
“It just seemed so obvious, the right thing to do,” Hildebrand said. “To make our Jewish brethren aware if they need help that we are here as a safe haven.”
Several months ago, Franciscan University and The Philos Project began to organize a conference on resurgent antisemitism, said Hildebrand. The conference was set for the last week of October, but coordinators “never imagined the tragic timeliness their event would take on,” said the university.
So far, several Jewish students have reached out to Franciscan expressing interest in a transfer, said Hildebrand, who added that part of the coalition’s goal is to enable students to transfer to universities close to home, if desired.
By Matt Lebovic
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