Jewish students shouldn't have to hide on campus.

Dear President,

This fall, Jewish students are once again returning to campus amid rising hostility and antisemitism. What we have been sharing with you directly over the past several years is now documented at a national scale. The newly released Campus Antisemitism and Student Experiences (CASE) report, commissioned by the Government of Canada, provides the most comprehensive evidence to date on antisemitism at Canadian postsecondary institutions. The findings are stark: 84% say antisemitism is a serious problem on their campus, nearly 96% report experiencing or witnessing at least one antisemitic incident in the past year, and 70% say their university does not take antisemitism seriously. Nearly one in five incidents cited faculty members. Only a third of students who experienced an incident reported it, and of those who did, 63% were dissatisfied with how it was handled.

"Antisemitism on Canadian campuses is not episodic or peripheral. It is persistent and proliferating, and on some campuses has become a normalized and systemic feature of campus life."

It is against this backdrop that Jewish students, faculty, and staff begin the academic year, anxious about their safety and their ability to participate fully in university life. This concern is already reshaping daily life on campus: 72% of Jewish students say they limit what they say in class about being Jewish, and 57% avoid wearing or displaying Jewish symbols out of safety concerns.

Given these realities, your institution must take decisive steps to ensure the full inclusion of Jewish students. With that in mind, we are sharing our expectations as part of upholding your institution's responsibility to the entire campus community:

Enforce existing policy

While some policy review is warranted, the greater failure is in enforcement of existing policy. The Honourable Mary Lou Benotto's external review at Toronto Metropolitan University is a stark example, noting that the university possesses policies capable of addressing much of the conduct described but has too often failed to apply them consistently and decisively. The message for other institutions is the same: new statements or frameworks are not a substitute for ensuring that all university community members are held to existing rules and standards, consistently and without exception.

Extend enforcement to online conduct

Antisemitism does not stop at the boundaries of campus, and neither should your institution's response. The CASE report found that online and social media spaces are where Jewish students encounter hatred more than anywhere else, cited by 34% of respondents. Hillel Ontario's own measurement reads similarly, with 38% of incidents reported occurring online. The Benotto review found that online spaces were repeatedly used to identify, denounce, and target members of the campus community, and that conduct beginning online frequently had real-world consequences for safety, participation, and trust. Campus groups must be held to the same standards online as they are on campus.

Ensure investigations are transparent and timely

Institutions must respond to complaints with thorough, transparent, and prompt investigations. The most common reason students give for not reporting an incident is that they don't believe it will help, and among those who did report, nearly two-thirds were dissatisfied with the outcome. Jewish students deserve to know that when they come forward, their concerns will be taken seriously, processes will not face unnecessary delay, and outcomes will be clearly communicated. Understanding antisemitism in all its forms, including antizionism, is necessary. Such accountability deters future incidents by demonstrating that harassment and discrimination carry real consequences.

Prevent academic freedom from being used to shield misconduct

Students must not be subjected to faculty using their classrooms as an activist platform to promote political views unrelated to course subject matter. The effects are measurable: 36% felt pressured to conform to a professor's views on Israel. This is not academic freedom at work; it has a chilling effect on it, with Jewish students self-censoring rather than risking the consequences of dissent. Academic freedom protects rigorous inquiry, not harassment, coercion, or the discriminatory misuse of classroom authority.

Adopt and use Canada's definition of antisemitism, IHRA

Antisemitism cannot be addressed if it is not first recognized, and recognition requires a shared framework for understanding how it appears today. Universities should adopt and use Canada's antisemitism definition, IHRA, published by the Government of Canada, along with its supporting documents, as a tool for identifying and disrupting antisemitism on campus. Without this tool, hatred directed at Jewish students, disguised as anti-Zionism, will continue to pass as acceptable discourse.

By taking these steps, your institution will send an unequivocal message: that you are dedicated to resolutely countering the surge of antisemitism and ensuring your campus is a welcoming and fully inclusive space for Jewish students.

We are committed to supporting you in these efforts and look forward to strengthening our partnership throughout the coming year.

Hillel Ontarioand the undersigned students, alumni, families, faculty, and community members