On March 3, the Anti-Defamation League released their second annual college antisemitism report cards for 2025. Brandeis University was given an A, one of only eight colleges to receive the top grade. Brandeis was one of only two colleges to receive an A last year.
In their report, the ADL cited Brandeis’ partnership with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), the decision to extend the transfer deadline last year for students facing antisemitism and the fact that Brandeis was the first university to revoke recognition of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as factors leading to the grade. Brandeis was given an “excellent” grade for most factors and received a grade of satisfactory for “mandatory antisemitism education for students and staff,” “clear time, place and manner policies” and “level of severe antisemitic and anti-Zionist incidents.” Brandeis was given a grade of subpar in just one category: “Jewish staff and faculty group.”
In a Brandeis Stories article about the ADL’s grade, the administration said that “Founded in 1948 by the American Jewish community as an antidote to antisemitism and to quotas on Jewish matriculation in elite higher education, Brandeis is open to all qualified individuals and is opposed to hate toward any group. Our founders knew that hate often begins but rarely ends at antisemitism, and we are proud to be acknowledged for our continued support of Jewish students, faculty, and staff at a time when many campuses are struggling to protect these members of their community.”
The ADL has faced heavy criticism recently. One frequent criticism of the ADL has been that they consider criticism of Israel or Zionism as antisemitic incidents. In their college report, universities are graded on factors including “level of hostile anti-Zionist student government activity” and “anti-Zionist staff and faculty activity.” The ADL have also been accused of opposing free speech rights. One requirement that colleges are graded on is “having an official position against the [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] movement.”
They have faced additional criticism for recent statements. In an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt compared wearing a Keffiyeh, a traditional Muslim headdress, to wearing a swastika armband. The ADL has claimed that these remarks were “taken out of context.” They also tweeted in defense of Elon Musk after he did what organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs have described as a Nazi salute at an inauguration rally earlier this year. The ADL described it as an “awkward gesture.” They added “in this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.”
