Gen Z is overwhelmingly anti-Israel. Jewish youth can handle it.

When learning about the campus protest movement as a prospective Jewish student or parent, it's important to contextualize the movement within a broader generational shift. Gen Z folks, on the whole, have a less positive view of Israel and are more likely to view the conflict from the perspective of Palestinian solidarity.

They have only known Israel as a powerful country with a powerful military, whereas previous generations witnessed Israel’s vulnerability. (I learned this from Thomas Friedman in his January 2024 appearance on The Ezra Klein Show. It’s a fantastic listen.)

As part of their excellent coverage of the Gaza solidarity encampments, The Forward recently published an opinion piece from Barak Sella in which he claimed that Palestinian solidarity is this generation's cause: "Boomers had Vietnam, millennials had Occupy Wall Street, and now, Gen Z has Palestine."

Some Jewish families are trying to figure out how to get away from this generational shift. They are trying to find campus environments that are outliers, where Gen Z folks are more likely to support or at least be neutral toward Israel.

This is a difficult time for the Jewish community, and everybody needs to take care of themselves and their feelings of safety. I respect that everyone will make the right decision for them.

It is also important to mention that there is real antisemitism emerging alongside pro-Palestinian advocacy. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

I still believe that Jewish students can grow as individuals and find fulfilling ways to engage with the community at most colleges, no matter the level of anti-Israel advocacy on campus.

Unless and until something dramatically changes in Israel and Palestine, Gen Z’s unfriendly attitude toward Israel is the new normal. Rather than figuring out how Jewish students can get away from it, I am more interested in learning how Jewish students can take care of themselves and each other in this environment.

Brown University students offer a glimpse into this. This spring, near the Gaza solidarity encampment, Jewish students set up a blanket and offered to field questions and concerns from members of the community. This level of openness and community care gives me hope that our Jewish students can still thrive in these environments rather than needing to steer clear of them.

This is not a complete answer to the question I posed. It is only the beginning of one. But sometimes the beginning is the hardest part.

I look forward to learning from our brilliant Jewish youth as they continue finding ways to thrive within this new normal.