Two of the United States’ largest Christian universities released a joint letter on Wednesday morning condemning campus antisemitism and promising a safe haven for Jewish students on their campuses.
The letter was signed by the presidents of Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and Colorado Christian University (CCU). IWU, located in Marion, Indiana, is the largest member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, with over 14K students enrolled.
CCU, located in Lakewood, Colorado, is the flagship Christian university in the Rocky Mountain region with over 10K students. Both are listed among the most prominent Christian Universities in the country and are nationally ranked.
“To our Beloved Jewish Brothers and Sisters,” the letter begins. “We write to express our profound shock and indignation in response to the surge of hate and violence directed against Jewish and Israeli individuals on university campuses across the United States earlier this year.”
Since October 7, an alarming surge of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment has pervaded North American campuses. According to a survey conducted by Hillel International, last updated July 23, after the October 7 attack on Israel, there was a 700% increase in antisemitic incidents on college campuses compared to the same period last year. This is further compounded by a recent ADL survey, which found that 26% of Gen Z support Hamas.
“We want to make it clear to our nation and the world that our Christian institutions will not tolerate this behavior,” the letter continued, adding that the universities are concerned that “the terrible events we all witnessed at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year are already being forgotten. What we have all seen reveals a profound problem in the culture of many institutions, a problem which must be addressed.”
Condemning other institutions
“For centuries, the academy has stood as a beacon of enlightenment, embodying the Judeo-Christian values of tolerance, freedom, and human dignity. Yet, in recent days, what we have seen is an insidious darkness encroaching upon the academy. It is a darkness emblematic of other terrible periods in history.”
“History warns us, now.”
The letter then condemned respected institutions that have declared a commitment to inclusion while simultaneously allowing clubs like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which openly disseminate antisemitism, to operate on campus. It stated that these groups not only refrained from denouncing the horrific events of October 7, 2023, but began celebrating them as legitimate acts of resistance starting on October 8.
“Is it any wonder that eventually, the activities of SJP and organizations aligned with them ignited an inferno of violence and hate on countless campuses?” the letter asks. “No student club should be allowed to celebrate and justify such violence on any campus. They will not be allowed to do so on our campuses.”
“We are profoundly grieved by the loss of civilian life in this war, as in all wars. Still, it is morally clear to us how this all began on October 7, 2023. All university administrators must take decisive action to root out the seeds of hatred on their campuses before roots of hate take hold in academic communities.”
The letter concluded by urging all seminaries and other Christian universities and leaders to reassess their dedication to maintaining Biblical principles of inclusivity and diversity. It added that these “institutions should recommit themselves to creating and sustaining an environment on their campuses conducive to learning, modeling these values to all higher education institutions.”
Lastly, the universities invited Jewish and Israeli students to join the IWU and CCU campuses.
“You will be welcomed, and you will be safe," they said. "We stand with you in solidarity and thank you for your community’s stewardship through many centuries of the values underpinning our institutions.”