Rabbi Warns of Rising Antisemitism on College Campuses

Rabbi Andy Bachman, who recently fell victim to cancel culture, warns of the growing hostility to free speech on college campuses toward anyone who expresses support for Israel. Many students, including Jewish students, fear speaking out in defense of Israel for fear of retaliation from professors and peers.

Rabbi Andy Bachman, a progressive rabbi who recently experienced cancel culture firsthand, has issued a warning about the rise of antisemitism and hostility toward free speech on college campuses. Bachman, a former head rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, has encountered firsthand the hostility that has emerged in the wake of the October 7 terror attacks.

"Many students complain of not being taught, but being subjected to all manner of propaganda in the classroom," Bachman told Fox News Digital. "And many Jewish students, in fact, are very fearful of speaking out in defense of Israel in the classroom for fear of a kind of mob mentality and not getting good grades from their professors."

Rabbi Warns of Rising Antisemitism on College Campuses

Bachman has experienced this hostility firsthand. Last December, he was heckled by students at Hunter College in New York City while moderating a discussion over a film critical of Israel. This month, he was stunned to learn that a speaking event at a Brooklyn bookstore was abruptly canceled because of his pro-Israel beliefs.

"We don’t want a Zionist onstage," the now-fired manager of the Powerhouse store said.

Rabbi Warns of Rising Antisemitism on College Campuses

Bachman, who has strong ties to the city, found the response "shocking," particularly since he holds moderate views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He believes that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to their own homeland but that the land should be shared. However, even this position is often not tolerated in the hostile environments that have emerged since the October 7 attacks.

"The only acceptable Jew in this movement is the Jew who does not believe that Israel should exist," Bachman told The New York Times.

Rabbi Warns of Rising Antisemitism on College Campuses

Bachman was also surprised that a bookstore would censor a conversation about a book it was selling.

"We both initially laughed like, ‘This is absurd. Are you kidding me?’ It was too shocking to believe," he told Fox News Digital.

Rabbi Warns of Rising Antisemitism on College Campuses

After word of the cancellation spread, Bachman received messages of support from pro-Israel New York Democrats like former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.

"It was a shock to so many people that as divided as some sectors of the city or the country are over the war, no one ever would have imagined, you know, that a bookstore would step into the breach and tried to censor a conversation, in any way, shape or form, by denying a platform to us," Bachman said.

Rabbi Warns of Rising Antisemitism on College Campuses

Powerhouse staunchly condemned the employee's actions in a statement two days later and relayed that she had been fired.

"A former employee of Powerhouse made the grossly misguided decision to unilaterally derail a high-anticipated event," the bookstore said. "She abused her position as a Powerhouse employee and wrongfully usurped responsibility for planning and logistics from our designated events managers."

Bachman said he was frustrated by what happened, but it only made him more determined to host the event at another location and make it even better. One week after the original event was canceled, they were able to book a new location in the heart of Brooklyn and drew a crowd of over 400 attendees.

"It was certainly a great improvement over the really bad experience of last week," he explained.

As college students return to campus this week, Bachman is also concerned about the threat of violence and hostility toward Jewish students. He is calling on university and interfaith leaders to step up and foster an environment of healthy dialogue where every student is respected.

"People need to know that in a university setting, they can come together for difficult conversations, to process difficult experiences, difficult ideas, and that everyone is essentially respected for who they are," he said. "Because that's not happening right now."

Bachman fears that as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, the hostility on campus will only escalate.