Since 2016, JFAS board members and executive committee members have engaged in a constructive running dialogue with the Rutgers University administration on issues of concern to Jewish members of our community. We have had ongoing communication with the past and current University Presidents (Robert Barchi and Jonathan Holloway), along with other key members of the central administration, via Zoom, via formal and informal email exchanges and phone calls, and via the occasional in-person consultation – including, most recently, in January 2025.
After October 7, when antisemitism on campus became acute, JFAS developed specific recommendations for the administration to adopt, which we shared with university leaders in December 2023. In January 2025, in the face of persistent antisemitic and anti-Israel disruptions of campus life and continued instances of inappropriate behavior by Rutgers faculty, administrators, or students, we shared an updated set of recommendations with Old Queens.
The university has replied that it is acting upon some of these recommendations, at least in part, while it is not in a position to accept certain others. We have been grateful for the administration’s willingness to discuss these issues with us and remain committed to working in good faith to strengthen Rutgers’ response to what remain very serious problems.