The University of Pittsburgh student-led “solidarity encampment.” C. April 2024. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect.

The University of Pittsburgh on Monday released a report outlining faculty recommendations for combating campus antisemitism, pledging stronger support for Jewish students in several areas while declining to adopt a definition of antisemitism favored by a large majority of American Jews.

The report, produced by a working group of faculty and community members, alluded to incidents in which Jewish students were harassed or mistreated following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. However, it did not provide a detailed account of those incidents, accept institutional responsibility, or clearly explain what prompted the review.

Instead, the history of campus tensions must largely be inferred from the recommendations themselves. The working group called for improvements in the university’s response to online harassment, clearer public condemnations of antisemitism, and stronger procedures for handling disruptive protests that interfere with academic life.

The absence of a fuller accounting distinguishes the report from reviews issued by some other universities, which have documented specific failures and examined how campus policies and leadership decisions contributed to hostile environments for Jewish students.

The university nevertheless repeatedly emphasized its agreement with many of the working group’s conclusions.

“The university agrees with the working group’s emphasis on strong institutional capacity to address discrimination, harassment, and related concerns,” its response said.

Pitt said it had already begun restructuring its compliance, investigative, and student well-being operations before the report’s release. Those changes, it added, are intended to improve coordination and responsiveness in cases involving Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.

The report comes amid mounting concern about the treatment of Jewish students at American universities. Since Oct. 7, Jewish students have reported verbal abuse, physical attacks, exclusion from campus organizations, vandalism, and pressure to conceal their identities or political views.

Recent surveys have found that 34 percent of Jewish students hide their Jewish identity because of fears of antisemitism, while 38 percent avoid expressing pro-Israel views. Nearly one-third say campus groups contribute to a hostile environment for Jews, and one-quarter report being excluded from a group or event because of antisemitism.

The university declined to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, despite broad support for it among American Jews. A recent survey found that more than 71 percent favor its use as a reference tool by governments, businesses, and educational institutions.

“The university did not charge the working group with creating a formal institutional definition, and the university is not adopting a single definition in this response or elsewhere,” Pitt said.

The university argued that Jewish identity and experience are too diverse to be fully captured by any single definition.

Critics of that position have argued that refusing to adopt a clear standard can make it more difficult to identify when anti-Israel rhetoric or activism crosses into antisemitic harassment or discrimination.

The report was released as Jewish organizations and philanthropists increase spending on campus life and security. Last week, the Marcus Foundation announced a $27 million donation to Hillel International, the world’s largest Jewish campus organization.

The funding will support new executive leadership, strengthen Hillel chapters across the American South, and expand programs for Jewish students. Hillel serves nearly 200,000 students worldwide each academic year.

Jay Kaiman, president and director of the Marcus Foundation, said its late co-founder, Bernie Marcus, had recognized the growing dangers facing Jewish students years before the issue received sustained national attention.

“Bernie recognized a long time ago that we needed to support campus life because it was going to be and is very difficult today,” Kaiman said. “He was talking about it before it became what the realities are today.”

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.