FEATURED
Initiative sparked by antisemitic acts, faculty says
The University of Denver recently announced its first endowed professorship in Holocaust and Antisemitism Studies, aimed at countering what university leaders and supporters describe as a historic surge in antisemitic acts.
Adam Rovner, the director of DU’s Center for Judaic Studies, told The College Fix via email that such a position is urgently needed to combat antisemitism.
“Our effort to endow a professorship in Holocaust & Antisemitism Studies is the result of our belief that such a position is needed at elite private universities,” he said.
“The appearance of antisemitic acts—violence, property crime, rhetoric—and attitudes is at an all-time high. Antisemitism is now found commonly on both the nationalist right and the so-called progressive left,” he said.
Rovner told The College Fix that a visiting professor will fill the position until the university can find a permanent appointment.
The Fix also spoke to Raeefa Shams, the director of communications and programming at the Academic Engagement Network, who said students will benefit from learning about the causes and consequences of antisemitism.
AEN is a group of faculty and administrators dedicated to promoting academic freedom and combating antisemitism, according to its website.
“Many call antisemitism the ‘world’s oldest hatred,’ and it is important to understand how antisemitic ideas form, proliferate, and mutate over time, geography, and social and political contexts,” she said.
She also said that antisemitism is a “serious” problem at many colleges, adding that it has gotten worse in recent years and affects Jewish students’ ability “to feel welcome on their campuses.”
Miri Kornfeld, the Colorado director for StandWithUs, an international nonpartisan organization dedicated to education on Israel and antisemitism, also told The Fix that this area of study is necessary on campus.
Because of the “dwindling number of living survivors able to share their testimony” it is especially imperative “that we preserve the memory of the Holocaust and its horrors,” she said.
Kornfeld cited the “Boulder Run For Their Lives” incident on June 1, 2025, as an example of how “antisemitic hatred can and does lead to violence.” An Egyptian illegal immigrant attacked peaceful protesters who were calling for the release of Israeli hostages by throwing Molotov cocktails. It resulted in the death of Holocaust survivor Karen Diamond.
StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein told The College Fix that “Gen Z support for Hamas is especially troubling,” referring to the US-designated terrorist group and de facto ruling power in Gaza.
She said the increasing criticism of Israel is the result of a “decades-long misinformation campaigns by campus and community anti-Israel and antisemitic groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, which promote distorted narratives amplified by extremist content on social media.”
A February 2026 Gallup poll found that for the first time in a quarter century, Americans are more sympathetic to Palestine (41%) than to Israel (36%).
Similarly, a Pew Research poll conducted in March 2025 found that over the last three years, the share of Republicans under 50 who hold negative views on Israel jumped from 35 to 50 percent.
Rothstein claimed that despite these numbers, there is also “tremendous and growing love and support for Israel among young people.”
“Students in our campus and high school programs are working tirelessly to combat the rise of anti-Jewish bigotry, including the Nazi imagery they encounter at school,” she said.
Matthew Lebovic, director of the Holocaust Education Center at StandWithUs, said that programs like DU’s teach “empathy, critical thinking, and civic responsibility.” These qualities allow students to “be more open to people from different races, religions and practices.”
“We applaud the University of Denver and this program’s leadership and look forward to continuing our partnership on meaningful programming,” Lebovic said.
“We look forward to continuing our partnership on meaningful programming and to providing resources to anyone seeking education about the Holocaust or antisemitism,” he said.
The new professorship, which has been in the works for two years, was made possible by a $500,000 donation, and DU is working with additional donors to fully fund the endowment, according to a news release from the school.
The school made the announcement during a ceremony at the State Capitol on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorates the liberation of Auschwitz.
DU Provost Elizabeth Loboa said in a statement that the project was intended to make Denver “a global hub for thoughtful Holocaust education and applied scholarship that helps future generations foster social change.”
