Jewish Students Are Seeing the South as a Safer Place to Study

Jason Bedrick and Jay P. Greene

With hostility toward Jews and Israel overtaking many American college campuses, Jewish students are wondering: What schools are best for them to attend?

As application deadlines approach this fall, Jewish parents and their children are poring through the news and consulting each other to avoid universities where antisemitic activity has surged. They can see that last year’s cohort of Jewish applicants was steering away from colleges in the Northeast, Upper Midwest and California in favor of those in the South.

Many are attracted to public schools like the University of Florida and the University of Texas. Both have a critical mass of Jewish students, which is necessary for maintaining essential Jewish institutions and practices on campus. And both have r