The Key — Jewish Life at Penn: Insights from the 2025 Undergraduate Survey
Last week, Penn Hillel hosted a Jewish Life Update for alumni and parents, led by Executive Director Rabbi Gabe Greenberg. He divided the discussion into three parts: where we’ve been, where we are now, and where we’re going.
Today, we will focus on the present, reviewing results from the first comprehensive survey of Jewish undergraduates in over a decade. The Spring 2025 data offers the clearest picture yet of how Jewish students experience campus life.
The survey results capture a striking duality. While 96% of students expressed pride in their Jewish identity, 40% said it is difficult to be Jewish at Penn.
The value of the survey extends beyond its findings. It sets a baseline Penn has long lacked, allowing the university to measure whether new commitments and initiatives at Penn are working. It also sets the precedent to use data-driven insights to assess the impact of the Task Force on Antisemitism, the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community, Penn Forward, and future initiatives.
A community rooted in pride
In the Spring 2025 semester, Penn Hillel launched a campus-wide survey of Jewish students with hundreds of respondents, focusing on student beliefs and experiences on campus. The responses showed deep connection and engagement with Jewish identity:
96% were proud of their Jewish identity
97% considered Judaism to be important in their lives
94% often or sometimes celebrated Jewish holidays
75% included non-Jewish friends in Jewish holidays and culture
Many Jewish students were also seeking a place to engage with their Judaism:
65% wanted a space on campus free of antisemitism
61% wanted to be a part of a Jewish community
57% wanted a place to participate in Jewish traditions
57% wanted to make Jewish friends
55% wanted to engage with other Jewish students who empathized with their experiences
Hillel meets these needs for many students. 87% agreed they feel welcome at Hillel, 88% viewed it as a safe space on campus, and 88% said that it allowed them to connect with their background and identity.
Overall, the Jewish student experience at Penn is vibrant and meaningful but also incredibly complicated.
A tested relationship
The Jewish experience at Penn is far from completely positive. 85% of students said they experienced, heard about, or witnessed “something antisemitic” at Penn, mirroring national trends reported by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The most serious impacts included:
45% felt uncomfortable or intimidated because of their Jewish identity or relationship with Israel
31% felt the need to hide their identity
29% felt unwelcome in certain campus spaces
26% experienced antisemitic or anti-Israel comments from professors
The juxtaposition between Jewish pride and a challenging campus environment was evident when students described their experiences as Jews at Penn in three words. 80% attributed at least one positive trait to the Jewish experience, and 51% listed at least one negative trait.
Students’ mixed experiences with Judaism at Penn mirrors their complicated relationships with Israel. 84% of Jewish students think that Israel has the right to self-determination, but only 62% would describe themselves as Zionists. This gap suggests a need for more education about what Zionism is and isn’t, both within and beyond the Jewish community.
Although Jewish students have complex relationships with Israel, they widely agreed that critiques of Israel often become antisemitic (80%) and that Israel’s wartime decisions are held to an unfair standard compared to other nations’ (78%).
Penn Hillel’s roadmap for progress
Overall, 40% of students believed being Jewish at Penn is difficult. Shira Angert (C ‘06), the marketing researcher who ran the survey, and Rabbi Greenberg both noted that antisemitism has eased somewhat since the survey was run in the spring. However, change is needed to move forward.
Rabbi Greenberg outlined six key priorities for Penn Hillel to continue advancing Jewish life and fighting antisemitism across campus:
“Admissions and population”
Ensure talented Jewish students are targeted by Penn admissions and are exposed to what Jewish life looks like on campus.
“Ensuring fairness in the classroom”
Institute a system to proactively and reactively handle issues of anti-semitism and anti-Israel bias by professors and in classes.
“Bridge-building between Jewish community and other communities” Expand on interfaith and intercultural opportunities with Jewish students and other campus groups to build relationships and shared understanding.
“Building and restoring Jewish unity”
Combat divisions in the Jewish community at Penn (which also exist nationwide), including by engaging Jewish students with divergent opinions in conversation.
“Jewish joy”
Create new, and expand current, events and initiatives that focus on celebrating Jewish culture and history.
“Graduate students and faculty”
Increase Hillel support for Penn graduate students and faculty, including via the new Director of Jewish Graduate Student Life.
As Hillel advances these priorities, Penn must continue implementing recommendations from the University Task Force on Antisemitism while adopting data-driven assessments like these as standard practice.
Measuring progress to shape the future
Penn’s efforts to confront antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate have lacked a clear baseline for measuring progress. This survey begins to fill that gap, offering the university a data-backed starting point for understanding Jewish life on campus.
This allows Penn to track what new initiatives are working, compare itself to national trends and peer institutions, build trust by showing measurable impact, and identify where progress is lagging.
As Penn implements recommendations from the Task Force on Antisemitism, the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community, and Penn Forward, regular surveys will be essential for tracking progress and strengthening trust with alumni and the broader community.
Data brings transparency and accountability, clarifying what is working and where more attention is needed. This survey provides a valuable baseline. Continued data gathering will be essential for Penn to track improvement, guide decision-making, and build a campus where Jewish students feel both proud and safe.
The Almanac
Penn’s international enrollment increases for 2024-2025 school year
International student enrollment in the US shrunk by 7.2% in 2024-2025 from 2023-2024, driven by declines from Saudi Arabia (-14.3%) and China (-4.1%), with other modest declines from South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia. Preliminary data for fall 2025 found an even steeper national decline for the current academic year, with new international enrollment down 17% year-over-year.
Since President Donald Trump (W ‘68) assumed office in January, the future of international students has been in flux. Although his administration has revoked some visas and threatened to block others, Trump recently defended the necessity of international students.
So what? International students make up about one-third of Penn’s 29,109 students, forming a key pillar of its financial stability. Although Penn saw growth in 2024-2025, it may face an enrollment decrease in 2025-2026 alongside the dramatic 17% drop nationally. Long-term trends could depend largely on whether the federal government’s stance on international enrollment stabilizes.
Jewish community rallies behind Penn in lawsuit brought by EEOC
As we discussed last week, the Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Penn as part of its ongoing antisemitism investigation, which began in December of 2023. The EEOC says that Penn has not complied with a subpoena seeking identifying information for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
Penn states that it is cooperating but says that “violating [Jewish community members’] privacy and trust is antithetical to ensuring Penn’s Jewish community feels protected and safe.”
Groups from within Penn and beyond, with an array of positions on the ideological spectrum, have sided with Penn. The American Council on Education (ACE), Penn’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and hundreds of Penn community members who signed a petition urged the university to keep the additional information private. Penn Hillel and Meor Penn, a national Jewish mentorship and leadership program with a chapter at Penn, also issued a statement commending the fight against antisemitism while supporting Penn’s resistance to EEOC’s request.
So what? Although Penn entered a settlement resolution with the federal government in June over Title IX concerns, federal scrutiny on other matters continues. If the court rules that Penn must comply with the subpoena, this lawsuit could escalate into a larger legal battle between Penn and the federal government.
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