Dr. Yossi Sheffi, a prominent engineering professor and director of the Center for Transportation and Logistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has documented rising antisemitism and campus hostility following the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel. In a recently published book, Sheffi recounts how MIT, once known for its scholarly environment, experienced a marked breakdown in institutional norms amid increasing anti-Zionist and antisemitic sentiment.

Sheffi described the period after the attacks as a turning point, with a significant deterioration in campus climate. He reported instances where academic settings were disrupted, research facilities vandalized with graffiti, and Jewish and Israeli students and faculty members faced verbal abuse and threats. According to Sheffi, hostile student protests included inflammatory slogans and calls for violence, contributing to a pervasive atmosphere of fear and intimidation.

The professor pointed to examples of targeted harassment, including the removal of images depicting Israeli hostages from an Israeli faculty member’s office by protesters, and claimed that university authorities discouraged victims from contacting campus security. Sheffi noted that these tensions prompted some students and faculty to leave MIT prematurely due to safety concerns and an inhospitable environment.

Sheffi also criticized MIT’s administrative response, characterizing it as inadequate. He contrasted MIT’s approach with other elite U.S. universities, such as the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, where leadership faced congressional scrutiny and leadership changes following investigations into campus antisemitism. In contrast, MIT’s administration, according to Sheffi, avoided formal inquiries and appeared to downplay the severity of the situation through bureaucratic statements without substantive disciplinary measures.

In response to these challenges, Sheffi established support networks for affected students, beginning with informal gatherings that evolved into the MIT Israel Alliance, aimed at providing safe spaces and peer support. Building on this foundation, he helped launch Kalaniyot, an initiative designed to strengthen academic ties with Israeli researchers and counteract academic boycott movements. Named after Israel’s national flower, Kalaniyot facilitates one- and two-year fellowships for Israeli scientists and scholars at North American universities, pairing them with local faculty mentors to foster collaboration and provide financial and professional stability.

What began as a localized effort at MIT has expanded into a national organization, with chapters at institutions including Harvard, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, the University of Southern California, and Cornell. The network aims to create a lasting infrastructure that ensures Israeli academics have secure positions and sustained scientific partnerships regardless of political or institutional challenges.

Sheffi’s book, *Unsafe at MIT: A Chronicle of a Campus War on the Jews*, serves as a detailed account of the experiences of Jewish students and faculty amid rising campus antisemitism, based on interviews with dozens of community members. The manuscript underwent rigorous legal review and was self-funded, as the university declined to support its promotion. Through his efforts, Sheffi seeks to preserve a record of these incidents and to promote institutional change in higher education environments.