Fighting
Antisemitism at
Northwestern

What is CAAN?

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) is a dedicated alliance of thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish stakeholders, including Northwestern students, parents, alumni, faculty, trustees, interfaith partners, government officials, and legal experts. Together we work tirelessly to combat antisemitism, hate and prejudice, championing education and advocacy to promote a safer, more inclusive community.

Share our mission and join us in making a difference.

What is antisemitism?

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) defines antisemitism as, “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” The IHRA Definition, along with its 11 clarifying examples, is a definitional tool to identify both classic and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism.

September 27, 2026 Update:

CAAN Statement on Seven-Year Prison Sentence for Northwestern Antisemitic Hate Crime

Evanston, Illinois – September 27, 2026 — The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) commends Northwestern University, the Northwestern University Police Department, and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for their response to the antisemitic vandalism committed on Northwestern’s campus earlier this year.

Shahid Hussain pleaded guilty to two hate-crime counts and institutional vandalism after defacing Northwestern property with swastikas and other Nazi symbols and making a Nazi salute. He has now been sentenced to seven years in prison. Hussain had previously been convicted of antisemitic hate crimes targeting Jewish institutions in Chicago.

This is what meaningful accountability for antisemitic hate should look like.

The case also underscores the importance of Northwestern’s November 2025 agreement with the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services. The United States Announces Agreement with Northwestern University established important protections against antisemitism and unlawful discrimination, mandatory antisemitism training, clear rules governing demonstrations and expressive activity, and quarterly compliance certifications from Northwestern’s President and Board Chair.

CAAN appreciates Northwestern’s decisive response in this case. While the federal agreement did not determine the criminal prosecution or sentence, it established an important framework for accountability and for ensuring that antisemitism is treated with the seriousness it deserves.

We believe this response should represent the standard Northwestern applies consistently going forward: protect Jewish students, enforce the rules, cooperate fully with law enforcement, and hold those who engage in antisemitic intimidation accountable.

As Northwestern begins a new academic year and a new chapter under its leadership, CAAN looks forward to working closely with President Mung Chiang, Provost Erik Luijten, and other University leaders to build on this progress, combat antisemitism, protect the civil rights of Jewish students, and ensure a campus free from unlawful discrimination.

Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN)

June 24, 2026 Update:

CAAN Statement on the Departure of the Dean of Northwestern's College of Arts and Sciences, Adrian Randolph

This marks Northwestern's third major leadership transition in less than twelve months, following the resignations of President Michael Schill and Provost Kathleen Hagerty. Together, these changes affect Northwestern's senior leadership and its largest academic division.

Evanston, Illinois – June 24, 2026 — The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) acknowledges today's announcement that Adrian Randolph will step down as Dean of Northwestern's College of Arts and Sciences following the 2026–27 academic year.

This announcement follows the previously announced resignations of President Michael Schill and Provost Kathleen Hagerty, marking another significant leadership transition at Northwestern during a period of heightened scrutiny over the University's compliance with federal civil rights law.

While Northwestern's announcement highlights Dean Randolph's academic accomplishments, it cannot erase the reality that his tenure coincided with the most hostile environment for Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students in modern Northwestern history. As the University's largest academic division, the College of Arts and Sciences was at the center of an environment in which many Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students experienced intimidation, exclusion, and discrimination.

Leadership is measured not only by academic achievements, but also by the willingness to uphold a university's obligation to provide every student with a safe, nondiscriminatory learning environment. On that measure, Northwestern fell short.

Northwestern has already acknowledged serious failures through its federal civil rights resolution with the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services. That agreement requires the University to implement significant reforms to address antisemitism and ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

As Northwestern begins the search for a new dean, the University has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to select a leader who is committed to protecting civil rights, enforcing institutional policies consistently, and ensuring that Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students can participate fully in campus life without fear of harassment or discrimination.

With a new President, a new Provost, and a search now underway for the next Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern has a unique opportunity to turn the page on recent failures, restore confidence among students and alumni, and demonstrate an unwavering commitment to protecting the civil rights of all students.

The next Dean of Northwestern's College of Arts and Sciences must demonstrate an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, equal treatment under University policies, and a campus environment where every student, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or viewpoint, is treated with dignity and respect.

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN)

May 18, 2026 Update: A New Era

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) Welcomes Mung Chiang as Northwestern’s Next President

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (“CAAN”) congratulates Mung Chiang on his appointment as the next president of Northwestern University. CAAN welcomes President-elect Chiang at a pivotal moment for Northwestern and higher education more broadly.

President-elect Chiang arrives with a reputation for academic excellence, technological innovation, institutional leadership, and support for free expression and open inquiry.

Over the past several years, CAAN has consistently advocated for the protection of Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students, faculty, parents, and alumni at Northwestern. Our coalition – which includes thousands of stakeholders across the Northwestern community and beyond – has repeatedly called attention to serious institutional failures involving antisemitism, academic politicization, governance breakdowns, and civil rights concerns.

Northwestern now has an opportunity to move forward under new leadership and restore confidence across its community. That process must include:

restoring institutional trust,
ensuring equal treatment and civil rights protections for Jewish, Israeli, Zionist students and faculty,
reinforcing academic neutrality and viewpoint diversity,
protecting free expression while enforcing university rules consistently,
and rebuilding a culture grounded in excellence, integrity, and mutual respect.

CAAN remains hopeful that President-elect Chiang’s background as a first-generation immigrant, nationally respected scholar, and university leader who has publicly emphasized free expression and institutional excellence will help guide Northwestern into a more stable and constructive era.

At the same time, Northwestern’s challenges are significant and will require sustained leadership, transparency, and institutional courage. Federal scrutiny, governance failures, campus polarization, and concerns involving antisemitism did not emerge overnight, and meaningful reform will require more than symbolic change.

CAAN remains committed to working constructively with Northwestern’s leadership, federal oversight partners, students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to ensure that Northwestern becomes a university where all students – including Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist students – can learn, speak, and participate openly without fear, intimidation, or discrimination.

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN)

Read the Northwestern University press release.

Video Highlights

Read how CAAN has been influencing policy and documenting antisemitic activity at Northwestern.

Read Here
CAAN partners with lawmakers, lobbyists, and lawyers to keep Northwestern a safe, discrimination-free campus.

CAAN Legal Work
Make sure to document all examples of antisemitic incidents that you see on and off campus.

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🟪 A New Chapter at Northwestern. We welcome Mung Chiang as the newly announced 18th president of @NorthwesternU. Arriving from Purdue with a distinguished record of visionary leadership, President Chiang is widely recognized as an innovator who values free expression and collaborative growth. At this pivotal moment, Northwestern needs strong, principled leadership to move the community forward. CAAN is encouraged by this appointment and looks forward to working with President Chiang’s administration to help build a campus grounded in safety, transparency, and accountability—where antisemitism, anti-Zionism and all forms of hate are actively confronted, and every student and faculty member is treated with respect. #CAAN #Northwestern #MungChiang #EndAntisemitism

On Yom HaShoah, we pause to remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the countless lives forever changed by hatred and dehumanization.  Remembrance is not only about memory — it is also about education, so future generations understand where antisemitism and anti-Zionism can lead and why it must be confronted.  May memory become learning, and learning become action.  #YomHaShoah #HolocaustRemembrance #NeverForget #NeverAgain #YesWeCAAN #AntisemitismEducation

At Wednesday’s press conference in Evanston, the Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) called the recently announced Resolution Agreement a crucial first step — but emphasized that real accountability and reform are only beginning. CAAN President Michael Teplitsky was joined by Barry Jonas (GW Program on Extremism), Yossi Held (StandWithUs Midwest), Alison Pure-Slovin (Simon Wiesenthal Center), and @NorthwesternU students Max Schlanger and Christina Sher to outline next steps for oversight, Title VI compliance, and protection of Jewish students’ civil rights. #CAAN #Northwestern #PressConference #StopAntisemitism #TitleVI

CAAN’s coordinated advocacy, federal engagement, and unrelenting pressure on @NorthwesternU leadership were central to forcing meaningful change — from demanding the termination of the Deering Meadow Agreement to insisting on real Title VI enforcement and restored protections for Jewish students. By organizing Jewish students and alumni, documenting antisemitism, and partnering with allies in the U.S. government, CAAN helped create the conditions that made this agreement both possible and urgent. CAAN is grateful to Interim @NorthwesternPresident Bienen and the Northwestern Board of Trustees for ultimately choosing to work constructively with federal agencies to restore frozen research funding and prioritize the safety of Jewish students, faculty, women, and the entire campus community. This is not about politics; it is about safety, civil rights, and accountability. This win is a major step, but it is not the end. CAAN will continue to monitor implementation, push for genuine (not symbolic) Title VI compliance, and demand deep internal reforms to confront antisemitism and problematic foreign influence, including from Qatar. Share to stand with Jewish students at Northwestern and beyond.

🚨 Is it education? Or is it indoctrination? 🎓🚫 If you take a class on “Biomedicine and World History,” you expect to learn about health. You don’t expect a syllabus filled with Hamas-sympathetic essays and guest lectures from SJP organizers. Yet, that is exactly what is happening at @NorthwesternU. Faculty are ignoring Title VI and creating a hostile learning environment for Jewish and Israeli students by embedding political agendas into unrelated coursework. The worst part? Students are too afraid of academic retaliation to speak up, and the Administration is too passive to stop it. 👉 Swipe to see the evidence the University is ignoring. #CAAN #TitleVI #CivilRights #JewishOnCampus #StopAntisemitism

Who are we? We are CAAN – the Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern. For two years, we have fought antisemitism at @NorthwesternU in Evanston and in Washington, D.C., working to hold the University accountable and protect its students and faculty. Northwestern is currently evaluating whether to renew its campus in Qatar. The contract for NU-Q is set to expire at the end of the 2027–2028 academic year. Qatar’s restrictive regime, its record on academic freedom and human rights, and its direct ideological influence have contributed to the antisemitism and pervasive harassment of Jewish students that form the basis of Northwestern’s ongoing Title VI violations. Given this, we demand that the Northwestern Board of Trustees not renew this partnership. When classrooms reflect the pressures of an authoritarian host, true scholarship is lost. CAAN stands for open inquiry, academic integrity, and a campus free from hate and misinformation. Join us at YesWeCAAN.org as we continue working to restore honesty, transparency, and accountability to Northwestern. #CAAN #Northwestern #StopAntisemitism #AcademicIntegrity #EndHatredOnCampus

We are overjoyed that the remaining living hostages are finally home in Israel. We pray all the remaining deceased hostages are brought back to their families, and we hold hope that lasting peace in the region will come — a peace strong enough to quiet the wave of antisemitism that has plagued our world these past two years. Yet much more work remains here at home. We must ensure that education in America rejects the indoctrination of our children to believe that Jews, Israelis, or Zionists are wrong for wanting to live and worship freely — in peace, safety, and mutual respect. CAAN will continue its mission to combat antisemitism, hate and prejudice, championing education and advocacy to promote a safer, more inclusive community at @NorthwesternU.

2 years — 730 days — have passed since the hostages were taken on October 7, 2023. As the holiday of Sukkot begins tonight — the “Festival of Booths,” but also called Z’man Simchateinu, the “Season of Our Rejoicing” — CAAN remains steadfast in our hope that EVERY remaining hostage will be returned home in the coming days. Only then can this truly be a season of rejoicing — for their families, and for all who stand with Israel and the Jewish people. #CAAN #2Years #BringThemHome #Sukkot #ZmanSimchateinu #NeverForget

@NorthwesternU is enforcing enrollment holds on students who refuse the required antisemitism/anti-discrimination training—a necessary step to protect all students’ civil rights. CAAN supports this move while urging the University to ensure neutral enforcement, prevent foreign-funded influence, and apply rules evenly across all groups. Read the full statement on our website for sources, details, and recommendations.

CAAN member @scott_shay’s latest article exposes why @NorthwesternU’s crisis isn’t just a local issue—it’s a warning for universities nationwide. His five-point action plan makes clear: when academic freedom and integrity are at stake, every campus community must demand real reform. CAAN stands with Shay and calls on everyone who values pluralism, open debate, and student safety to read his piece and join our push for genuine change at Northwestern and beyond. Read at YesWeCAAN.org/in-the-news or the Jewish Journal website.

CAAN calls on @NorthwesternU and @NorthwesternPresident Bienen to confront the truth: professors with ties to terror financing have no place in classrooms, and Jewish students deserve safety—not fear. Abusharif’s record, and his continued role at NU-Q, along with visiting Professor Mkhaimar Abusada’s connection with organizations linked to Hamas and the PFLP, highlight Northwestern’s deeper crisis of foreign influence, unchecked antisemitism, and failed accountability. Integrity starts by ending these compromises. We look forward to working with you to return Northwestern to an institution which promotes civil discourse and safety for all. #CAAN #StopAntisemitism #NoHateAtNorthwestern

📢 Leadership Update at Northwestern We warmly welcome back Henry S. Bienen as interim president of @NorthwesternU. With over three decades of dedicated service to this community, @NorthwesternPresident Bienen brings principled leadership, deep experience, and a profound understanding of Northwestern’s values and its people. At this critical and challenging time, his steady hand and insight are exactly what Northwestern needs to help guide the university forward and combat antisemitism and all forms of hate on campus. CAAN is encouraged by this appointment and looks forward to working constructively with President Bienen to ensure Northwestern becomes a campus defined by integrity, accountability, safety, and respect for all members of its community. #CAAN #Northwestern #Bienen #StopAntisemitism #Leadership #StudentSafety #Accountability #Experience #Principles #Commitment

🚨 10 Shocking Revelations from Schill’s Testimony 🚨 Link to full testimony in bio. On Aug. 5, 2025, resigning @NorthwesternU President Michael Schill faced Congress for the 2nd time in 14 months. What emerged was a damning record of failures: no discipline for encampment leaders, contracts with Qatar that gag criticism, professors tied to terror groups, and a provost caught coaching BDS activists. Swipe through for the most disturbing takeaways ➡️ #Northwestern #SchillTestimony #CAAN #EndAntisemitism

🚨BREAKING: President Schill resigns🚨 CAAN is proud to have played a role in holding failed leadership accountable. But let’s be clear: antisemitism at Northwestern does not end with his departure. It remains—and so does our fight. From last spring’s unchecked hate to incidents just two weeks ago, Jewish students and community members continue to be let down. With classes starting soon, the Board of Trustees must act now—not only to name an interim, but to commit to permanent leadership changes that ensure safety, accountability, and a truly hate‑free campus for ALL. We won’t stop until every Wildcat can thrive without fear. #Northwestern #CAAN #EndAntisemitism

Antisemitic Threats Near Former Pro-Terror Encampment at @NorthwesternU. On August 15, 2025, a student, his family and companions faced antisemitic abuse on Sheridan Rd.—steps from Deering Meadow, the site of Spring 2024’s pro-terror encampments. Over a year later, bias and harassment persist at Northwestern and in Evanston, with no meaningful changes or public updates from the University. If you witness or experience hateful acts, report them to the authorities and CAAN. We must take action—silence allows hate to continue. #CAAN #Northwestern #Evanston #Chicago #StopTheHate #EndJewHatred #CombatAntisemtism

CAAN will be watching closely as @NorthwesternPresident Schill returns to Congress on August 5th. After a year of egregious antisemitism, a lack of accountability and consequences, and little progress for Jewish students, we’re eager to see how he’ll defend his actions and the Deering Meadow Agreement. #NoHateAtNorthwestern #StopAntisemitism #Accountability #ProtectJewishStudents

This @DailyNU poll, taken April 20–26, 2025, directly undermines @NorthwesternU‘s recent public claim that antisemitism on campus is “under control“ (University Statement, March 31, 2025). The numbers speak for themselves. Silence and spin are no longer credible responses.

@NorthwesternU students @maxschlanger and @oryahalom_ spoke with Chicago reporters from Washington, D.C., where they joined 16 other Jewish Northwestern students on a CAAN-organized trip to advocate for greater campus safety and ensuring consequences for discrimination, hate and harassment by students and outside agitators. #StopAntisemitism #SafeCampus #CAAN

The U.S. government now requires ALL universities—including Northwestern—to fully disclose every dollar received from foreign sources, or risk losing vital federal funding. Northwestern’s Qatar campus, NU-Q, established through a $602 million partnership with the Qatar Foundation, has long raised concerns about foreign influence, academic freedom, and ties to Al Jazeera—a state-owned media network repeatedly flagged for antisemitism, state propaganda, and ties to terrorist organizations. Some investigations have uncovered rampant extremism and support for terror among NU-Q faculty and students. Northwestern only ended its formal partnership with Al Jazeera in July 2024, after direct Congressional pressure, and quietly did so. This Executive Order is about protecting our campuses from foreign exploitation, propaganda, and national security risks. The Board of Trustees has the power to act now—by ending risky partnerships and ensuring full transparency. It’s time for accountability. CAAN calls on @NorthwesternU and @NorthwesternPresident Schill to immediately disclose all foreign funding and sever ties that threaten academic integrity and campus safety. #YesWeCAAN #TransparencyNow #Northwestern #ForeignInfluence #ProtectOurCampuses #StopAntisemitism