Is the Love Affair Between Jews and the University Over?

Is the Love Affair Between Jews and the University Over?

with Liel Leibovitz, Tablet Magazine

The university has long had a central place in American Jewish life and Jewish aspiration. For decades, Jews have been over-represented in the most elite colleges and universities, and they often credit Jewish prosperity in America with the meritocratic university system. But Liel Leibowitz, a senior writer for the Tablet and one of the most provocative Jewish columnists in America, believes the prevailing assumptions among Jews about universities no longer hold. Ideological conformity has replaced open inquiry; the high-tech economy has made the credentials of the college increasingly obsolete; and, for Jews, the atmosphere has become toxic for those who don’t feel like hiding their support for Israel or their traditional beliefs. Is it time for Jews to turn their backs on the university establishment in America—and build something new?