Tufts University is investigating after “vile antisemitism” and Islamophobia was reported during a fiery student meeting when the student Senate passed anti-Israel resolutions.

Jewish students at the recent meeting were reportedly spat on, and faced “stomach churning antisemitic taunts and jeering from their peers,” according to the leader of Tufts Hillel.

The Jewish students who were against the Palestinian BDS resolutions were reportedly told that they smelled, and were subjected to other antisemitic comments — such as “Go back to Israel, we don’t want you here!” and “Israel controls the entire world.”

“What is particularly disturbing (as if the resolutions haven’t caused enough harm), are reports of vitriolic antisemitism expressed throughout the evening by students in support of the resolutions,” said Tufts Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Naftali Brawer.

College campuses around the region, especially Harvard University, have been divided ever since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 and the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine group following the terror attacks posted in favor of the terrorists, while dozens of Harvard student groups blamed Israel for the attacks.

University student governments have been debating resolutions involving the Israel-Hamas war, including the Tufts Community Union Senate, which recently passed three BDS (boycott, divest, and sanction) resolutions that were proposed by the Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts.

“3 of our 4 BDS senate resolutions have passed. 1. A resolution for tufts to divest from israeli apartheid and release all their investments,” Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts posted on Monday. “2. A resolution to end the sales of Israeli products at dining locations. 3. A resolution calling on the president and administration to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza and apologize for previous statements.”

Tufts’ administration came out against these resolutions following the student Senate vote. The university leaders reiterated that they reject the BDS movement.

“These resolutions, which mirror others being promoted by student groups at universities and colleges nationwide, do not promote nuanced understanding through broader dialogue,” Tufts’ leaders wrote to the campus community. “The immense loss of life in Gaza is tragic. We mourn with the Palestinians, but we also feel for the Israelis grieving over those they have lost and share their desire for the safe return of the hostages.

“It is possible to hold both of these views simultaneously,” the administration added. “It is also possible for us to be supportive of both the right of Israel to exist and for the self-determination rights of the Palestinian people. However, these resolutions do not allow for these views to coexist and, as a result, force our community into opposing groups rather than uniting us to build from areas of agreement.”

The university also addressed the reports of antisemitism during the meeting, along with reports of Islamophobia.

“Let us be entirely clear: antisemitic and Islamophobic words and actions are entirely unacceptable and should be met with condemnation from the entire community, regardless of your perspective on the resolutions,” the university leaders wrote. “We are actively investigating these accusations thoroughly and will hold accountable any student found to have engaged in these behaviors.”

The Anti-Defamation League’s New England chapter called on Tufts to take steps to address “the antisemitic hostility on campus.”

“Appalled by reports of vile antisemitism during a student senate meeting @Tufts yesterday,” ADL New England posted. “In addition to confronting the passage of pro-BDS resolutions on campus, Jewish students were reportedly told they smelled, were spat on, and overheard blatantly antisemitic comments from their peers.”

The Coalition for Palestinian Liberation at Tufts also reported that students supporting the BDS resolutions were harassed and targeted by pro-Israel students during the meeting.

The Coalition blasted the administration, posting, “We wholeheartedly condemn the Tufts administration’s hostile and unsubstantiated dismissal of the genocide in Palestine.”