Two audits. Two countries. 5,343 faculty. 51.1% documented against Israel. The same disciplinary pattern appears independently in America and Israel: humanities 4-5x more likely than STEM.
OLAM RESEARCH · WHO SIGNED SERIES
Two audits. Two countries. 5,343 faculty. The same disciplinary pattern. Here are five ways the Israeli and American studies compare, and what the data actually shows.
On August 3 we published Who Teaches Judaism in America?, an audit of 2,499 American Jewish Studies faculty at 313 universities. 51.9% were publicly on the record against Israel. At the Ivy League: 72.3%.
On August 17 we published Who Signed?, an audit of 2,844 Israeli faculty at eight universities. 50.4% signed political petitions containing explicit claims about Israel.
The two studies were not designed as a pair. They used different samples, different petition sets, and different time periods. But the patterns that emerged are worth examining.
Side-by-Side
| American Study | Israeli Study | |
|---|---|---|
| Published | August 3, 2026 | August 17, 2026 |
| Faculty audited | 2,499 | 2,844 |
| Institutions | 313 universities | 8 universities |
| Petition campaigns | 9 (May 2021 to Spring 2026) | 3 (Oct 2024 to Aug 2026) |
| Participation rate | 51.9% | 50.4% |
| Elite institutions | Ivy League: 72.3% | Technion: 77% |
| Discipline pattern | Humanities dominate | Humanities dominate |
| Database | Spreadsheet (2,499 records) | CSV (1,434) |
| Names published | No (aggregate only) | Yes (public petition signers) |
Five Ways They Compare
1. Discipline Concentration Is Identical
Both studies find the same pattern: humanities and social science faculties show the highest participation. STEM shows the lowest.
| Discipline Category | American Study | Israeli Study |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 60-70% anti-Israel positioning | 65% petition participation |
| Social Sciences | 55-65% | 55% |
| Quantitative Social Sciences | 30-40% | 37% |
| Natural Sciences | <15% | 24% |
| Engineering | <10% | 18% |
This pattern appears independently in two different countries, across two different institutional contexts, using two different methodologies. That suggests the concentration reflects disciplinary logic, not regional politics or institutional culture alone.
2. STEM Faculties Are Consistently Low
In the American study, STEM faculty rarely signed political petitions about Israel. Fewer than 10% engaged.
In the Israeli study, STEM participation ranged from 15% (Engineering) to 27% (Physics). Higher than the American rate, but still dramatically lower than humanities.
Across both countries: scientists and engineers are far less likely to publicly sign political petitions than humanities scholars. This is consistent with international research on academic political engagement.
3. Elite Institutions Show Higher Rates
American study: Ivy League universities showed 72.3%, well above the 51.9% average.
Israeli study: Technion (77%) and Hebrew University (67%) showed the highest rates, above the 50.4% average.
In both countries, the most prestigious institutions show higher participation than the overall sample. Institutional prestige correlates with political engagement.
4. Scale Is Accelerating in Both Countries
American study: Each successive petition campaign was larger than the last. The March 2025 "Not in Our Name" letter gathered 3,400+ signatures, the largest single campaign documented.
Israeli study: The Black Flag petition (May 2025) gathered 1,387 faculty signatures, representing 96.9% of all documented Israeli participation. No earlier Israeli petition approached this scale.
In both countries, mobilization is growing. The most recent campaigns are the largest.
5. The Measures Are Different
This is the most important comparison, because it's a difference, not a similarity.
American study: Measured what faculty publicly advocate and what organizations they belong to. Examined petition signatures, organizational membership (FSJP, JVP), and public statements. Did NOT examine classroom content directly.
Israeli study: Measured what faculty publicly signed. Examined petition rosters only. Did NOT examine organizational membership, public statements beyond petitions, or classroom content.
The American study casts a wider net (9 petition campaigns plus organizational membership plus public statements over 5 years). The Israeli study is narrower (3 petition campaigns, petition signatures only, 2 years).
If the Israeli study used the same wider methodology, its participation rate would likely be higher than 50.4%.
What This Comparison Shows
Two independent audits in two different countries reveal similar disciplinary patterns. Humanities and social science faculties participate at 3-5x the rate of STEM faculties in both the United States and Israel.
This pattern is consistent across different institutional contexts, different petition campaigns, different time periods, and different methodologies.
What This Comparison Does Not Show
Coordination. Similar patterns appearing in two countries do not prove organizational coordination between American and Israeli faculty. Both populations could be responding independently to the same events.
Causation. We cannot determine whether disciplinary training causes political engagement, or whether people with existing political views select into specific disciplines.
Universality. The American study covered 313 institutions. The Israeli study covered 8. Different scope, different generalizability.
Direction. We cannot determine whether American faculty influence Israeli faculty, or vice versa, or neither.
By the Combined Numbers
| Metric | Combined |
|---|---|
| Total faculty audited | 5,343 |
| Total with documented participation | 2,732 |
| Combined participation rate | 51.1% |
| American institutions | 313 |
| Israeli institutions | 8 |
| Total institutions | 321 |
| Petition campaigns documented | 12 |
| Time span | May 2021 to August 2026 |
Across 5,343 faculty at 321 institutions in two countries over five years: approximately one of every two audited faculty members has been publicly documented taking a position against Israel.
What Comes Next
The Israeli database will be updated as new petitions appear. Phase Two will expand the Israeli audit to additional institutions: Ariel, Reichman, Sapir, and academic colleges. The American database is updated annually.
Both databases are public. Both are source-linked. Both are downloadable.
Read the studies:
Who Teaches Judaism in America? Half Are Anti-Israel (2,499 faculty, 313 institutions)
Who Signed? Israeli University Faculty (2,844 faculty, 8 institutions)
Top 25 Departments by Participation
The Olam Editorial Team
