As strident pro-Palestinian protests dominated U.S. colleges in recent weeks, few Jewish students responded with rallies in support of Israel or against perceived displays of antisemitism.

That reticence may be starting to change.

Like many Americans, Jewish students’ views on the war in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict are wide-ranging and often nuanced. It wasn’t for a lack of passion about the war, empathy for its victims, or the backlash the fighting has aroused on their campuses, that they shied away from demonstrating.

They have had fervent debates with each other over whether and how to respond as pro-Palestinian encampments spread from one university to the next. Some joined the encampments. Many felt unnerved by what they considered to be anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric and said they feared crossing campus, let alone counterprotesting.