On May 7th, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce questioned three college presidents in a hearing called “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses.” The hearing focused on schools that received F grades from the Anti-Defamation League. While three college presidents apologized for not acting more aggressively to curb antisemitism on their campuses, the president of Haverford College Wendy Raymond was berated by Republican lawmakers on campus antisemitism for when asked repeatedly, Raymond said her institution does not publicize the outcomes of disciplinary processes.
Some Committee members suggested the school should lose federal funding because of her refusal to discuss student discipline in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) compared the antisemitism to the racism of the 1960s in the Deep South. “What we’re seeing on college campuses today isn’t activism. It’s intimidation, it’s harassment, in many cases, pure, unfiltered hatred of Jewish people.” “This is not a free-speech issue. It’s a public safety issue. It’s a moral issue. And every school that allows this chaos to continue needs to lose all federal funds.”
On May 6th, the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Association of American Universities (AAU), and the American Council on Education (ACE) released a joint statement, affirming the seriousness of antisemitism on campus and a pledge from these organizations, representing the full breadth of American higher educational institutions, to “continuing consequential reform and transparent action.” Also co-signing the statement were the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
According to AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, 35% of current American Jewish college students and recent graduates report having personally experienced antisemitism at least once during their time on campus, with 20% reporting that it happened more than once. 22% of Jewish students report feeling or being excluded from a group or an event on campus because they are Jewish. AJC previously published Confronting Campus Antisemitism: An Action Plan for University Administrators, which includes concrete steps to meet both the immediate needs of Jewish campus citizens and foster sustained, real change that will improve the learning and living environment for all students, faculty, and staff - including Jewish community members.
The statement, which included those representing public universities and community colleges, noted that the federal government had recently taken steps in the name of combating antisemitism that endanger research grants, academic freedom and institutional autonomy.“ AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, believes that when these actions are overly broad, they imperil science and innovation, and ultimately detract from the necessary fight against antisemitism while threatening the global preeminence of America’s research universities and colleges,” they wrote.
Reaad the May 6, 2025 Washington Post article.
Read the May 7, 2025 New York Times article.
(Image creator: Ethan Pann.)
