Antisemitism in the United States has been on the rise, with Jewish groups warning the Biden administration that it is worse than ever before. Archie Gottesman, co-founder of JewBelong, stated that in the last 6 months, antisemitism has only gotten worse on college campuses as violent protests increase in number. Gottesman called for the Biden administration to take action, including deploying the National Guard to college campuses facing lawlessness from anti-Israel groups to ensure the safety of Jewish students. Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, pointed out that the Biden administration’s policies have contributed to the increase in antisemitism, particularly on college campuses.
Brooke Goldstein, human rights attorney and executive director of The Lawfare Project, emphasized the need for law enforcement to address the threat of radicalization and extremism on college campuses. She called for congressional hearings to investigate the flow of foreign money that contributes to teaching American students to hate America, democracy, Jews, and Israel. Goldstein stressed that the issue goes beyond Israel-Palestine and is about destabilizing America from within. Despite reaching out to Cardona’s office for a response, there was no response. Cardona was questioned on Capitol Hill about his efforts to combat antisemitism and expedite Title VI investigations to potentially pull federal funding from universities experiencing antisemitic protests.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito grilled Cardona on the issue, citing recent incidents at Columbia University where Jewish students were advised to go home due to safety concerns during campus protests. Cardona acknowledged that hate has no place on college campuses and expressed concern about the reports of antisemitism. He mentioned that the Department of Education has 137 open cases of possible Title VI enforcement violations and has proposed a $22 million increase in the budget to increase the number of investigators to address these cases. If a school refuses to comply with Title VI, federal funding could be removed.
Jewish leaders and a Middle East expert highlighted the escalation of antisemitism in the last 6 months, particularly on college campuses. The Biden administration was urged to take action to ensure the safety of Jewish students, with calls for deploying the National Guard and conducting congressional hearings to investigate the flow of foreign money that contributes to radicalization. Law enforcement was emphasized as needing to address the threat of extremism on college campuses, with the importance of protecting students against antisemitism. Cardona was questioned on his efforts to combat antisemitism and expedite Title VI investigations during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing.
The increase in antisemitism in the United States has been attributed to the Biden administration’s policies, with concerns raised about the safety of Jewish students on college campuses. The need for leadership and enforcement of Title VI regulations to protect students and combat hate was emphasized by both Jewish leaders and experts. Congressional hearings were called for to investigate the flow of foreign money that contributes to teaching American students to hate and destabilize the country. The Biden administration was urged to take stronger action to address antisemitism and ensure the safety of Jewish Americans in the United States.
