America’s university campuses have recently seen a disturbing rise in antisemitism and support of known terror group, Hamas. Weekly Column - May 9, 2024 Standing Against the Vile Rise of Antisemitism on Our College Campuses America’s university campuses have recently seen a disturbing rise in antisemitism and support of known terror group, Hamas. Since the horrific attacks on Israel that occurred on October 7, 2023, protests against our ally Israel have flooded the media. Free speech should always be protected, however the antisemitic violence we have seen on campuses is not a form of protected speech. Unfortunately, many of our institutions of higher learning have shown negligence and have put Jewish students, and even faculty, in harm’s way. In many instances, faculty members have actively participated in such misconduct. Professors have skipped teaching their classes to join students in their tent cities, they have canceled final exams to “free Palestine,” and some are even starting to withhold final grades in protest. These actions hurt all students seeking what has historically been considered an esteemed education. We've also received reports from Jewish students indicating that their peers have occupied spaces of higher learning, preventing them from studying for impending finals. They have obstructed movement across campus as a form of intimidation, and have forcibly entered buildings, holding campus staff members hostage. These protestors hold repugnant signs featuring slogans like, “keep the world clean” with hateful anti-Jewish propaganda, “from the river to the sea,” which is a known call for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel, and even going so far as to stand in front of a group of pro-Israel students holding an “Al-Qasam’s next targets” poster. What were once institutions of higher education have quickly devolved into absolute anarchy, and university leadership has a responsibility to ensure that all students feel safe—not just students who agree with the opinions of these vocal and violent groups. Our universities have consistently fostered a pattern of appeasement to these groups that emboldens students to believe they have the right to disrupt normal operations by impeding free movement on campus and threatening students of different faiths. When Jewish students bravely step forward and speak out about being told to leave campus for their own safety, we must respond. Congress has a responsibility to combat this violence, which is why we just passed H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act. This legislation fights the rise of antisemitic discrimination in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities by classifying discrimination against Jewish people as a potential violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is a great first step in tackling the astounding rise of antisemitism, but there is still more work to be done. I will not tolerate the violence we are seeing against Jewish students, and I condemn these universities for their negligence in protecting the students they are responsible for. They must do better. View on My Website ‌ ‌ ‌ newhouse.house.gov Congressman Dan Newhouse | 504 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]