[ ]J Street[ ]
Dear Friends,

This afternoon, Wesleyan University President Michael Roth joins J Street
President Jeremy Ben-Ami for a can’t-miss discussion on the Trump
Administration’s all-out assault on higher education.

[ [link removed] ]Register now to tune in live at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific >>

In recent days, university leaders have stepped up their opposition to the
White House, releasing an open letter rebuking what they called government
“overreach and political interference.” Roth was one of the first to raise
the alarm about Trump’s attacks, lighting the path of resistance for his
counterparts at other schools.

Today, Jeremy will ask him about his choice to write a defiant op-ed in
The Times, knowing his public opposition could very well put a target on
his back. I hope you can make it. [ [link removed] ]Click here to join us >>

– Nate Wolfson, Director of Communications Operations

P.S. If you can’t join us live, you can catch the recording as a video on
[ [link removed] ]YouTube or as a podcast on [ [link removed] ]Spotify or [ [link removed] ]Apple Podcasts.

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Friends,

A tale of two Americas. A fork in the road. Pick your metaphor.

On the one side, we see some university administrators accepting Trump
Administration demands wholesale. Social media executives bending the knee
to avoid antitrust investigations. Law firms offering restructures and pro
bono legal work so they can keep on with business as usual.

On the other: Those summoning the courage to fight back, and rallying
others to their side to do so – and one of those is Wesleyan University
President Michael Roth.

This Friday, I’ll sit down with Roth, who has led the charge of
universities fighting back against the Trump Administration’s assault on
higher education in the name of “protecting” Jewish students. We’ll
discuss his decision to fight back, the cost and consequences of failing
to do so, the pressures universities face, and the rumblings in the
academic world as they face off against the President.

[ [link removed] ]Register to join me live on Friday at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific >>

[ [link removed] ]meet the university president challenging trump: wesleyan university
president Michael Roth in conversation with J Street President Jeremy
Ben-Ami. Register for the discussion Friday April 25 at 4pm Eastern/1pm
Pacific.

President Roth, Wesleyan’s first Jewish president, took to The New York
Times to blast the Trump Administration’s meddling on campuses like his
own. “Jew hatred is real, but today’s anti-antisemitism isn’t a legitimate
effort to fight it,” Roth [ [link removed] ]wrote. “It’s a cover for a wide range of
agendas that have nothing to do with the welfare of Jewish people.”

He also called out Jewish organizations that’ve stayed silent or even
welcomed aspects of Trump’s assaults, like arresting Mahmoud Khalil, a
legal permanent resident.

“Jews who applaud the administration’s crackdown will soon find that they
do so at their peril,” Roth wrote. We agree. The surge in antisemitism
we’ve seen since October 7 is real, but bending to the Trump
Administration’s will is not the way to fight it. We’re grateful for
leaders like President Roth for standing up for our students and
protecting the very institutions that have made this country thrive,
especially for our community.

If you can’t make it to our Friday afternoon chat, recordings will be
available on [ [link removed] ]YouTube, [ [link removed] ]Spotify and [ [link removed] ]Apple Podcasts. And if you
can make it, please come with questions. [ [link removed] ]Here’s that link to register
once more >>

All the best,

Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street President


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