ADL Report on Nationwide Campus Turmoil: May 24, 2024

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House Hearing On Campus Antisemitism. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held its fourth hearing in six months on the topic. On this occasion the speakers were the leaders of three universities, all of which have had troubling reactions to anti-Israel encampments and persistent and pervasive antisemitism: Illinois’ Northwestern University, New Jersey’s Rutgers University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx made it clear that yesterday’s hearing was the beginning — not the end — of her Committee’s investigations into those universities. In the hearing, she said: “Congress will not stand by while you violate your obligations to uphold Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, fail to protect Jewish students, cut deals advancing divestment…”

Northwestern. During an exchange with Northwestern University President Michael Schill, Rep. Elise Stefanik asked, “Isn’t it also true that Northwestern earned an ‘F’ for your failure to respond and combat antisemitism and they [ADL] called for your resignation, is that correct?” Stefanik also pressed Schill on reports that Jewish students were stalked, harassed, and spat on. Schill responded that “We will investigate any claim of discrimination or harassment,” yet as of Thursday, not a single Northwestern student has been suspended or expelled over charges of antisemitism.

DEEPER: ADL Midwest reiterated its call for President Schill to resign, saying that his congressional testimony was “rife with hypocrisy and platitudes.” ADL Midwest Director David Goldenberg details the inconsistencies and insults to the campus Jewish community laid bare today. It’s a must read.

TAKE ACTION: Urge Northwestern President Schill to resign.

Rutgers. Like the head of Northwestern, Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway came under criticism for negotiating an end to the anti-Israel protests that took place on campus. Rep. Glenn Grothman argued the negotiation seemed to reward the protesters for the “trouble they are causing and the hate they are encouraging.” The day before Holloway’s appearance before the committee, 160 Jewish students at Rutgers and more than 200 members of the Rutgers faculty released open letters detailing patterns of antisemitic actions on campus, including “the sustained disruption of campus events” and “a death threat against Israeli students.”

UCLA. As UCLA Chancellor Gene Block was testifying, anti-Israel protesters established yet another encampment at UCLA blocking portions of the University’s campus and forcing several classes to be held online with Los Angeles police placed on “heightened alert.” Notably, the former UCLA police chief was reassigned from his duties as chief earlier this week, with the University citing an ongoing “examination of our security processes.”

Harvard. Beyond these three schools, more than 1,000 students staged a walkout during Harvard University’s 373rd commencement on Thursday, with many protesters chanting “let them walk” in reference to the Harvard Corporation’s recent decision that 13 students involved in anti-Israel encampments would not be allowed to graduate. This decision effectively overruled members of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, who had voted “overwhelmingly” on Monday to add the 13 students back to the list of degrees. Anti-Israel protesters also held a “People’s Commencement” just a short walk away on the Harvard campus, and during the walkout administrators continued the commencement “as usual, not acknowledging the chants, which continued for the duration of the ceremony.”

DEEPER: To understand the other side of the Harvard community, on Tuesday, roughly 400 pro-Israel Harvard alumni and affiliates signed an open letter to interim President Alan Garber condemning “the alarming escalation of antisemitism” on campus and calling on the administration to impose “significant consequences for the leaders of the encampment.” This comes as the University faces yet another lawsuit for its handling of antisemitic incidents on its campus. This federal lawsuit, spearheaded by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, alleges that Harvard has a history of antisemitic incidents that they know about, at times investigate, but rarely act on.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Harvard to listen to its own Antisemitism Advisory Group and act on its recommendations.

UC Davis. A member of the University of California, Davis Jewish community filed a federal lawsuit against the University claiming anti-Israel protests on campus are discriminatory and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as encampments have blocked the only ADA-accessible route to access the University’s Quad. “If you’re a disabled veteran like myself and you want to use the ADA footpath, you can’t,” said the plaintiff. “If you’re a Jew and you want to counterprotest, you can’t in a safe way.” He also described woefully insufficient responses from campus security following reports of antisemitic violence. “I was hit multiple times with an umbrella. I reported it to the Davis Police Department, they say they never got it, they did get it.”

This is Alumnus. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who is Jewish, took several prominent stands this week against campus antisemitism. In a Sunday interview on Fox News, Auchincloss argued that cutting federal funds for universities that fail to protect Jewish students “needs to be on the table,” including for his alma mater, Harvard. Later, in discussing ADL reports that gave Harvard and 12 other universities failing grades for their handling of campus antisemitism, Auchincloss said, “Right now, Harvard is failing, and that is why, after the ADL reported those failing grades, I sent letters to the eight universities in Massachusetts that got a C or worse and asked them for an action plan by May 17th, which they have returned and which we are now reviewing with the ADL, to make sure that over the summer that they get their house in order.”

Stop Badgering. The University of Wisconsin, Madison has temporarily suspended the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), one of two student groups that organized anti-Israel encampments at the University. Students for Justice in Palestine, the other leading group behind the encampments, is under investigation by the Committee on Student Organizations but had not been suspended as of Thursday afternoon. The groups are accused of violating university policy and Wisconsin law, including “damage to or theft of property,” “disruptive conduct,” and “discriminatory harassment.” In a letter to YDSA, Dean of Students Christina Olstad wrote “I have determined that an interim suspension is necessary to protect the health and safety of members of the University.”

Say Their Names. Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, urged people to use the names of hostages whenever they order something like a cup of coffee so people all over the world know the names of hostages. In a tweet, they wrote, “We need Hersh’s name to be known all over the world! It may seem small, but this is a sweet and simple gesture that keeps the hostages’ stories alive. Say “Hersh” or “Naama” or “Omer” or any name of one of the 128 hostages and keep talking about them, whatever you are doing.”

Learning by Seeing. A delegation of Jewish student leaders from various universities has arrived in Israel to address campus antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda on their campuses. Sponsored by Hasbara Fellowships and IsraelAmbassadors.com, the students are engaging with Israeli officials, hearing testimonies from survivors of the October 7 massacre, and visiting affected communities. Jack Landstein, a student at the University of Michigan who is on the trip, shared in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, “With the rise of antisemitism after October 7, I felt it was imperative that I visit and expand my own ‘Israel toolkit’ so that I can share the truth about Israel and counter antisemitic rhetoric to better protect other Jewish students on campus.”

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Preceding provided by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League).