US Congress education committee launches probe into anti-Semitism in elite universities
The president of the University of Pennsylvania withdrew parts of her statements during a congressional hearing earlier this week on antisemitism on campus in response to harsh criticism, stating that she ought to have gone farther in denouncing hate crimes against Jewish students.
On Thursday, lawmakers opened a probe into antisemitism at three of the best US colleges following disagreements among their leaders on whether or not student demonstrations advocating for the genocide of Jews qualified as harassment and broke university regulations.
The probe comes with the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology facing a backlash over their testimony Tuesday on rising antisemitism on campus since the shock October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas-led terrorists who killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took some 240 hostages.
The trio was pressed during a hearing in the House of Representatives on whether pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student activists calling for “Jewish genocide” violated their codes of conduct on harassment but all three equivocated, claiming it would depend on the context. All three universities have made headlines for speech and actions on campus that a range of critics have called antisemitic or inappropriate.
During the tense, five-hour hearing the presidents told Stefanik that calling for the genocide of Jews would only violate their schools’ rules if it led to individuals being bullied.
Demonstrations have included calls for the elimination of the Jewish state and Jewish students have reported being harassed or fearing for their safety.
In recent weeks, the US Department of Education has opened investigations into several universities, including Penn and Harvard, regarding antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus.
Schools have faced legal action and have lost out on donations from Jewish and pro-Israel advocates for their response to anti-Israel activism on campus, leading some to suspend pro-Palestinian student groups.
