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The October 7th massacre revealed major problems in higher education institutions, especially so-called elite institutions. It is surprising that the epicenter of anti-Semitism in America is on the campuses of some of the most educated and progressive people in this country. But it is here that calls for Israel's annihilation began even before the IDF entered Gaza, exposing deep corruption in academia.
As Bill Ackman put it in a revealing essay on the day Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned, anti-Semitism is a “canary in the coal mine” and a warning of a larger problem. This “oldest hatred” has always been a key indicator of a variety of underlying pathologies, and here it means everything from cancel culture to ideological indoctrination, from intellectual corruption to moral decadence.
We have witnessed the destruction of the university's core mission of seeking truth and advancing human knowledge, and of classical liberal values such as free speech, due process, and equality before the law. I did. It is a transition from education to activity.
Anti-Israel student demonstrators wave large Palestinian flags at an encampment on the Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Jeremiah)
The root cause of anti-Semitism on campus is a pernicious postmodern ideology that asserts that truth is subjective and must be viewed through the lens of race, gender, and other identity categories. Your rights and freedoms depend on whether you are a member of a class that is considered an oppressor or a member of an oppressed class. There are also false narratives about decolonization.
Jewish student attacked in Chicago speaks out about 'war on college campuses'
Berkeley Law Dean Irwin Chemerinsky wrote a year ago that as a 70-year-old Jewish man, “I have never seen or felt the anti-Semitism of the past few weeks in my entire life.” Some weren't all that surprised, given the anti-Israel, anti-American, and generally anti-Western ideology embedded in higher education.
But all is not lost. Apart from the social and cultural fight against illiberalism, there is a vast body of civil rights and other legislation that can be put in place to stop the abuses and disorder caused by the latest incarnation of anti-Semitism. With the most pro-Israel president in American history, and the only one with a Jewish grandson, set to return to office, there are some concrete things Donald Trump can do.
Update and codify the Executive Order on Antisemitism
Five years ago, President Trump issued EO 13899, calling for stronger protections for Jews in all federally funded programs, including educational institutions. The order adopted and operationalized the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. The new administration should make it more concrete and push to codify it through the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (outgoing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will submit it to the Senate floor after the House passes it). (refuses to do so).
Hamilton College student admits to posting 'anti-Semitic remarks' on campus, New York State Police say
enforce existing laws
The Justice Department has broad powers and can now target actual domestic terrorists rather than, say, parents speaking at school board meetings. The Federal Bureau of Investigation will work with state attorneys general like Virginia's Jason Miyares, who began investigating the suspected charity in October 2023, to investigate organizations that serve as fronts for terrorist groups. I can do that.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the government can even prohibit nonviolent “material support” for terrorism, including “advocacy activities conducted in conjunction with or at the direction of foreign terrorist organizations.” RICO, which imposes criminal and civil penalties for organized crime, includes anti-collusion provisions that apply here. Anti-terrorism laws also provide grounds for punishing those who support America's enemies. The FBI should shut down groups that incite anti-Semitic disorder and intimidation on the streets and on campuses.
Anti-Semitism on today's college campuses reflects the dark past of many elite American universities
Revoke tax-exempt status of anti-Semitic nonprofit organizations
An organization receiving tax-exempt status must have a religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purpose. But many of the organizations that spend significant resources on anti-Semitic threats and protests, such as Students for Justice in Palestine, pose as advocacy or education groups. President Trump should direct fast-talking former Rep. Billy Long, a candidate for IRS director, to investigate subversive organizations to improve transparency and revoke tax exemptions for groups that engage in discriminatory practices. .
Cancel the visas of students and others who engage in incitement to anti-Semitism
A year ago, the State Department announced that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), currently the nominee for secretary of state, has the power to revoke visas for foreigners who believe in supporting terrorism or violating federal law. Confirmed that it has the authority to cancel visas of foreigners. . This authority refuses to allow universities to take action against harassers who prevent Jewish students from attending classes simply because they know that many of them will be subject to deportation. This is one of the reasons why it is hardly used. It's time to stop giving foreign agitators more rights than even domestic villains have.
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Deny funding to universities that condone civil rights violations
The appeasement of anti-Semitism allowed universities to bring claims under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lawsuits are proliferating, with wins or settlements obtained against universities such as UCLA, New York University, and the University of Virginia. The Department of Education should work with a Congressional committee that is beginning to lay the groundwork for withholding federal funds from educational institutions that continue to deny equal educational opportunity.
Rescinding Biden Executive Order on DEI across the government
In his first official act, President Biden signed EO 13985, which states that “it is the responsibility of the entire government to actively advance equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity.” It directed all government agencies to eliminate “systemic barriers” to identity-based rules.
As I describe in my book Lawless, a slew of executive actions and declarations followed, each reciting directives on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a result, the federal government has now fully adopted the DEI agenda and, through its legions of lawyers and bureaucrats, is reinforcing it into every corner of its expanding sphere of influence on our lives. That's why Biden also rescinded President Trump's EO 13950, which, among other things, prohibits federal agencies and contractors from providing workplace guidance on “divisive concepts” such as racial and sexual essentialism. It was forbidden.
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Coincidentally, DEI personnel tend to be the most anti-Semitic people on campus, and DEI training breeds bigotry and even sympathy for Hitler. That is why the new Trump administration must eliminate these political commissars. As my colleague Chris Rufo recently put it, “Immediately after taking office, the president launched a series of efforts to 'encircle and contain' leftist ideology across six areas: bureaucracy, content, policy, funding, conduct, and personnel.” A presidential order should be issued. . ”
New laws may help address new threats as they arise. Examples include the National Right to Work Act, which freed unionized professors, and anti-coverage laws of the kind that were effective against the Ku Klux Klan. But even without Congress, the new Trump administration has many tools at its disposal to combat anti-Semitism.
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