Six months after Jewish organizations warned the Biden administration that anti-Semitism in the U.S. is worse than ever, Jewish leaders and Middle East experts tell FOX News Digital that things are getting worse. and provided insight into what more needs to be done.
“Anti-Semitism has definitely gotten worse in the last six months,” JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman told Fox News Digital this week. Mr. Gottesman’s response comes six months after several prominent Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee. met with Biden administration Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says he believes he has “never seen” such widespread anti-Semitism in the United States.
“Violent protests are occurring on college campuses, and the number continues to grow,” Gottesman added. “Those who are watching us closely know that violence continues to escalate, as happened last night on Columbia University’s campus, and that many students do not even know what they are protesting against. Those who join them should be ashamed of how unrepresentative they are of a once-respected organization.”
Gottesman told Fox News Digital that the Biden administration can and should do more, including deploying the National Guard to college campuses facing illegal activity by anti-Israel groups.
Colombian students speak out after witnessing building taken over by anti-Israel protesters: ‘We feel alone’
L- Colombian anti-Israel protests R- President Biden (Getty Images)
“President Biden has the authority to call in the National Guard, but he doesn’t have it yet,” Gottesman said.
“Can you imagine if these protests were against people of color or LGBTQ+ people? The administration needs to start by showing real leadership. Many of these university trustees have direct ties to Biden, offering assistance to universities that need help to ensure safety, and together they can quickly end this situation. You can do it.”
Hussein Abdul-Hussein, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital that anti-Semitism has “worsened” in the past six months “particularly on American college campuses.”
“This is the culmination of bad policy by the Biden administration, because it equates anti-Semitism with so-called Islamophobia, and it also includes CAIR as a member of the White House Anti-Semitism Commission,” Abdul-Hussein said. ” he explained.
“Since October 7, pro-Hamas groups have been investigating President Biden’s movements and noticed how he softened his position after the non-commitment vote in Michigan. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a shadowy network run by the government, was organized and launched an anti-Semitic campaign on university campuses. ”
Protests in Austin, Utah descend into chaos, with anti-Israel students shouting “pigs go home!” at police.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks to members of the media after a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Abdul-Hussein added that the Biden administration “should have seen it coming.”
“If you give milk to a mischievous child, he will come back for cookies,” Abdul Hussain said.
“This is exactly what SJP did. They believed that Biden was susceptible to pressure, so they ramped up the pressure even more. As a result, masked students in Palestinian keffiyeh broke down doors and windows, and the occupied one or more university buildings in the country,” resulting in increased anti-Semitism in the country and decreased safety for Jewish Americans, students, and the general public. ”
“Law enforcement must be empowered to immediately respond to this threat,” Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney and executive director of the Lawfare Project, told FOX News Digital. Our representatives have a duty to protect us from this kind of radicalization and extremism, but so far they have turned a blind eye to our university campuses. I see it clearly now.”
“Our elected officials are stealing from billions of dollars in dark money from Qatar that contributes to teaching American students to hate America, hate democracy, hate Jews, and hate Israel. They have either profited from it or turned a blind eye,” Goldstein continued. “They have ignored dozens of complaints filed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights over the past four years, including one filed by The Lawfare Project against Columbia University four years ago. However, it has not been investigated yet.”
“We must immediately hold Congressional hearings with subpoenas to trace that money and find out how foreign state actors are spending millions of dollars to destabilize this country. This has nothing to do with Israeli-Palestinian relations. It has to do with destroying America from within.”
Fox News Digital contacted Cardona’s office but did not receive a response.
Cardona is Grill on Capitol Hill On Tuesday, he spoke about his efforts to combat anti-Semitism and whether he would expedite a Title VI investigation that could pull federal funds from universities roiled by anti-Semitic protests. .
Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing dedicated to discussing the president’s fiscal year 2025 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education. Virginia grilled Cardona on how Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance.
Columbia student describes terrifying night when protesters took over building: ‘It was like a scene from ‘The Shining'”
A pro-Palestinian demonstrator holds a flag on the roof of Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in New York, USA. On Tuesday, pro-Palestinian student demonstrators barricaded themselves in Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall building after school. They began suspending students who did not comply with orders to vacate their encampments. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Students should not feel unsafe on campus,” the senator said, adding, “Just last week, when Columbia University had to move classes online, Jewish students The campus rabbi asked me to go home. Because their campus is no longer safe,” and “Late last night, protesters occupied Hamilton Hall on campus, and today the university is on lockdown, with access restricted to students in residence halls. ”
“This is completely unacceptable. So Secretary Cardona, do you think what’s happening to Jewish students at Columbia and other universities in this country is okay?” Capito demanded.
“Absolutely not. I think what’s happening on our campus is abhorrent,” Cardona said. “Hate has no place on our campus, and I am deeply concerned about reports of anti-Semitism. Jewish students are afraid to go to class because of the harassment they are experiencing on campus. This is unacceptable and we, as a Department of Education, are committed to complying with Title VI enforcement.”
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New York City police officers line up outside Columbia University on Monday, April 29, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
Cardona said the Department of Education has 137 backlogs of potential Title VI enforcement violations, including at Columbia University, and is “making sure we have what we need in terms of laws and best practices.” For this reason, we are increasing the number of times we contact university campuses.” It’s about how to ensure that students are protected. ”
“This is why we are proposing a $22 million increase in the budget to increase the number of investigators, so that open investigations can move forward, and ultimately , if a school refuses to comply with Title VI, yes, we will remove “federal dollars,” he told lawmakers.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
