Two New York state lawmakers are considering a bill that would send “anti-Semitism monitors” to federally funded college and university campuses.
Rep. Richie Torres (D-NY) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) plan to introduce the University Oversight and Legal Updates (Columbia) Act, which would require bias investigations and accountability. It was reported. jewish insider.
Under the bill, the Department of Education would be allowed to send third-party anti-Semitism monitors, at the university’s expense, to the campuses of colleges and universities that receive federal funding. become.
The anti-Semitism watchdog group will also issue a quarterly report on how universities have tackled anti-Semitism on campus and make recommendations to federal, state and local lawmakers.
Schools that don’t cooperate could lose federal funding.
“As we have seen in the last six months since October 7, anti-Semitism on campus has reached an all-time high, and American universities cannot continue to address it by letting it go,” Torres said. the professor said in a statement.
The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act would help end once and for all anti-Semitic threats against Jewish students on campus. I am pleased that this bipartisan bill will be voted on next week, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it. pic.twitter.com/G5mrBYPFnv
— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) April 26, 2024
Last Wednesday, an anti-Israel encampment was set up on the lawn of Columbia University. Since then, anti-Israel encampments and protests have spread to campuses including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, George Washington University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Since the protests and camps began, students have been suspended, protesters have been arrested, and graduation ceremonies have been canceled.
Torres said the Columbia University encampment was not an “isolated incident,” adding: “That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I am prepared to do something about it.”
The New York state lawmaker continued:
Jewish students have told my office that they feel completely abandoned by university administrators and see Congress as their only means of accountability and safety.
On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the US-designated Islamic terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel by land, sea, and air, killing 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages.
In response to the attack, Israel launched a self-defense operation in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
A January report found anti-Semitic incidents in the US increased by 360% in the three months after the Hamas attack. report Published by the Anti-Defamation League.
