PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: House Democrats ask boards of Penn, Harvard, and MIT to update policies on antisemitism
About a dozen House Democrats signed a letter to the governing boards of Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Pennsylvania on Friday asking the institutions to update their school policies to combat antisemitism.
By Aliya Schneider About a dozen House Democrats signed a letter to the governing boards of Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Pennsylvania on Friday asking the institutions to update their school policies to combat antisemitism. The lawmakers condemned the presidents’ hesitancy to declare at a congressional hearing this week that calling for the genocide of Jews would break school policy, instead saying it depended on the context. The legislators said the university presidents showed a “lack of moral clarity” and that their testimony “did nothing to assuage” their concerns about antisemitism. “We are deeply concerned about what is considered acceptable under your school policies and codes of conduct,” the congress members said. " … Students and faculty who threaten, harass, or incite violence towards Jews must be held accountable for their actions. If calls for genocide of the Jewish people are not in violation of your universities’ policies, then it is time for you to reexamine your policies and codes of conduct.” While the letter didn’t call on the presidents to step down, the representatives said it’s important that the institutions’ leaders reflect a clear commitment to combating hate speech and bigotry. While antisemitism “has been allowed to fester” at educational campuses for years, it has “reached a crisis point” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the legislators said. The members pointed to data recorded by the Anti-Defamation League that shows a nearly 300% increase in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, compared to the year prior. According to this data, 292 of the 1,481 antisemitic incidents occurred on college and university campuses, which is nearly 20%. The letter also cited results from a recent survey by the ADL and Hillel International which found that 73% of surveyed Jewish college students experienced or witnessed antisemitism on campus this school year. “Gven this moment of crisis, we ask you to review and update your school policies and codes of conduct to ensure that they protect students from hate, and detail what action steps you are taking to combat antisemitism and to ensure Jewish and Israeli students, teachers, and faculty are safe on your campuses,” the letter said. “This problem is urgent and we request a swift and comprehensive response.” The letter was signed by: Kathy Manning (North Carolina) Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida) Jake Auchincloss (Massachusetts) Susan Wild (Pennsylvania) Lois Frankel (Florida) Haley Stevens (Michigan) Greg Landsman (Ohio) Grace Meng (New York) Bradley Scott Schneider (Illinois) Dan Goldman (New York) Donald Norcross (New Jersey) Jerrold Nadler (New York) Elissa Slotkin (Michigan)
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