WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK), co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, hosted a roundtable discussion with students from across the country to hear about rising antisemitism on colleges and universities. The discussion comes ahead of students returning to campus in the fall as antisemitism continues rising across the U.S. According to the ADL, 73 percent of Jewish college students surveyed reported experiencing or witnessing some form of antisemitism during the 2023-2024 school year.
“The spike in antisemitic incidents we saw on college and university campuses in the spring is unacceptable,” said Senator Rosen. “Every student has the right to pursue an education in a safe environment without fear, intimidation, or discrimination. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity today to meet with Jewish students from across the country to discuss their experiences on campus and hear about what more the federal government can do to address antisemitism in higher education and hold universities accountable. As we approach the fall semester when students will return to campus, I’ll continue working in a bipartisan way with Senator Lankford and our Senate Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism to keep students safe from hate. ”
“No student should live in fear on their campus or in the classroom because of their faith. I applaud the courage of the students who shared their personal experiences with antisemitism with me and Senator Rosen today,” said Senator Lankford. “I am encouraged by their resolve to shine a bright light into the deep darkness of antisemitism on some American university campuses. We must condemn and combat antisemitism wherever we see it and remain resolved to ‘never again.’”
“Less than half of Jewish students reported feeling physically safe on their campuses in the fall semester of the past school year, according to the ADL. I am one of those students. Many of my Jewish peers across the country found themselves in adversarial relationships with their universities and administrators with little to no communication. I was fortunate enough to have a direct line of communication and close relationships with senior administrators at my university,” said Luda Isakharov, a recent graduate from the University of Oregon. “I am incredibly grateful to the co-chairs of this Senate Antisemitism Task Force for convening this roundtable today to hear our stories. I want to thank Senators Rosen and Lankford for introducing the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act – which takes tangible action to address some of the issues I talked about today. I hope you all will work together to get this legislation to the finish line and to deliver for Jewish students who are nervously anticipating entering another challenging academic year this fall.”
“I witnessed a Palestinian Student Committee march through the window, in which the student group led chants using phrases such as ‘Glory to the Martyrs’ as they bore not only Palestinian flags but flags dedicated to Hezbollah. As thousands passed by carrying these flags, I closed my eyes and remembered the countless images and videos I viewed of Nazi Germany, and saw an analogy between the rhetoric expressed against Jewish citizens then and today,” said Rennie Cohen, a law student from the University of Oklahoma. “I fear that if we do not resolve the issue of antisemitism on campus today, it will open the door for students from other racial and religious groups to be treated as second-class students on college campuses tomorrow.”
“During the fall semester, I was in class directly below the site where the storming and occupation of the Rutgers Business School occurred. The experience shook me profoundly, as it felt like an intrusion into my personal space as if someone had declared my home turf no longer mine and unwelcome for my learning simply because of my identity or beliefs,” said Mitch Wolf, a student from Rutgers University. “Administrators need to acknowledge the campus climates they have fostered and take responsibility for them. True change must begin at the top, with administrators ensuring the protection and safety of all Jewish students, within the university community.”
“Congress needs to ensure that administrations uphold their own policies to ensure that no student is left without equal access to a safe education,” said Skyler Sieradzky, a recent graduate from George Washington University.
“I am here to tell you firsthand that this past academic year – from October 7th onwards, of course – was a grueling nightmare for Jewish students. Words like these are most often used in hyperbole; but in this case, they must be understood in their most literal sense,” said Noa Fay, a graduate student from Columbia University. “This movement perpetrated by college students must be dismantled if only for the fact that it is fundamentally rooted in hatred. Senators, in addition to being Jewish, I am a black and Native American woman. I love being Jewish and I love Israel, of course; I also love Columbia, and I love Barnard. I do not wish to see these institutions fall beyond repair. On the contrary, I wish to restore these communities to what I know them to truly be: places where everyone is accepted and defended as members of the community, regardless of the ethnicities they hold or religions the practice.”
“On my campus, Jewish sorority girls were spat on while selling bracelets with the words ‘I stand with Israel.’ Two assailants vandalized our Hillel building, our center for Jewish life while screaming anti-Israel and anti-semitic obscenities. Two Jewish students were assaulted and spent the night in the hospital after being physically stopped on the street. A group of Jewish girls had pennies thrown at them,” said Jeremy Davis, a recent graduate from The Ohio State University. “It’s time to hold universities accountable and restore integrity to higher education. We must adopt policies that translate into positive cultural shifts to prevent further antisemitic campus culture.”
As co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Taskforce for Countering Antisemitism, Senator Rosen has been leading the fight against rising antisemitism. In May, Senator Rosen sent a bipartisan letter urging the Department of Education to designate a senior official to oversee efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses. Earlier this year, she called on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to hold a full hearing on rising antisemitism on college campuses. Senator Rosen also introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning cases of antisemitism at institutions of higher education and encouraging college and university leaders to speak out against antisemitism, which was agreed to in the Senate by unanimous consent.
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