Nine Jewish students at prominent universities told lawmakers Thursday they feel unsafe on campus, but their complaints of anti-Semitism are being ignored by university authorities.
At a bipartisan roundtable hosted by the House Education and Labor Committee, students recounted various episodes of anti-Semitism they have experienced on campus since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, and their schools became violent and vandalized. accused of pandering to protesters. Minimize threats to Jewish students.
Noah Rubin, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “We've been told over and over again that the university takes these issues seriously, but they always take no action.”
The roundtable in Washington was led by Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina. The opinions of the 20 members who participated, including Fox, were evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.
The nine students, from Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Columbia University, and five other universities, were selected by a House committee, according to Fox's aides, who said their selections were made by the committee. The Republican Party, which had a majority, had more power. The committee sought students at universities where there had been high-profile incidents of anti-Semitism.
Several Jewish organizations expressed support for the parliamentary committee's efforts Thursday, sending representatives to the stands. But some critics have dismissed the hearings on the issue as part of a broader Republican-led culture war against universities seen as bastions of liberalism.
The discussion was less formal than testimony in Congressional hearings and a sequel to the Dec. 5 hearing in which the presidents of MIT, Harvard, and Penn came under fire over anti-Semitism on their campuses. It was something. Leaders were asked whether calling for the massacre of Jews on campus would be punished, and their answer that it depends on the circumstances sparked a fierce backlash and led to the resignations of two university presidents.
Since the Oct. 7 attacks, questions about how to maintain freedom of expression while cracking down on destructive protests have rocked universities across the country. As Jewish students demand action from universities to combat anti-Semitism and some students file lawsuits against schools, Muslim students and other Palestinian supporters also file charges of harassment and discrimination against them. A letter has been submitted.
Several studies are underway to examine anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bias on campus. The Department of Education has launched an investigation into discrimination against Muslim students at Harvard University and other universities. House committees are also investigating anti-Semitism at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University, and Foxx said the investigation could be expanded. The roundtable will help inform next steps in the investigation, she said.
Passionate, angry and defiant students repeatedly said Thursday they feel scared and abandoned, despite efforts to be heard by university officials.
Shabbos Kestenbaum, a student at Harvard Divinity School, said, “Inviting me means that Harvard is already doing more for the Jewish people than Harvard has ever done. They are listening to our opinions.” Kestenbaum is one of six Jewish students who have sued Harvard University for discrimination.
Non-sworn students discussed their experiences with and witnessing violence and verbal attacks on campus. Some said they stopped wearing Star of David necklaces and skull caps after being spat at and taunted.
They also said that school police appeared to have been instructed not to stop demonstrators during war-related protests, some of which turned violent.
Cooper Union student Jacob Khalili said he was inside the library while pro-Palestinian protests were taking place outside. He said the protesters were rattling doors and banging on windows, “shouting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic chants.” He recalled that some of the people he was with called police for help, but said authorities did not intervene.
Joe Gindi, a student at Rutgers University, said protesters once shouted at him, “We don't want Zionists here!” They called him a “European colonizer” even though his family is from Syria. He also said that police and civil authorities at the scene did not stop the protesters.
Lawmakers attending the roundtable discussion were shocked by the report and seemed to sympathize with the students. House members said they are working to incorporate information gleaned from public hearings and debate into legislation.
But some in the audience Thursday pointed out that Jewish students aren't the only ones facing discrimination on campus. A small group of protesters from anti-war, pro-Palestinian group Code Pink said Muslim and Arab students were also being abused and deserved to be heard.
“There is a very real problem with Islamophobia,” said Moatas Salim, a graduate student at George Washington University, who said about 40 members of his family were forced from their homes in Gaza and others were killed. said that it was done. He said he knew a professor who was outspoken about Palestinian rights and who was accused of anti-Semitism for inviting a speaker whom Jewish students opposed.
Khalil Gibran Muhammad, professor of history, race, and public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, said limiting Thursday's discussion to anti-Semitism “ignores the many forms of bigotry that exist on campus. “There is,” he said.