Brandeis Center Hosts Capitol Hill Briefing Highlighting Rising Anti-Semitism at Schools

Last month, the Brandeis Center hosted a Capitol Hill briefing titled “Back to School: Protests, Harassment, and the Law.” The panel discussion was moderated by Brandeis Center President Alyza D. Lewin, and featured Senior Attorney Robin N. Pick, as well as George Mason University Professor David E. Bernstein and Hillel International General Counsel Mark Rotenberg. Chairman Kenneth L. Marcus provided opening remarks. Hosted by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the briefing highlighted ongoing legal battles and the alarming rise of anti-Semitism at schools and college campuses, and how administrators should respond to harassment.

After introductions provided by Chairman Marcus, Robin Pick discussed Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and how it is used to protect Jewish and Israeli students from discrimination on campus. Additionally, she provided examples of the pervasive anti-Semitism students have experienced since October 7th. From school children being told that “they belong in gas chambers” to physical altercations causing a student to transfer universities, Pick made it clear that this issue has become widespread, yet is often ignored by administrators. She also provided congressional staffers with an overview of some of the Brandeis Center’s current cases.

Alyza Lewin gave a powerful speech about Jewish identity and the necessity to delineate between good-faith political debate and blatant Jew-hatred. While genuine critiques of the Israeli government are not anti-Semitic, demonization and dehumanization of Israelis is. According to the IHRA Working Definition and its contemporary examples, “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” Lewin also explained that while Jews are commonly defined as a religious group, they are also an ethnic group with a shared ancestry.

With the problem clearly defined, Professor Bernstein focused on what the federal government should do to support Jewish students. He spoke about how existing laws, both on the state and national level, can be used to battle anti-Semitism, but are consistently neglected due to the belief that Jewish hatred is frivolous. Bernstein also explored the double-standard surrounding free speech for Jewish students. He cited an incident at Northwestern University in which the administration reacted quickly to allegations of discrimination against other students but was apathetic when it came to Jews citing their experiences with bigotry. He stated that “anything short of threatening to kill people, including simple assaults or other forms of threats has not gotten the Justice Department’s attention.”

Mark Rotenberg provided staggering statistics of anti-Semitic incidents on U.S. college campuses to demonstrate the weight of the issue. Hillel has counted over 1,800 incidents since October 7th, in which 30% of those incidents included physical assaults, vandalism of Jewish property, or constituted an actual threat. In comparison, there were only 27 incidents of campus anti-Semitism reported to Hillel in 2013. In his concluding statements, Rotenberg posed an essential question: what needs to be done to help the Jewish community in academic settings? He explains that university leaders need to clarify and enforce consistent regulations for protests, reaffirm professional responsibilities of their faculty, and to show up for students and their rights. He stated that “Jewish students have a right to hear from the administration and have that despicable activity called out.”

Lewin closed by pointing out another double standard, saying that hatred towards any other group is called out, while anti-Semitism is continuously brushed under the rug, asking, “Why is it not possible to just recognize the hate that’s targeting Jews?”

The full briefing can be viewed below.

Authored by: Mika Chin