On February 4, Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and a group of 39 bipartisan Members of Congress sent a letter to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), urging it to take concrete steps to support Jewish students and address the rising threat of anti-Semitism on campus. Members asked the Department of Education to resolve long-pending complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination and “reprioritize the rulemaking process for Title VI” of the Civil Rights Act, which would codify the Executive Order on Combatting anti-Semitism. The letter reflects recommendations previously endorsed by the Brandeis Center about the need for OCR to do more to signal its prioritization of campus anti-Semitism at a time when anti-Semitism is surging. LDB Founder and Chairman, Kenneth Marcus has explained that the Trump administration did this through public actions like providing technical assistance and guidance; similarly, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon “can use the bully pulpit in a lot of different ways. She can make speeches. She can issue statements.” “Harassment of Jewish students can’t be tolerated,” Marcus said. “And I don’t think we will get significant action from universities…unless the Biden administration makes clear that this is a priority. That’s something that shouldn’t take another year. It should happen tomorrow.” Read the entire letter from Members of Congress to OCR here. Read more here.