The Trump administration’s decisive actions against campus anti-Semitism are commendable and must be reinforced with the implementation of a clear federal code of conduct to prevent future bullying of Jewish university students.
After the administration revoked over $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University due to its failure to protect students from anti-Semitism, the university agreed to change its policies. According to The Wall Street Journal, the concessions include adopting an updated definition of anti-Semitism, appointing a new senior vice provost, hiring more campus police officers, and clarifying acceptable times and manners for protests.
This move follows the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism’s announcement last month that it would visit ten university campuses that have experienced anti-Semitic incidents since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Anti-Defamation League reports that anti-Semitism on college and university campuses has “rapidly escalated into a national crisis,” with over 1,200 incidents recorded between October 7, 2023, and September 24, 2024. A staggering 83.2% of Jewish college students surveyed have witnessed some form of anti-Semitism, while 51.4% of non-Jewish students also reported witnessing anti-Semitism during the same period.
There is a strong and consistent correlation between anti-Semitic and hostile anti-Israel attitudes. For instance, former Columbia University graduate student and non-citizen Mahmoud Khalil was taken into custody by federal immigration officials for his role in organizing violent campus protests that resulted in injuries and property damage. Other terrorist sympathizers include Helyeh Doutaghi, an Iranian academic suspended by Yale University for openly declaring her commitment to fighting the United States.
Badar Khan Suri — a Georgetown foreign exchange student and son-in-law of a Hamas official — is also being deported for his pro-terrorist activities. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated in a post on X that Suri “has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist” and is “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting anti-Semitism on social media.”
This organized anti-Israel activity on campus goes far beyond what is protected under freedom of speech. Federal law prohibits providing “material support or resources” to any designated terrorist organization. Jewish students at Columbia University reported to The New York Post that a 14-page “underground manual” is circulating among students, providing details on how to evade law enforcement and commit destructive acts, such as buying sledgehammers with cash and targeting a building’s water or sewer pipes to cause maximum property damage.
The administration’s crackdown on campus anti-Semitism by withholding federal funds and deporting non-citizen students and faculty who engage in organized anti-Israel activism is a strong start. However, it must be followed by the implementation of clear federal guidelines that adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism. Created in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, the IHRA defines anti-Semitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” It goes on to list the targeting of the State of Israel as a manifestation, excluding criticism that is similar to that against any other country.
Any foreign student or faculty member seeking the privilege of working at an American institution must pledge to uphold this definition of anti-Semitism.
We have seen how language evolves in response to social awareness. Decades ago, racial slurs were tolerated in public discourse; today, they are recognized as hate speech and rightfully condemned. The same must happen with anti-Semitic slurs and coded anti-Israel rhetoric. Words matter, and education matters. We must teach students, faculty, and administrators that vilifying Jews and dehumanizing Israel are not legitimate political statements; they are expressions of bigotry.
The government must lower the threshold for what constitutes actionable anti-Semitism because Jewish students are already suffering the consequences. Anything less is a green light for hate.
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Bradley Martin is the Executive Director of the Near East Center for Strategic Studies. Follow him on Facebook and X (Twitter) @ByBradleyMartin
Dr. Liram Koblentz-Stenzler is a Senior Researcher at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University and a Visiting Scholar at Brandeis University. She is a member of Forum Dvorah, Women in Foreign Policy and National Security. Follow her on LinkedIn.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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