Blackburn Leads Resolution Condemning Antisemitism in Higher Education

October 25, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) are encouraging a swift Senate passage of their resolution that denounces antisemitism at institutions of higher education and pushes college and university leaders, administrators, and faculty to voice their opposition to antisemitism on campus. The resolution comes amid a spike in antisemitic incidents on college campuses across the country.

There Has Been A Spike In Antisemitism On College Campuses Since The Hamas Massacre 

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, there has been a rise in incidents of antisemitism, including hate speech and intimidation, on college campuses and universities in the United States, creating an atmosphere of fear for Jewish students and faculty,” the resolution stated.

Antisemitism Has No Place At Our Institutions Of Higher Education

Acts of hate, discrimination, and violence based on religion or ethnicity have no place at institutions that exist to further education and understanding between diverse student bodies,” the resolution stated.

Colleges Are Obligated To Combat Antisemitism While Protecting Freedom Of Speech

Freedom of speech and expression are foundational principles of institutions of higher education in the United States, but when these principles are used to promote violence, hatred, or discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs, national origin, or ancestry, higher education leaders have the right and an obligation to respond,” the resolution stated.

ENDORSEMENTS:

  • This resolution is supported by American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, B’nai B’rith International, Hadassah -- The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish on Campus, Republican Jewish Coalition, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and World Jewish Congress.

BACKGROUND:

  •  Since the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel, there has been a noticeable rise in antisemitism on campuses across the country.
  • Professors at elite universities such as Columbia University and Cornell University have praised the Hamas slaughter of Israelis.
  • A Stanford University professor was suspended after reportedly asking his Jewish students to sit in a corner, calling them “colonizers,” and downplaying the Holocaust.

View the resolution here.