Lawmakers urge independent civil rights commission to investigate campus antisemitism
The Commission on Civil Rights issued recommendations on campus antisemitism in the early 2000s, when reported incidents were a fraction of what they are today
A bipartisan group of 23 lawmakers wrote to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on Tuesday urging it to investigate the rise of antisemitism on college campuses and provide recommendations to Congress and the administration to address the issue.
The commission is an independent bipartisan body created by the Civil Rights Act that investigates and provides recommendations to the administration and Congress on responding to civil rights issues in the U.S.
The commission has investigated campus antisemitism before, in the early 2000s, when campus antisemitism incidents numbered fewer than 100 per year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In 2024, that number ballooned to 922, the vast majority following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the lawmakers’ letter notes.
“The start of the academic year should be a time of excitement and learning, yet Jewish students are increasingly reporting that they feel unsafe due to the surge in antisemitic rhetoric and actions on their campuses,” the lawmakers wrote. “This hostile environment not only threatens the physical safety of students, but also negatively impacts their academic experiences and well-being.”
They asked the commission to report to Congress and to federal agencies on ways they can better protect Jewish students and promote a safe environment on campuses.
The letter was led by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and co-signed by Reps. Kathy Manning (D-NC), Don Bacon (R-NE), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Brandon Williams (R-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Greg Lopez (R-CO), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Gabe Amo (D-RI) and Brad Schneider (D-IL).
The commission’s 2006 report included recommendations that the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Education should strongly enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act; federal agencies should ensure that federal funds do not support antisemitic discrimination; and the Department of Education should provide more data about hate crimes on campuses.
It urged Congress to require greater reporting of antisemitic hate crimes at universities and amend the Civil Rights Act to make clear that discrimination against Jews is prohibited.
The report encouraged university leaders to ensure intellectual diversity and academic standards, particularly in Middle East studies departments.
Kenneth Marcus, the founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, who was the commission’s staff director during the previous investigation, said that a new investigation “could be extremely helpful at this moment – especially with the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act apparently stuck in the U.S. Senate – but only if the Commission has the strength and resolve to give the matter the fair, focused, and principled attention that it deserves.”
He said that the commission’s failure to act independently since Oct. 7 “raises real questions about its potential effectiveness at this juncture,” adding that he was not confident that most commissioners are eager to pursue the subject..
“If the Commission will not address the issue except under duress, we cannot expect much good to come from its involvement,” Marcus continued. “On the other hand, if the Commission is unable to provide value during a civil rights crisis like the present moment, it would not be inappropriate to ask whether it continues to deserve the support of Congress and the President.”
By: Marc Rod
Source: Jewish Insider