Exclusive | Advocacy groups call on US to crack down on anti-Israel protests on college campuses

Several advocacy groups and non-profits are calling for new Senate hearings to crack down on anti-Israel protests and incidents on college campuses that threaten the safety of Jewish students.

In a joint letter to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders – chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee – the groups said it was necessary for the government to cut funds from organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine over antisemitic incidents that have erupted at universities across the US in the past year.

The letter was spearheaded by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Action, a Washington-based think tank, and Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, an American nonprofit group, with other groups signing along.

Several advocacy and nonprofit groups say the anti-Israel protests on college campuses are threatening the safety of Jewish students. REUTERS
Students at Columbia University held a pro-Palestine protest Monday on the anniversary of Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Getty Images

“Since the October 7 atrocities, Jewish students, faculty, and staff have been under increasing attack on campuses nationwide,” the groups wrote.” Many Jewish students feel unsafe expressing their identities on campus, and seven in 10 Jewish students reported experiencing or witnessing antisemitism last year.”

The groups said universities have the duty to protect its Jewish students, claiming groups like the SJP serve as a direct threat that should not receive any funding from the school.

If schools continue to fund such student groups or fail to remove them, the nonprofit groups said the colleges must be held accountable by the US government.

“The federal government has a responsibility to enforce existing laws, such as Title VI, to prevent discrimination and intimidation,” Toby Dershowitz, managing Director of FDD Action, told The Post.

The protests were also held in the streets of New York City. James Keivom
Advocacy groups are calling on colleges to ban face coverings on demonstrators. REUTERS

“Jewish students are under siege, the continued targets of hate and vitriol simply for their faith,” she added. “It is vital that Congress takes action to protect Jewish students and ensure safe learning environments for all.”

Charles Small, the ISGAP’s executive editor,” echoed Dershowitz’s claim that the SJP’s activities were breaching federal law.

“Immediate steps must be taken: universities should ban full face coverings at protests to prevent intimidation and ensure accountability for criminal behavior, outlaw groups that openly support terrorist organizations like Hamas, and strictly enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students from discrimination,” Small said.

Reports of antisemitic incidents have soared across the nation as the war in Gaza rages on. Getty Images

“As recipients of taxpayer funds, universities must be held accountable, and Congress, especially the HELP Committee, must act by holding hearings and ensuring that institutions which fail to protect their Jewish students face serious consequences,” he added.  

Sanders’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The letter from the group is the latest sent to Sanders, who was previously asked in January by a congressional bipartisan task force to hold such hearings about antisemitism on college campuses.

Between Oct. 7, 2023, and Sept. 24, 2024, the Anti-Defamation League reported more than 10,000 antisemitic attacks in the US, with about a tenth of them occurring on college campuses.