The Resolution Also Encourages Higher Education Leaders To Protect Jewish Students From Rising Antisemitism
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James Lankford (R-OK), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) in introducing and encouraging swift passage of their bipartisan resolution denouncing antisemitism at institutions of higher education. Amid a spike in antisemitic incidents on college campuses across the nation, this resolution pushes college and university leaders, administrators, and faculty to voice their opposition to antisemitism on campus. Senators Rosen and Lankford are the co-founders and co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.
“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 states. “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 also states: “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.”
This resolution is supported by the 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.
Read the full resolution HERE.
Senator Rosen has been a leader in countering antisemitism. Last week, she helped lead a push to call for increased funding to protect synagogues and Jewish community centers from targeted violence. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen introduced, alongside Senator Lankford, the Holocaust Education and Antisemitism Lessons (HEAL) Act to strengthen Holocaust education in the United States. Last Congress, her bipartisan Never Again Education Act was signed into law, establishing a federal fund to provide teachers with resources and training necessary to educate students on the important lessons of the Holocaust.
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