Antisemitism in Higher Education: Examining the Role of Faculty, Funding, and Ideology
Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities
2025-07-15
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Source: Congress.gov
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Come to order. A quorum is present. The committee meets today pursuant to notice. Without objection, the chair may recess the committee at any point. Good morning to each of you. To our witnesses, good morning as well. Last, Congress, the Committee on Education and Workforce conducted vital, rigorous oversight of the anti-Semitic violence that spiraled out of control on college campuses all over the United States after October 7th, 2023. Specifically, the committee focused on the weeks-long violent encampments that engulfed campuses across the country and whether universities were holding those involved accountable. Today's hearing marks the next phase of the committee's work, an effort to understand why this wave of anti-Semitism was able so easily to consume the nation's universities in the first place. The committee will be examining several factors that incite anti-Semitism on college campuses. First, we'll examine faculty and student groups. We've long expressed concern about the group Students for Justice in Palestine. But after October 7th, chapters of the faculty variant of this group, Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, proliferated at universities across the United States. Over 100 new chapters have been established in an effort to bring anti-Semitism into the classrooms and lend institutional legitimacy to anti-Semitic actions. We'll examine faculty unions. Secondly, faculty unions have played a critical role fomenting anti-Semitism at universities under the guise of labor rights.
As we'll see today, unions across the country encourage anti-Semitic activism through protests, demands, and workshops. Third, we'll look at Middle East studies centers. Many such centers have become beachheads for faculty with extremist ties who seek to demonize Israel and the United States. We support the study of the Middle East and recognize that it is important for our national security. But we do not support promoting anti-Semitism and Islamism, a radical political ideology. Fourth, we'll examine foreign funding. Foreign funding can influence research priorities, faculty appointments, public statements, and events on campus. This is especially the case for U.S. universities with a separate campus abroad. We need greater transparency into foreign funding when it comes to higher education. The Deterrent Act passed on a bipartisan basis through this committee and the House earlier this Congress would achieve that goal. Finally, and more broadly, we'll be examining the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies universities use. The DEI ideology embraced by so many university bureaucrats categorizes Jews as white oppressors and therefore excuses or even justifies anti-Semitic harassment. The violence, fear, and alienation felt by Jewish students is at its core a result of administrators and their staff lacking the moral clarity to condemn and punish antisemitism that is creating a hostile environment for Jewish students on America's campuses.
We've seen that in evidence at past hearings, sadly, to a great degree. Speech that is protected by the First Amendment can still contribute to a hostile environment, and universities are obligated to do something about it. Universities can choose to hire anti-Semitic faculty, welcome students with a history of anti-Semitism, accept certain foreign funding, and let the behavior of anti-Semitic unions go unchecked. But we will see today they do so at their own risk. While I appreciated our discussions with the presidents and chancellors yesterday in my office, and I sincerely appreciated it, especially in light of the change in schedule that forced your changes in schedule as well. It is time for clear action on your campuses that can be quantified and can be exemplified to the watching world around. With that, I yield to the ranking member, my friend from Virginia, for an opening statement.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being with us today. Let me begin by acknowledging the seriousness of today's hearing topic. Combating anti-Semitism, like all forms of hatred and bigotry, must be a moral and civic priority. But I'd be remiss if I did not point out that this is our ninth hearing on anti-Semitism in 18 months. I also note that since this committee's first anti-Semitism hearing in December 2023, we have not held a single hearing addressing racism, xenophobia, sexism, Islamophobia, or other challenges affecting other student groups on American college campuses. I've witnessed this committee's silence on the administration's wholesale attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion and accessibility, DEI, initiatives designed to make campuses more welcoming to all groups. And if we're seriously to address anti-Semitism and other forms of hate on college campuses, the process we could best use would be the vigorous enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, enforced by the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Education.
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