‘All Americans must stand united against anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms.’
President Joe Biden is set to unveil a series of new measures on Tuesday aimed at addressing the rise of anti-Semitism, particularly in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests that swept college campuses and led to discrimination complaints.
The announcement will be part of a keynote address at an event hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. According to the White House, President Biden will use this platform to reaffirm the nation’s “Never again” commitment to the Jewish people. This pledge, stemming from the Holocaust, underscores America’s resolve to prevent such atrocities from recurring in the future.
In addition to emphasizing this commitment, President Biden will discuss “the importance of recounting the crimes of the Holocaust and the events that led to it as the world watched with indifference,” according to the White House. His speech will also cover “how too many people are downplaying” both the Holocaust and the Hamas terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, deadly rampage in Israel.
President Biden will also discuss the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses and how “all Americans must stand united against anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms.”
The president’s speech comes seven months after the Oct. 7 attack, deemed the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Around 1,200 men, women, and children on the Israeli side of the border were killed by Hamas terrorists, with hundreds taken hostage.
Biden’s New Measures
Among the measures to be announced, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will issue new guidance to every school district and college in the country, providing examples of anti-Semitic discrimination and other forms of hate that could lead to investigations for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
According to the White House, the ED-OCR has opened more than 100 investigations over the past seven months into complaints alleging discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including anti-Semitism. The four years of the previous administration saw comparatively less cases opened at 27, the fact sheet stated.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will collaborate with interagency partners to develop an online campus safety resources guide to provide assistance to campuses on one website. DHS will also work on sharing best practices for community-based targeted violence and terrorism prevention.
Furthermore, the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the Department of State will convene technology firms to identify best practices to address anti-Semitic content online, while federal agencies will continue to provide information to technology companies regarding symbols and themes associated with violent extremism.
The White House stated that these actions build upon the work of the President’s National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which was released a year ago. This strategy includes over 100 actions taken by the Biden administration and calls for action directed at Congress, state and local governments, companies, technology platforms, educators, and civil society.
The strategy involves actions by various departments and agencies, including the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security that the White House says have provided greater security to Jewish institutions, and the Department of Education, which has addressed anti-Semitism in educational environments.
“The Biden administration has taken aggressive action to implement the strategy and to speak out forcefully against hate of all kinds, especially in the wake of the October 7th attacks. Through the National Security Supplemental, President Biden secured an additional $400 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which funds security improvements and training to nonprofits and houses of worship, including campus organizations and community centers. This funding has been critical to the security of Jewish institutions,” reads the White House fact sheet.
‘Alarming Rise’ of Anti-Semitism on Campuses
Since the Oct. 7 attack, the Israeli military has carried out operations in Gaza to eradicate Hamas, a terror group and the de facto authority in Gaza.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has reported that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations. The Gaza Health Ministry does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas terrorists.
Pushback against the Israeli military’s response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack has seen pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters set up encampments at U.S. colleges and universities, such as Columbia, UCLA, Harvard, and MIT, causing disruptions to education and occasionally resulting in harassment, intimidation, and violence.
Violence has erupted at some of these encampments, some of which were declared unlawful, with law enforcement called in to move them off campus after negotiations reached an impasse.
Education Secretary Warns Colleges of Anti-Discrimination Rules
On May 3, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued a letter to more than 5,000 leaders at colleges, universities, and schools that receive federal funding, urging action to combat hate, ensure safe learning environments, and reminding them of federal anti-discrimination laws under Title VI.
“These and other such incidents are abhorrent, period. They have no place on our college campuses,” Mr. Cardona wrote. “Antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And we stand against antisemitism. We also stand against other forms of hate.”
Title VI regulations provide all students with a school environment free from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
“The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) stands ready to support schools in fulfilling this promise and to ensure every student’s right to learn without discrimination,” Mr. Cardon wrote.
