The Second Trump Administration Can Fight America’s Growing Antisemitism Problem
“One of the main hotbeds for high-profile actions of antisemitism, for example, has been college campuses.”
This is a problem that is only getting worse, especially in higher education.
Mark Pinkert and Jason Torchinsky write at Law.com:
How the Trump II Administration Can Combat Antisemitism
Antisemitism is not just a pernicious ideology; it is a hatred so intense and conspiratorial that it frequently leads to criminal behavior and lawlessness. For years, antisemitic crimes in the U.S. have been largely underreported by the media and not sufficiently addressed by law enforcement.
But since Oct. 7, 2023, the lawless behavior has increased exponentially, with more physical attacks against Jews, more extensive property destruction, and more violent riots and protests. Campuses have become hostile to Jewish students, and universities have acted unlawfully by failing to provide Jewish students safe learning environments. In Brooklyn, assailants attack Hasidic men, women and children on the streets. And in rural New York and New Jersey, local citizen groups have tried to keep Jews from moving into their neighborhoods through discriminatory zoning decisions.
Unfortunately, our federal government has failed to match the vigor with which antisemitism has risen. While the Biden Administration made some strides and struck some sound chords, it was ultimately not up to the task. The second Trump Administration has a unique opportunity to combat antisemitism by taking a multifaceted, whole-of-government approach, and by more rigorously enforcing the laws that some Biden appointees refused to enforce. To succeed on a larger scale, the Administration must recognize that not only is the problem of antisemitism deeply rooted in certain institutions, but also that it implicates numerous federal laws and falls within the jurisdiction of several federal agencies, including ones with both civil and criminal jurisdiction. The Trump Administration can make improvements in these areas of federal enforcement, particularly where the previous administration was too lax.
One of the main hotbeds for high-profile actions of antisemitism, for example, has been college campuses. In the wake of Oct. 7, student protesters have assaulted and spit at Jewish students, surrounded them, and harassed and intimidated them. Some have posted explicit threats of antiJewish violence on school platforms. They have blocked visibly Jewish students from accessing public facilities, and they have taken over campus quads with weeks-long encampments. Many faculty have encouraged and participated in this lawlessness, and have discriminated against Jewish students in their classroom. Administrators have also discriminated against Jews by refusing to enforce school policies to protect them, while vigorously enforcing the same policies to protect other minorities.
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