The American Psychological Association is under congressional investigation for widespread antisemitism in its ranks, the House Committee on Education and Workforce announced today.
Committee Chair Rep. Tim Walberg sent a formal letter to APA president Dr. Debra Kawahara notifying the organization of the probe, prompted by unchecked antisemitic harassment targeting its Jewish members:
Jewish APA members have reported being harassed and ostracized by their colleagues within the APA and at APA events because of their Jewish identity, their efforts to speak out again antisemitism, and their Zionist beliefs. Members have also stated that their complaints to the association have gone unanswered, raising significant concerns about the APA’s commitment to addressing harassment.
The APA represents more than 172,000 researchers, clinical professionals, professors, and students across the country in the field of psychology, the letter states, describing it as the nation’s foremost accreditor for psychological training and continuing education programs.
“The APA has offered educational credits for members to attend conferences where speakers endorsed ‘violence against Jews and Israelis; antisemitic tropes; Holocaust distortion; minimization of Jewish victimization, fear, and grief; and pathologizing of Jewish people’s connection to their indigenous homeland,'” the letter continues.
The professional group reportedly turned a blind eye to the antisemitism disguised as anti-Zionism coming from its leadership:
[T]he APA allegedly failed to take meaningful action against a former APA division president who has made deeply antisemitic statements. For example, she allegedly taught that Zionism is a mental illness, called to ‘destroy Zionism,’ referred to Israelis as ‘genocidal f**ks,’ and, after the October 7th attacks, wrote, ‘how dare you slander the names of our martyrs as terrorists.’ More broadly, the rampant antisemitism in her division has led to members resigning.
In today’s letter, the committee requests a slew of documents, communications, and complaints dating back to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
“Since the Hamas brutal massacre, Jewish therapists have been shunned from professional spaces, blacklisted for referrals, and refused opportunities for professional development when seeking better ways to help their Israeli clients deal with trauma,” according to a recent report at Aish.com.
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