Agudath Israel of America welcomes President Trump’s Executive Order that seeks to target and combat anti-Semitism at American colleges and universities. This action embodies an understanding of federal law that has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress, and offers a definition of anti-Semitism that has been adopted by the State Department and by several international bodies and foreign governments.

It is no secret that Jewish students on campus fear for their safety. The rise in anti-Semitic incidents and the increasingly poisonous atmosphere towards Jews at our institutions of higher education have been widely reported upon and acutely felt in our community. Jewish students on too many campuses face the reality of verbal and even physical attacks by other students, and of hostile demagoguery spouted by extremists, and sometimes condoned by faculty and university officials. When that happens, a line has been crossed. It is not the “academic freedom” and “open political discussion” that Americans cherish; it is the bias and hatred that Americans abhor, and that our government should pursue.

No student should walk any campus in fear.

Congratulations to President Trump, Secretary DeVos, Assistant Secretary of Education Ken Marcus and all the Administration Officials and Congressional leaders who have moved this measure forward.

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