Jewish students from four of the nation’s top universities shared distressing encounters with antisemitism on their campuses, revealing incidents ranging from blood libels by school officials to an atmosphere reminiscent of pre-World War II hatred. The testimonies were presented by House Republicans in advance of hearings featuring the presidents of American, Harvard, MIT, and Penn before the Committee on Education & the Workforce.
Talia Khan, president of MIT’s Israel Alliance, recounted the harrowing experience of an Israeli student, whose personal information was sold online, leading to weeks of self-imposed isolation in fear of death threats. Khan also highlighted a campus survey revealing that 70% of Jewish students felt compelled to conceal their identities due to safety concerns.
An alarming incident involved Khan leaving her doctoral study group after members expressed callous sentiments about the victims of the Hamas terrorist attack on the [Nova] music festival. She further revealed a post-doctoral fellow at MIT promoting baseless claims, including the notion that “Jewish Israelis want to enslave the world in a global apartheid system” and falsely accusing Israel of harvesting Palestinian organs. Shockingly, the DEI officer dismissed complaints, asserting that these statements were not hate speech.
Bella Ingber, a junior at NYU, described the challenges of being a Jewish student at the university, citing instances of encountering torn and defaced posters with derogatory labels and facing physical assault in the university’s library. Ingber highlighted the distressing reality of hearing calls for harm against Jews in 2023 and being told that Hitler was right.
Eyal Yakoby, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, disclosed the university’s unsettling antisemitic activities, including classmates and professors chanting for the genocide of Jews, igniting smoke bombs, and defacing school property. Yakoby expressed his refusal to revert to a time when Jews had to conceal their religious symbols due to intimidation. He revealed the discouraging recommendation for students to avoid wearing Jewish-related clothing and accessories.
Jonathan Frieden, a Harvard Law School student, shared an incident where a mob of 200 people, including non-affiliated individuals, entered a study room, chanting antisemitic phrases. Despite reporting to the dean of students and DEI office, there was no response from Harvard. Frieden emphasized the pervasive nature of antisemitism on campuses, extending beyond Middle East-related issues, and called for collective action to address the unchecked problem.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) commended the students for their articulate testimony, acknowledging the severity of the issue and expressing outrage that such incidents are occurring in America.
{Matzav.com}
