Schools of Higher Learning to Be Investigated for Antisemitism

C.G. Hoffman

In the wake of a frightening antisemitic riot at a New York City public school, where students rioted and damaged school property after finding out that a Jewish teacher had attended a Pro-Israel rally, authorities seem to finally be taking reports of rampant anti-semitism at educational institutions seriously. The students at Hillcrest High School in Queens, rioted after the teacher’s information was put out on social media, forcing the teacher to take refuge in a locked room until the police arrived.

Institutions of higher learning have come under increasing scrutiny after the October 7 massacre in Israel, with many accused of actively encouraging Pro-Palestinian protests while silencing the voices of Jewish students, or at the least standing at the side and not protecting Jewish students when they reported feeling threatened and unsafe. The US Department of Education added Harvard University and the New York City Department of Education to a growing list of educational institutions that are under investigation for incidents of anti-semitism.

Harvard School president Claudine Gay has promised full cooperation with the investigation, and is scheduled to testify in Congress next week at a hearing on antisemitism on campus. Interestingly, recent reports have indicated that many wealthy Jewish families who had previously been considering Ivy League colleges for their children, some who had even been accepted, are now considering other colleges, which are not as elite, but have a better track record of protecting their students.

The Office of Civil Rights announced earlier last month that it was investigating reports of antisemitism and other forms of discrimination and harassment on college campuses and in K-12 schools since the conflict escalated in the Middle East. The schools include Cornell University, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. The investigations were launched under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which says universities and K-12 schools have a responsibility to provide all students with an environment free from discrimination.