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Senate HELP hearing spotlights campus antisemitism, calls for stronger Title VI enforcement and new laws
Summary
Witnesses and senators at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing described a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses, urged stronger enforcement of Title VI and endorsed pending bills including the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the Protecting Students on Campus Act.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday heard testimony that Jewish students are facing rising harassment on college campuses and that federal enforcement and new laws are needed to protect them.
Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., opened the hearing by describing the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and the resulting uptick in campus incidents, saying, "On October 2023, the world watched in horror as Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, slaughtered 1,200 innocent men, women, and children." He said the committee would focus on enforcement of federal civil-rights law for students.
The hearing featured five witnesses who described patterns of intimidation, harassment and exclusion that they say have left many Jewish students afraid to attend classes or participate in campus life. Carla Grama, director of legal policy for Stand With Us, told the committee, "Jewish students continue to find virtually every aspect of US campus life increasingly hostile." Grama urged Congress to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act, require campus…
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