A bipartisan coalition, the Combating Antisemitism on College Campuses Caucus, has been launched by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York and Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. The caucus aims to provide a unified congressional approach to addressing antisemitism within higher education institutions.
According to press releases from the lawmakers' offices, the caucus will facilitate oversight of how colleges and universities respond to antisemitic incidents. It will also work to ensure that institutions protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff, and enforce their existing anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies.
Furthermore, the group plans to advance and monitor federal legislation designed to counter campus antisemitism and discrimination related to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The caucus also intends to highlight institutions that are effectively addressing antisemitism and to share best practices across campuses nationwide.
Rep. Gottheimer, who is Jewish, stated that since the October 7th attack by Hamas, Jewish students have faced harassment and intimidation on many campuses. He emphasized the caucus's commitment to holding universities accountable and supporting schools that are handling the issue well, citing Vanderbilt University as an example. "We are committed to saving American higher education for the next generation," said Rep. Stefanik, a Catholic Republican who has previously authored a book on the topic of anti-Americanism in colleges.
Stefanik described Gottheimer as a key partner in addressing this issue. The formation of the caucus comes amid heightened concerns about antisemitism on college campuses nationwide.