Colleges and universities ignored the needs of Jewish students even as pro-Palestinian protests engulfed their campuses over the last year, according to a new report released Thursday by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The report, which details the findings of a yearlong investigation led by committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), found that antisemitism overtook college campuses over the last year and resulted in school administrators placing “the wants of terrorist sympathizers over the safety of Jewish students, faculty, and staff.”
The investigation is in response to pro-Palestinian protests that broke out across the country in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel and the war in Gaza.
“For over a year, the American people have watched antisemitic mobs rule over so-called elite universities, but what was happening behind the scenes is arguably worse,” Foxx said in a statement. “While Jewish students displayed incredible courage and a refusal to cave to the harassment, university administrators, faculty, and staff were cowards who fully capitulated to the mob and failed the students they were supposed to serve.”
The 325-page report concluded with four main findings. The committee accused universities of making “astounding concessions” to the student leaders of pro-Palestinian encampments that overtook many college campuses. The report specifically cited Northwestern University, pointing to the school’s administrators agreeing to demands to hire “an ‘anti-Zionist’ rabbi” and to remove Sabra hummus from all campus cafeterias.
The report also alleged that university leaders “deliberately chose” to withhold support from Jewish students, specifically pointing to statements from Harvard University criticizing the Oct. 7 attacks that “intentionally” omitted any condemnation of Hamas.
Additionally, the committee found that administrators “overwhelmingly failed” to enforce “meaningful discipline” for those found engaging in antisemitic conduct. The report specifically accused Harvard and Columbia University of “derailing discipline toward antisemitic conduct violations” as well as Rutgers University for instead “disciplining Jewish students who spoke out against the harassment.”
“Our investigation has shown that these ‘leaders’ bear the responsibility for the chaos likely violating Title VI and threatening public safety,” Foxx said. “It is time for the executive branch to enforce the laws and ensure colleges and universities restore order and guarantee that all students have a safe learning environment.”
The widespread protests on college campuses have garnered national attention over the last year, especially as GOP lawmakers have criticized university leadership for failing to crack down on antisemitism.
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has been a leading voice on Capitol Hill, calling on colleges to crack down on violence stemming from pro-Palestinian protests, which has since resulted in the resignation of presidents from three top U.S. universities over their failure to condemn antisemitism.
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Those resignations include former Columbia President Minouche Shafik, former Harvard President Claudine Gay, and former University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers for comment.