By Wayne Pines
One of the major ongoing news stories during the Trump administration has been its assault on universities. The administration has threatened academic independence, cut funds for medical research and taken actions against international students. Universities have decried the attacks, yet at the same time have agreed to change their policies to accommodate the administration’s position.
Jewish issues have been at the epicenter of the administration assault and university reaction. One of the justifications used by the administration for acting against universities involves antisemitic and anti-Israel policies. It was the takeover of campuses by pro-Palestinian students and advocates after Oct. 7, 2023, and the failure of universities to manage the situation, that gained national attention and caused antisemitism to become a central issue for all universities.
In effect, antisemitism is the weapon being used by those who are seeking to change university policies involving diversity, admissions policies, campus conduct and academic freedom.
Even while the administration’s antidemocratic tactics and arguably anticonstitutional tactics are being decried and legally challenged, it is fair to say we can see some short-term benefit. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments have largely gone away.
University leadership has been forced to create and enforce policies intended to make campuses more comfortable for Jewish students and programs. Teachers who used their classrooms to advance pro-Hamas and anti-Israel ideologies have been challenged.
Further, systemic antisemitism at universities is being exposed. For example, at Harvard a report produced by twin task forces on combating bias toward Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab and Palestinians described an atmosphere of fear and exclusion. Harvard has pledged to take action. Other major universities have published their commitments to addressing antisemitism and anti-Islamism.
Until recently, American Jewish organizations did not take strong public stands on the ongoing events. And we heard nary a word from organizations representing educational interests.
But in recent weeks, there has been a surge in statements issued by Jewish organizations, now joined by education-focused groups, expressing concern about the antidemocratic tactics being employed against universities and individual students. There seems to be a new recognition that using antisemitism as a weapon is not beneficial for Jewish interests.
For example, the American Jewish Committee joined with the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities in a statement “affirming the seriousness of antisemitism on campus” and noting that “[i]n the name of combating antisemitism, the federal government has recently taken steps that endanger the research grants, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy of America’s higher education sector.”
And an “Open Letter from American Jewish Leaders: Stand Up for Jewish Safety and Democracy” was published that said: “Today, democracy in our country is being assaulted as never before. It’s time for Jewish leadership to act.” The letter went on to “urge Jewish leadership to forcefully and publicly reaffirm the historic and continuing commitment of the American Jewish community to academic freedom, to the rule of law, to ensure due process to anyone accused of breaking the law, to freedom of speech and the press. And we call on Jewish leaders and institutions — national and local — to resist the exploitation of Jewish fears and publicly join with other organizations that are battling to preserve the guardrails of democracy.”
Further, under the auspices of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, “a coalition of ten organizations representing mainstream American Jewry — including three of the four denominations — issued a joint statement rejecting the false choice between confronting antisemitism and upholding democracy.”
Thus, a clear connection has been drawn between the assault on universities’ independence and funding for medical research, and the fight against antisemitism on campuses. To restore federal funding and support, universities need, among other things, to deal with campus antisemitism.
In the short term, putting universities in a position where they must reaffirm their commitment to combating antisemitism on campus and create a safer environment for Jewish students has some favorable elements.
But in the long term, the weaponization of antisemitism will pose an existential threat to the fight against antisemitism.
At some point, the actions taken by the administration in the name of combating antisemitism on campuses will be decided by the courts, as will the fate of students who fear deportation.
But in the court of public opinion, where antisemitism really needs to be fought, when the dust settles, the role that antisemitism played in the fight to preserve our democratic institutions will not be forgotten. The academics who feel that the current assault has constrained their free expression will remember that one of the justifications was antisemitism.
It is good to see so many Jewish organizations speak out against the assault on academic freedom and medical research defunding. It is good to see that educational organizations have now joined in. However, the longer-term challenge for Jewish leaders and the Jewish community is to disassociate the assault on academic and research from antisemitism on campus and in society.
We know that antisemitism never goes away. To the extent that antisemitism is used, or is seen as, a tactic against universities, it will be more difficult in the long term for the Jewish community to rally support for efforts to combat antisemitism. Those who justify undermining academic freedom and independence and defunding medical research by seeking changes in policies regarding antisemitism are doing a grave disservice to efforts to combat antisemitism in our society. ■
Wayne Pines is a health care consultant living in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Contrary to the dishonest attacks on Trump coming from the left, the battle against woke ideology isn’t a conservative culture war issue or part of a populist or anti-intellectual effort to destroy education, science or even democracy itself. You can’t fight antisemitism without seeking to roll back the woke tide that has been ruining schools and so much else. Trump’s targeting of these institutions is the only plan of action that has the potential to save both Jewish students and the academic institutions they attend from forces bent on wrecking all of American society.