(The Center Square) – The Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism will be visiting 10 universities that have experienced antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Gaza, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
The task force was created pursuant to President Donald Trump’s executive order to combat antisemitism in schools and on college campuses.
During the spring of 2024, several universities across the country were the setting for anti-Israeli and antisemitic protests, some turning violent.
Columbia University garnered the most attention following a violent uprising leading to arrests after agitators stormed and occupied a campus building. Following the eventual crackdown from law enforcement and the university, the New York Police Department reported finding pro-Jihadi materials within the encampment.
This eventually led to universities being forced to crack down on antisemitic rhetoric, including anti-Israeli statements from several faculty and staff.
One of Trump’s top priorities since his inauguration is to combat antisemitism, specifically on college campuses.
Leo Terrell, leading task force member and senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, informed 10 universities last week that the task force is “aware of allegations that the schools may have failed to protect Jewish students and faculty members from unlawful discrimination in potential violation of federal law.”
The 10 are Columbia, George Washington, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, New York University, Northwestern, UCLA, Cal Berkeley, Minnesota and Southern Cal.
A release from the Justice Department said Terrell “intends” for the task force to meet with university leadership, students, staff, law enforcement and community members in an effort to collect information regarding the incidents.
“The president, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, and the entire administration are committed to ensuring that no one should feel unsafe or unwelcome on campus because of their religion,” said Terrell. “The task force’s mandate is to bring the full force of the federal government to bear in our effort to eradicate antisemitism, particularly in schools. These visits are just one of many steps this administration is taking to deliver on that commitment.”
The announcement came before the Anti-Defamation League released its updated Campus Antisemitism Report Card. The group assessed 135 schools; while many improved, schools such as Columbia and the University of Minnesota maintained low marks.
