The Hidden Costs of Fighting Antisemitism

Over a year and a half after October 7, 2023 and with the war in the Middle East still raging on, antisemitism continues to propagate throughout our society at an alarming rate. [1][2] Jewish students are still being harassed outside places of worship, synagogues have had to maintain armed security, and many who associate with Israel have been ostracized. [3][4][5]

How do we fight this rising wave of antisemitism at universities in the United States? One would anticipate a delicate and careful response that considers the safety and well-being of the Jewish community while upholding the rule of law with respect and dignity.

Government entities have endeavored to answer this question by sponsoring efforts to combat the rising tide of antisemitism.

The Trump Administration signed Executive Order 14188 on January 29, 2025, titled Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism. This Executive Order endeavors to achieve the following: creates the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, directs the Department of Education to audit existing Title VI allegations of antisemitism, instructs the Department of Justice to enforce certain parts of US civil rights law, and directs the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education, and the State Department to investigate non-US citizens for antisemitism.

On the surface, these seem like rather obvious remedies to the dire situation that Jewish people in academia face. However, the federal government has gone even further. In addition to Executive Order 14188, the Trump Administration has sent letters to some 60 universities across the United States –including UCLA and other UC schools– that warn of punitive action pending investigation into antisemitism on their respective campuses. So far, punitive action has constituted sweeping cuts to a large number of federal grants to universities between $400 million for Columbia University and $2 billion for Harvard University.

One must evaluate these funding cuts from their stated goal of benefiting Jewish students and faculty in the face of rising antisemitism. Many Jewish students receive federal student aid through Pell Grant and student loans,which are safe for now. Also, many Jewish students and faculty receive funding for their research from the federal government through organizations like the National Institute for Health. Despite this, these budget cuts aren’t specific since that would likely be considered a Title VI civil rights violation. Thus, Jewish students and faculty members are getting hurt by the very actions that are allegedly in their defense.

Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security has been directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to detain and deport international and immigrant students for allegedly engaging in antisemitic activity with over 1,000 students having their student visas revoked through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) with no warning to the universities or students. This particular directive might make sense for individuals who have encouraged and chanted for the destruction of the Jewish people, Israel, and/or the United States. However, some of these individuals had nothing to do with protests or antisemitic activity. Some had their visas revoked for things as simple as traffic stops. [6] Conversely, this action doesn’t address the hundreds of US citizens who instigated protests and played a significant role in antisemitism at universities.

One might wonder what actions can be taken that don’t jeopardize the Jewish community’s ability to participate in academia or due process. This is where UCLA’s new Chancellor Julio Frenk and many of the Jewish faculty, students, and community members at UCLA provide a productive way forward. On March 10, 2025, Dr. Frenk introduced the Initiative to Combat Antisemitism after a targeted incident against UC Regent Jay Sures’ residence and further protests on campus. [7][8] This initiative relies on suggestions for how to fight antisemitism at UCLA made in a 94-page report from September 2024 by the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias at UCLA. These suggestions include providing support for Jewish students and faculty, banning the local chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Graduate SJP, enforcing existing policies against antisemitism, and working with community members to meet their needs. [1]

This approach has measurably improved the situation at UCLA. For example, anti-Israel protests conducted after its institution did not disrupt campus operations for the most part. Violations of the update Time, Place, and Manner (TPM) policy were met with a swift response from UCPD and campus security. [9] This is in comparison to protests from October 2024 during a “week of rage” which saw blatant violations of TPM policy with little to no known enforcement from UCLA.

Antisemitism is a major issue of the modern world with academia providing an environment conducive to such sentiments. Despite this, we cannot forget that a nuanced situation requires an equally nuanced response. Draconian budget cuts and deportations will not protect my peers from being called “Zionist rat[s]” or from anti-Israel and antisemitic graffiti being put up across the street from AEPi or the UCLA Bayit. [5][10]

It is becoming apparent that the federal government’s actions are moving away from fighting antisemitism, as is clear in the differences in letters to Columbia versus letters to Harvard and the shuttering of the Department of Education that had completed a comprehensive investigation of antisemitism at universities.

The Jewish community needs a nuanced response to the threats we face. This response must be carefully formulated to meet our needs without sacrificing the future of the next generation of thinkers.

Why should we have to give up more when so much has already been taken?