WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, October 4, 2024, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) sent a letter to nine university presidents urging them to publicly outline their university’s plans to protect Jewish students on campus. As we approach one year since Hamas’s heinous October 7 attack and as antisemitic acts and violence surge across the country, especially on college campuses, it is crucial that institutions have concrete plans in place to protect Jewish students on campus. 

Gottheimer sent the letter to Rutgers University, Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Brown University, George Washington University, and New York University. 

Last month, the FBI released a report which showed that anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 63% since 2023.

“We are experiencing a tidal wave of antisemitism across our communities and universities, and it is paramount that as university presidents, you take direct action to enforce plans to ensure the safety of Jewish students,” wrote Congressman Gottheimer (NJ-5) to nine university presidents. “While differing views are a critical part of building cultural understanding, they cannot provide a bully pulpit for those who seek to divide others and spew hate. The First Amendment does not give students the right to bully, intimidate, and instill fear onto other students.”

Full text of the letter can be found here and below:

October 4, 2024

Mr. Jonathan Holloway 

President

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

7 College Avenue, 2nd Floor

New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Ms. Katrina Armstrong 

Interim President

Columbia University 

Low Library, 202 

535 W. 116 St., 

New York, NY 10027

Mr. Alan Garber

President

Harvard University

Massachusetts Hall

Cambridge, MA 02138

Mr. J. Larry Jameson

Interim President

University of Pennsylvania 

1 College Hall, Rm 100

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Ms. Sally Kornbluth

President

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

77 Massachusetts Avenue

Cambridge, MA 02139

Mr. Christopher Ludwig Eisgruber

President

Princeton University

1 Nassau Hall

Princeton, NJ 08544

Ms. Christina Paxson

President

Brown University

1 Prospect Street, Box 1860

Providence, RI 02912

Ms. Ellen Granberg

President

George Washington University

1918 F Street, NW

Washington, DC 20052

Ms. Linda G. Mills

President 

New York University

70 Washington Square South

New York, NY 10012

Dear University Presidents: 

As we approach one year since Hamas’s heinous October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, I am writing to urge you to publicly outline your university’s plans to protect Jewish students on campus. As antisemitic acts and violence surge across the country, especially on college campuses, it is crucial that your institutions have concrete plans in place to protect Jewish students on campus. Following the worst attack against the Jewish people since the end of the Holocaust, Jewish students have been victims of violence, intimidation, and threats on campuses across the United States. Jewish students must feel safe walking across campus, attending classes, and participating in community events without fear. As a university president, it is imperative that you prepare a detailed plan to ensure the safety of Jewish students. 

In 2023, the Anti-Defamation League recorded more than 8,800 antisemitic incidents, the most recorded since they started tracking antisemitism in 1979. That includes more than 5,200 incidents in the final three months of the year, following the horrific October 7 attack. On campuses across the country, protesters have targeted Jewish students, haranguing them with awful Jew-hating insults and cheering on Hamas — a barbaric foreign terrorist organization that murdered Americans on October 7 and still holds seven Americans hostage. Jewish students have been assaulted, had their places of worship vandalized, faced discrimination and harassment from faculty and staff. Universities should be a place of learning and growth, not a place where students must feel the need to hide who they are out of fear. 

Just days ago, the FBI released a report showing that antisemitism has continued to skyrocket since October 7. Across the country, anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 63% since 2023. And while Jews only make up around two percent of the entire U.S. population, reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes comprised fifteen percent of all hate crimes and sixty-eight percent of all reported religion-based hate crimes in 2023.

We are experiencing a tidal wave of antisemitism across our communities and universities, and it is paramount that as university presidents, you take direct action to enforce plans to ensure the safety of Jewish students. In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965 (Title VI) and Executive Order 13899, administrators at colleges and universities across the country have an obligation to protect Jewish students against antisemitism, harassment, and intimidation from masked agitators and groups. Schools that fail to do so jeopardize their eligibility for federal funding.

This is a defining moment, and we cannot stand idly by as protesters have and continue to call for the death of Jews and the annihilation of the State of Israel. While differing views are a critical part of building cultural understanding, they cannot provide a bully pulpit for those who seek to divide others and spew hate. The First Amendment does not give students the right to bully, intimidate, and instill fear onto other students. Thank you for your attention to this matter and I look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely, 

Congressman Josh Gottheimer.