Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) hosted a roundtable on Monday with Jewish students attending Columbia University in New York City on increasing security at schools as antisemitic demonstrations continue on campus. Representatives of major American Jewish organizations also joined in the dialogue.
Groups included representatives from UJA-Federation New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee in New York.
The legislators advocated for the Antisemitism Awareness Act to mandate that the U.S. Department of Education use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism for investigations into potential violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
“Today, Congressman Torres, Lawler and I are here to ensure that, as the new school year kicks off, Columbia’s campus—and college campuses across the nation—remain safe for Jewish students and students of all walks of life,” Gottheimer said. “No Jewish student should have to worry that wearing their kippah on campus will make him a target, nor a Muslim student with her hijab or a Christian student with her cross.”
According to The Forward, Gottheimer announced at the meeting that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had “assured” him that the Senate would vote on the Antisemitism Awareness Act before the end of the year.
Lawler noted that “the horrific displays of violence toward our Jewish community, including right here at Columbia University, is appalling and wrong. We must all work together to combat this terrible scourge.”
Calling the students in attendance brave, Torres described the talks as “a powerful testament to the resilience and steadfast resolve of Jewish students who have been thrust into the daily fight against antisemitism in a post-October 7 world.”
