Dr. Rabbi Ari Berman, the President of Yeshiva University, recently met with US Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Both urged students to alert campus police and report these incidents to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. By documenting these events, the students can help turn individual experiences into broader campus metrics, which can then be compared against peer universities and enable concerned university and national leaders to identify, study, and combat the rising tide of antisemitism on college campuses.
Such efforts are also in keeping with the 1990 Clery Act, which requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep records on certain categories of crimes on or near their campuses.
Notably, these crimes must be publicly reported and appear in a school’s annual Clery report. The content of these reports is already assisting college-bound students and their families in making informed decisions about college selection.
“I want to thank the congresswoman for her moral clarity and important efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses,” said Dr. Berman.
At the meeting, Rep. Foxx and Dr. Berman discussed the importance of students coming forward and reporting incidents of physical or verbal intimidation on the basis of their religion.
“We want to root this out…and follow up with the school on what has happened,” Rep. Foxx said.
“If any Jewish student or faculty member feels physically threatened by either the words or deeds of professors, campus administrators, or students, they should go to their campus police and report it as a hate crime,” said Dr. Berman.
“This certainly includes calls for Jewish genocide.” Dr. Berman continued, “Our institutions of higher education are entrusted with the mental and physical well-being of students. Students who do not feel safe cannot succeed academically.
That is why I urge organizations that oversee national collegiate rankings to take safety measures into account in their calculations. The most effective way to keep students safe is to align a university’s priority to protect its students with its institutional need for top-tier national rankings.”
Yeshiva University is the convenor of a coalition of over 100 colleges and universities: United Against Terrorism. The coalition, including public and private, faith-based, and historically black colleges and universities, was the first of its kind to put a spotlight on campuses in the aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack.