New York Governor Demands Swift Action Against Antisemitism on Campus
Following recent congressional testimony that sparked controversy over the handling of antisemitism on university campuses, New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on colleges and universities to swiftly address cases of antisemitism and calls for genocide. In a letter to college and university presidents, Hochul stated that her administration would enforce violations of the state’s Human Rights Law and refer any violations of federal civil rights law to U.S. officials.
The governor’s demand for action comes in response to comments made by the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania during a congressional hearing on antisemitism. The hearing involved a heated line of questioning from U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York GOP, about whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate each university’s code of conduct. The blowback from the hearing led to both university presidents issuing apologies and Penn President Liz Magill resigning amid pressure from donors and criticism over her testimony.
The issue of protecting Jewish students has come to the forefront following reports of growing antisemitism after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Hochul has also commissioned an independent review of antisemitism and discrimination policies at the City University of New York, the nation’s largest urban public university system, on how the college system can better protect Jewish students and faculty.
However, calls for swift action against antisemitism on campus have raised concerns from the New York Civil Liberties Union, stating that school administrators should not conflate students criticizing the state of Israel and advocating for Palestinian rights with calls for violence. The organization emphasized that political speech critiquing a government’s actions is considered core political expression and is protected.
Hochul’s demand for protecting Jewish students and swift action against antisemitism comes amid growing concerns about the safety of Jewish students on university campuses and the need for administrators to take action against instances of hate speech.
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