‘Cesspools of Rancid Antisemitism’: University Presidents Urged to Protect Jewish Students on Campus

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—University presidents are responsible for keeping Jewish students safe on campuses this fall if pro-Hamas rioters return, according to a letter from a think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence.

Executive Vice President of Advancing American Freedom Paul Teller wrote a letter to the presidents of New York University, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and George Washington University on Aug. 27 urging them to make sure their campuses “do not once again devolve into cesspools of rancid antisemitism.”

Founded by Pence in 2021, Advancing American Freedom is a conservative think tank dedicated to promoting the policies of the Trump-Pence administration, according to the organization’s website.

The letter has 11 signers, including Teller, the head of the Republican Jewish Coalition, the president of the Zionist Organization of America, the co-chair of Young Jewish Conservatives, the president of the Middle East Forum, and vice president for free speech at the Media Research Center.

Anti-Israel protests have already resumed at George Washington University, with a coalition of anti-Israel, pro-Palestine groups leading a march through the campus Thursday night.

Last spring, George Washington University students joined outside anti-Israel groups to establish an illegal encampment in University Yard from late April to early May.

“Last school year, university campuses across the United States were marred by antisemitic riots that shocked the American public,” Teller wrote in the letter. “Images of swastikas, public threats against Jewish students, and blatant antisemitism should evoke memories of Nazi Germany, not American universities in 2024.”

More than 60% of Jewish students reported feeling less safe on campus, and 40% felt compelled to conceal their Jewish identity due to the harassment they encountered, according to recent data from Hillel, a Jewish campus organization.

“Jewish students are preparing to return to campuses where their safety and sense of security have been compromised,” Teller wrote. “It is the responsibility of university presidents to ensure that campuses do not descend into cesspools of rancid antisemitism.”

Students should not be afraid to wear a yarmulke or Star of David, Teller said.

“When pro-Hamas rioters once again attempt to turn your college campuses into hives of antisemitism this fall, you must respond swiftly and without hesitation,” the Advancing American Freedom executive wrote. “Our schools must be safe for Jews.”