Katie Britt condemns antisemitism in letter supporting Jewish College Students

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 15, 2024– U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) recently wrote a letter to Jewish college students across America, expressing her unwavering support. amid a disturbing rise in antisemitic incidents on campuses. Her letter comes just a week after Israeli soccer fans and Jews ran for their lives in Amsterdam.

There are only 13 million Jews in the world. 6.6 million of those live in Israel; 5.7 million live in the U.S. The U.S. has proven to be a safe haven for Jews – until recently as Jewish students on American college campuses have been adversely impacted by pro-Palestinian – often openly antisemitic – sentiments from protestors. There is now a level of open antisemitic rhetoric on college campuses not seen since the 1920s.

This is even worse in western Europe where most of the Jews were killed by Hitler's Germany in the 1940s and Muslim immigration has meant that the remaining Jews there are a tiny minority – a small remnant of their pre-World War II populations. The war between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah have only enflamed those sentiments.

"To Jewish college students across the United States: In Amsterdam last week, we saw the consequences of antisemitism, of the demonization of Israel, of the false charges of "genocide," and of Western leaders coddling radicals who stand diametrically opposed to our values," wrote Sen. Britt. "Nearly 80 years after the end of the Holocaust, we saw a pogrom in the same city where Anne Frank hid."

"The events of last week serve as a stark reminder of why Israel must continue to exist, and why American leaders must stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters," continued Britt. "We cannot stand by and allow this to happen - not in Amsterdam and not in the United States. And the recent report by the U.S. House of Representatives' Education and the Workforce Committee confirms what those of us watching American campuses over the past year, and Jewish students living on them, already knew: Higher education in this country - among other elite institutions - is infected with individuals practicing virulent antisemitism."

"Even before Israel finished surveying the wreckage from the horrors of October 7 - before it mounted any response - student organizations issued statements blaming the Jewish state for the attack-identifying with Hamas's cause-and celebrating the barbarians as "freedom fighters."" Stated Britt. "They waved flags of designated terrorist organizations, chanted for continued violence against Jews in Israel and in the diaspora, and began a campaign of harassment and discrimination against their Jewish classmates.

Worst of all, many university administrators stood aside and watched their campuses become breeding grounds for the hatred of Jews - and in some cases actively helped."

"At Columbia University, where student activists occupied a lawn, stormed a building, and assaulted Jewish classmates, administrators promised consequences for those who violated school policy," continued Britt. "Those consequences never came, and those same administrators discussed ways to avoid accountability. Northwestern University leadership cut a deal with the students organizing a pro-terrorism encampment and, as we've now learned, entertained taking steps like banning an Israeli hummus from campus to placate the radicals."

Some American colleges have even insisted on creating "jew-free" zone on campuses where Arab and progressive students are not confronted with people and ideas that they despise.

"Perhaps most shockingly, student activists at the University of California, Los Angeles, created what amounted to a Jew-free zone on campus," explained Britt. "Encampment dwellers on the university's property disallowed Jews from passing through the quad unless they would disavow Israel and, by extension, their Jewish faith."

"UCLA officials argued it was not their responsibility to prevent their students from denying others access to university property based on their religious identity," said Britt. "They went so far as to direct campus police to discourage Jewish students from traversing the blocked-off areas. In doing so, they facilitated a de facto segregation against Jews."

"None of this is acceptable," continued Britt. "It is my hope the increased attention focused on higher-education administrators will drive them to fulfill the responsibilities their job titles demand. But there can be no understating the damage done when a student realizes their tuition dollars go toward bureaucrats who - as they've demonstrated - couldn't care less."

"I want to make clear to each and every Jewish student on an American campus: I and my colleagues won't stand for this," Britt continued. "While your administrators may not have your backs, we do. And we always will. Jewish college students navigating the current moment have displayed a resolve that is truly impressive, and I commend those who have spoken up-in the pages of newspapers and magazines, on social media, or in congressional testimony."

"But it shouldn't have to be this way," stated Sen. Britt. "My door is open - and the doors of many of my colleagues are open - to Jewish students who would like to share their stories, voice their concerns with how their institutions of higher education have responded, and work together on holding these schools accountable. Antisemitism in the United States of America cannot stand."

Katie Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022.

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