Grassley Condemns Antisemitism at Senate Judiciary Hearing

Grassley Condemns Antisemitism at Senate Judiciary Hearing

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today participated in a hearing to shine light on the rise of antisemitism in America.

Antisemitic incidents and threats in the U.S., particularly on college campuses, spiked following Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Significant unrest this spring, including violent protests and campus encampments, resulted in disruption to class schedules, cancellation of commencement ceremonies and over 1,000 arrests.

Grassley has called on the Biden-Harris administration to better protect Jewish and Israeli students by upholding and enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. He introduced bipartisan legislation instructing the Education Department to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism when enforcing anti-discrimination laws on campus. During questioning, Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, reaffirmed the need for a clear definition of antisemitism to strengthen enforcement capabilities and protect Jewish individuals.

VIDEO

Grassley's questions of Rabbi Mark Goldfeder, Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, follow.

Antisemitism on College Campuses:

Are some higher education institutions, either wittingly or unwittingly, shielding or even fostering antisemitism in the United States today?

Biden-Harris Admin's Response to Antisemitism:

Have the Department of Justice and the Department of Education, in this administration, done enough to address the epidemic of hate speech and antisemitism on college campuses?

What more should this administration be doing?

Hamas Funding Collegiate Anti-Israel Protests:

What have you discovered about Hamas' potential funding of college protests and what evidence have you relied on to form your opinion?

Foreign Actors Exploiting Civil Unrest:

In the same vein as my previous question, there have been media reports citing Iran, Russia and other international actors as taking advantage of and stoking recent civil unrest here.

What do you think can be done to counter this malignant influence?

The Recent Rise of Antisemitism and Hate Speech:

In your assessment, what has allowed for the recent rise of antisemitism and hate in our communities?

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