Weaponizing antisemitism makes college students ‘much less secure,’ says drafter of definition

The Trump administration is taking a hardline method to what it alleges is a failure to guard college students from antisemitism on school campuses.

The administration canceled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia College, claiming the college failed to handle antisemitism on campus. The Division of Training additionally despatched letters to 60 faculties and universities, warning they’re beneath investigation for accusations of antisemitism.

Kenneth Stern, director of the Heart for the Research of Hate at Bard Faculty and the lead drafter of the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, stated the administration’s method is making Jewish college students really feel much less secure. The administration adopted Stern’s IHRA definition in its govt orders.

“It puts pro-Israel Jewish students in a situation where they may be seen as trying to suppress speech rather than answer it,” Stern stated.

He additionally stated that the definition is being distorted and used to silence anti-Israel critics. He was the lead drafter of the definition in 2004-2005 to assist European international locations have a typical definition to trace knowledge on antisemitism. Then it was formally adopted by the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2016.

Stern acknowledges the existence of antisemitism on campuses however believes that the Trump administration’s method may create a a lot worse scenario.

He famous that whereas most Jews, together with himself, are Zionists, there’s a rising variety of youthful Jews whose understanding of Judaism leads them to an anti-Zionist place. Whereas he would debate the political implications of this shift, he wouldn’t label them as antisemites.

After the dialog was recorded, NPR reached out to the White Home for remark. Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields replied, “The only people weaponizing antisemitism are the liberal activists pushing Hamas propaganda on colleges and across our nation. President Trump is committed to holding these radical agitators accountable and deporting non-citizens who are conducting this behavior.”

This interview has been flippantly edited and condensed for readability.

Interview highlights

Leila Fadel: Now the Trump administration has repeatedly stated it will root out antisemitism particularly on school campuses. Canceling 400 million {dollars} in federal funding to Columbia and telling 60 faculties they’re beneath investigation for failing to guard Jewish college students. What do you make of that declare and the actions?

Kenneth Stern: I believe it is a complete assault on the college, which has been a vital establishment for Jews over the past variety of a long time. JD Vance had talked about following the playbook of [Victor] Orban in Hungary on coping with schooling. I believe that is what we’re seeing unfold.

We’re seeing an try and not do issues like saying, OK, we’ll make a distinction between precise harassments, true threats and so forth. We’ll go after the views of individuals and harm the college that manner. I imply, the case with Khalil…

Fadel: Mahmoud Khalil is the inexperienced card holder who was a protest chief at Columbia and was detained.

Stern: What they mainly stated is he was handing out pro-Hamas propaganda. Nicely, excuse me. I do not like pro-Hamas propaganda, however that is speech. And while you begin saying that we’ll go after folks whose speech we do not like, for nothing extra [expressing an opinion we don’t like], that is the predicate. The place does that finish?

To me, one of many issues that is necessary for our potential to fight antisemitism and different types of hate is having robust democratic establishments. Once we’re assaulting free speech, that is McCarthyism. We do not have robust democratic establishments anymore.

Fadel: So are you saying then that the administration is weaponizing antisemitism?

Stern: Sure, it is completely weaponizing antisemitism. It is to not say that there is not antisemitism on campuses. There have been horrible conditions. However take a look at what they don’t seem to be doing and what they’re doing.
Look again to the Biden administration. It had a really detailed, complete, nationwide technique for combating antisemitism that had buy-in throughout the Jewish world. That is now not the case.

Fadel: And such as you level out, there may be actual antisemitism and an increase in antisemitism. Does this method make college students any safer?

Stern: No, it makes them much less secure. Once I educate, and I educate about antisemitism and I educate about Israel and Palestine, I would like college students to have the ability to say what they suppose. I need to create an area the place they really feel comfy to be unsuitable and experiment with concepts. If we do not have that because the core of the American instructional enterprise, we’ll undergo tremendously in the long term.

Ally Schweitzer edited the audio model of the story.