Universities Rush to Make Anti-Antisemitism Statements, but What’s Needed Is Action

In our current political climate, where appearances trump virtually all other considerations, seeming to combat bigotry is often substituted for the vital task of implementing effective policies to that end. This unsettling reality came sharply into focus following last week’s congressional testimonies by the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania (the last of whom is now ex-president). Their inability to unequivocally declare that calls for the genocide of Jews violates their institutions’ anti-bullying and anti-harassment codes sparked considerable and justifiable public uproar.

In reaction, other universities hastily issued their own condemnations of antisemitism and calls for Jewish genocide. However, various antisemitic incidents at these very universities since October 7, when the Hamas terror group executed the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, reveal the statements to be nothing more than cynical maneuvers to shield the schools from similar potential backlash over their abysmal handling of antisemitic incitement on their campuses.