House Education Committee Finds Colleges Failed to Protect Jewish Students After Protests

Republicans on the House Education Committee Thursday published his report about the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses since the October 7 terrorist attack.

The committee spent nearly a year investigating a surge in protests and anti-Semitic attacks against Jewish students and faculty. The investigation included testimony from school officials to Congress and reviewed more than 400,000 documents from 11 schools.

The investigation led to four main findings: college campuses deliberately withheld support for Jewish students, schools made major concessions to protesters, universities did not adequately punish students who engaged in anti-Semitic behavior, and school officials were hostile to congressional investigations.

“For more than a year, the American people watched as anti-Semitic mobs ruled so-called elite universities, but what was happening behind the scenes may be even worse,” said committee chair Virginia Foxx. says the statement. “While the Jewish students showed incredible courage and refused to give in to oppression, the university administration, faculty and staff were cowards who completely capitulated to the mob and failed the students they were supposed to serve.”

The report highlighted Columbia’s concessions, which included scrutiny of the divestment of certain companies and a possible partnership with a Palestinian university in which Hamas was reportedly heavily involved. Northwestern University also considered removing Sabra hummus from campus at the request of protesters.

Lawmakers also chided officials for not doing enough to support Jewish students after Harvard refused to condemn a letter blaming Israel for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Former Harvard President Claudine Gay also asked the school not to label the pro-Palestinian chant “from the river to the sea” as anti-Semitic to avoid punishing those who repeat it.

“The Committee’s investigation found that in many cases these failures were not due to simple ignorance or lack of forethought, but rather to deliberate decisions by university leaders not to provide their campus Jewish communities with the necessary support needed to make them feel safe to live on campus or attend classes,” the report detailed.

Lawmakers also criticized schools for failing to punish students who protested illegally, including those who closed schools. Columbia, which has been the center of anti-Semitic protests, did not punish the students who illegally occupied Hamilton Hall.

The report concluded that the schools likely violated Title VI, prompting the U.S. Department of Education to hold the institutions accountable.

Misty Severy is the evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.