Northwestern under fire as critics say it is 'choosing not to enforce Title VI' when it comes to Jewish students
Northwestern University has found itself embroiled in controversy for its alleged failure to effectively address anti-Semitism on campus amid the Israel–Hamas war.
Alums for Campus Fairness, a nonprofit dedicated to countering anti-Semitism, planned a six-figure ad campaign during Northwestern football’s bowl game on Dec. 23.
Northwestern University has found itself embroiled in controversy as accusations mount regarding its alleged failure to effectively address anti-Semitism on campus amid the Israel–Hamas war.
Rich Goldberg, a senior advisor with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and Northwestern alumnus, told National Review in December that the school is “choosing not to enforce Title VI [of the Civil Rights Act] when it comes to anti-Semitism.” Goldberg continued to state that anti-Semitism among students and faculty is “well documented,” and that the university must “enforce their own rules and federal law” to combat it.
Guy Benson, another Northwestern graduate and Fox News contributor, also told National Review that he “personally heard from numerous Jewish undergrads who’ve felt literally unsafe at times, all while the antisemitic, pro-Hamas bullies claim false victimhood.”
Benson continued, “The university’s response has been uneven and tepid, to put it charitably. If additional congressional hearings are to be held on the current explosion of bigotry within academia, I’m afraid President Schill may be a good candidate to call as a witness.”
Northwestern’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) seeming celebrated the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, asserting the right of the “occupied and oppressed” to resist without being stigmatized.
On Oct. 10, the Northwestern Community for Human Rights took to Instagram to denounce “Zionist propaganda,” and wrote “Israelis’ proximity to whiteness gives them an upper hand in a world still poisoned by white supremacy and anti-Muslim rhetoric.” It also referred to Hamas’ slaughter of Israeli Jews as “retaliation.”
On Oct. 17, the Northwestern Asian American Studies Program issued an official letter condemning “Islamophobia” contained in “pro-Israel posters” on campus. Although the document states the program rejects anti-Semitism, it refers to Hamas as a “political group” and implies that Hamas terrorists did not, in fact, behead Israeli babies.
On Oct. 25, National Review reported that there were instances of a fake version of Northwestern’s student newspaper circulating on campus, containing inflated statistics of Palestinian deaths and fabricated quotes attributed to the university’s administration, including President Michael Schill.
In response to the ongoing situation, Alums for Campus Fairness, a nonprofit dedicated to countering anti-Semitism on college campuses, planned a six-figure ad campaign during Northwestern football’s bowl game on Dec. 23 that criticized the university’s lack of response to the various anti-Semitic incidents that have unfolded on campus.
Campus Reform has contacted Northwestern University, Alums for Campus Fairness, and each of the Northwestern University student organizations referenced above for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
