Northwestern students call for congressional investigation into school's failure to protect Jewish students
Jewish students at Northwestern University have filed a complaint to Congress concerning the school's alleged failure to address anti-Semitism on campus.
'Without external pressure, the school will continue to foster an environment which allows for, and implicitly encourages antisemitic action,' a law student stated.
Jewish students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois have filed a complaint to Congress, asking the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce to begin a formal investigation into the school for its failure to address anti-Semitism on campus.
“We would like to make you aware of our own observations of what has taken place on our campus since October 7, 2023,” the students wrote to the committee’s leadership. “Northwestern has bypassed its obligations and has signaled to Jewish students and the Department of Education that it is not serious about protecting its Jewish population from harassment, discrimination, and of their targeting based on their shared Jewish ancestry or Israeli national origin.”
“Without external pressure, the school will continue to foster an environment which allows for, and implicitly encourages antisemitic action,” Michael Rutsky, a Northwestern law student who co-authored the letter, told The Washington Free Beacon.
The complaint details numerous alleged instances of anti-Semitism and other forms of harassment against Jewish students on campus, and asserts that the university’s response has been both inconsistent and insufficient.
“Issues at Northwestern include not only traditional antisemitic tropes, blatantly false blood libels and incitement, but also antisemitic discrimination masked as ‘anti-Zionism’ that targets Jews on the basis of their shared religious, ethnic and ancestral connection to the Land of Israel,” the complaint continues.
“Zionism, the belief in the right of Jewish people to self-determine in their ancestral homeland, is used as pretext to call for violence against Jews on Northwestern’s campus and globally,” they note.
The complaint also refers to what the students call an “unacceptable spike in antisemitism and sustained activity since the October 7 terrorist attack.” It states that Northwestern President Michael Schill’s “response, or lack of response, has made it clear that Northwestern is not a welcoming place for Jewish students.”
“We have documented a serious record of systemic racism, discrimination, double standards, failure to protect Jewish students, silencing of students for whom Israel is central to their Jewish identity, harassment, and corresponding lack of attention or action by the administration,” the students write.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce has received the complaint and is considering the next steps to respond, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
“Jewish students are hesitant to report discrimination in fear of retaliation and discouraged to report due to Northwestern’s inaction to date,” Rutsky also told the outlet. “Action from Congress and media attention will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to the school.”
“What we are seeing at Northwestern and other elite academic institutions is nothing more than intellectualized antisemitism,” Rutsky continued.
Campus Reform has contacted Northwestern University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
