NEWS RELEASE: America First Urges Collegiate Student Governments to Condemn Antisemitism, Recognize Holocaust Remembrance Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) sent a model resolution to student government leaders across the country, encouraging them to denounce antisemitism on their campuses in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. The nationwide surge in violence and harassment targeting Jewish students on college campuses after the October 7 Hamas massacre revealed pervasive and deep-seated Jew-Hatred, endangering the safety of Jewish students and jeopardizing their access to scholastic opportunities.

AFPI’s model resolution, “Condemning Jew-Hatred and Fighting Holocaust Denial,” draws attention to the blatant failure of many university administrations to condemn rampant antisemitism on their own campuses. If adopted, this resolution would convey the student body’s condemnation of hatred, racism, and brutality, as well as offer assurance to Jewish students that they are welcome.

“It is the job of universities to ensure every student has equal access to educational opportunities without discrimination or harassment based on race, sex, or national origin, and clearly, they are failing their Jewish students,” said Jonathan Pidluzny, Ph.D., Director of the Higher Education Reform Initiative at the America First Policy Institute.

“Antisemitism has no place in America, and on this Holocaust Remembrance Day, student leaders can show leadership where university presidents have often failed to — by promoting safety and respectful deliberation in their schools and by announcing support for America’s most cherished ally in the Middle East: Israel.”

The resolution urges university leaders to live up to civil rights obligations established in Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and to improve all students’ understanding of the Holocaust and Israel’s history. The resolution also recognizes that criticism of Israeli policies is protected by the First Amendment and that it is time to restore long-respected traditions of academic freedom and debate to U.S. universities.

The resolution includes provisions:

• Condemning violent antisemitic attacks on our campuses, including instances of bullying and harassment;
• Condemning antisemitic chants calling for the murder of Jews and the destruction of the Israeli state, including “Globalize the Intifada,” “gas the Jews,” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”;
• Affirming the centrality of free expression on a campus dedicated to truth-seeking, including criticisms of Israeli policies;
• Encouraging university administrations and faculties to aspire to balance and academic integrity in programs of study designed to educate the student body about the Holocaust and the modern state of Israel, including the history of Arab Palestinians in Israel.

The recent spike in targeted violence and harassment against Jewish students cannot be tolerated. America First calls on all student body conservatives who stand against terrorism and in support of the First Amendment to adopt this model resolution.

To read the full resolution, click here.