There is no contradiction between democratic values and protecting Jewish students. On the contrary, true academic freedom demands viewpoint diversity and a fearless commitment to the quest for truth—not ideological conformity that normalizes antisemitic rhetoric and excuses violence.
Attempts to frame federal scrutiny of hostile campus environments as an attack on democracy ignore the real crisis: the internal decay of academic departments that have become engines of exclusion, propaganda, and hate.
Through our work at CAMERA, we’ve been right there with the students on the front lines of this fight, exposing how elite institutions are abandoning Jewish students and betraying academic integrity.
At Harvard, a Jewish student was physically assaulted by a mob in October 2023. Yet despite public outcry, only one student was reportedly disciplined by the school. This culture of impunity is not an outlier—it is emblematic.
At Brown University, as detailed in CAMERA’s investigative report, faculty and departments not only failed to condemn the atrocities of October 7—they actively worked to radicalize students with anti-Israel disinformation. In-depth reporting by CAMERA senior research analyst, David Litman revealed the extent to which Brown’s curriculum has become a pipeline for anti-Zionist indoctrination and the glorification of terrorism.
And at Georgetown, CAMERA documented how student groups and faculty whitewashed Hamas atrocities while the media looked the other way.
We reject the cynical invocation of “academic freedom” or “democratic norms” as a shield for institutionalized antisemitism—a misuse embodied in the recent joint statement issued by groups such as the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, National Council of Jewish Women, American Conference of Cantors, Central Conference of American Rabbis, HIAS, Rabbinical Assembly, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, and the Union for Reform Judaism.
In aligning themselves with institutions that foster antisemitism, these organizations have not merely turned a blind eye to the suffering of Jewish students—they have actively undermined their safety and dignity.
By choosing ideological allegiance over moral clarity, they have become complicit in the marginalization and vilification of Jews on campus. Those who champion real academic freedom must confront this corruption head-on, not hide behind platitudes while students suffer.
