Ahead of McCarthyite House Committee hearing on College Campuses, Jewish Columbia Students Urge Congress to take Action Against the Trump Regime’s False Allegations of Antisemitism

Ahead of today’s House Committee on Education and Workforce kangaroo hearing grilling the heads of Haverford College, DePaul University, and CalPoly San Luis Obispo, Jewish Voice for Peace Action expresses grave concern that the far-right is using show trials and false allegations of antisemitism to censor the Palestinian rights movement, kidnap non-citizen student activists, crush free speech, and defund higher education.

On Tuesday May 6th, JVP Action brought nine students from Columbia University to meet with members of Congress to speak about their experiences as Jewish students who have been steadfastly committed to advocating for the safety and freedom of the Palestinian people. The students warned members of Congress that the Trump regime is using false allegations of antisemitism to crack down on dissent, and called for elected officials to do more to protect student activists from the Trump administration’s authoritarian attacks, and to call for the release of non-citizen student activists being targeted for deportation including their classmate Mahmoud Khalil who is currently a political prisoner in an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.

“I’m here asking my representatives to call for the release of my friend Mahmoud Khalil and to put real pressure on the Trump regime. I cannot stand to see the Trump administration smear Mahmoud as an antisemite when it could not be further than the truth,” said Shay Orentlicher, Jewish Junior at Columbia.

For the past 1.5 years, Columbia University and its student protests have remained in the public eye, yet very few Jewish student activists have been able to tell their stories. On May 6, a little over one year since the launch of the student encampment movement, these students traveled to Congress to tell their elected officials what it’s like being a Jewish student who supports Palestinian rights in an increasingly repressive campus environment. These students told members of Congress about the beautiful multicultural connection and grief that has been core to their activism on campus.

“This Passover we held a beautiful seder with not only our fellow Jewish students but also our community members in the broader anti-war movement at Columbia. Rooted in our tradition of remembrance and liberation, we came together to tell the story of Passover and offered a heartfelt prayer for Mahmoud’s freedom” said Carly Shaffer, a Jewish graduate student in SIPA and friend of Mahmoud Khalil's.

The students felt it was especially important to make their voices heard prior to today’s House Committee on Education & the Workforce hearing in which far-right members of Congress will once again operate under the guise of caring about antisemitism in order to attack the right to political dissent and free speech.

“The Trump Regime is using false allegations of antisemitism to disappear our friends, punish student protestors, and dismantle higher education. What we are seeing has nothing to do with keeping Jews safe, and everything to do with crushing dissent. Thousands of Jews on campuses across the country have spoken out in solidarity with the people of Gaza and we will not be silent.” said Tali Beckwith-Cohen, a Jewish senior at Barnard College.

“The far-right does not care about Jewish safety. Trump and his allies in Congress are platforming neo-Nazis and Christian Nationalists, all while pretending to care about antisemitism in order to take a hatchet to our communities and most basic freedoms. This is intended to silence the Palestinian rights movement, sow chaos, and sharpen authoritarian tools that will then be used to dismantle civil liberties and democracy itself.” said Beth Miller, Political Director of JVPA.

In one of many egregious examples of its absurd claims, in a letter to Haverford College ahead of the House Committee’s hearing tomorrow, the Committee’s Republican leadership refers to an academic talk given by Rabbi Dr. Rebecca Alpert about the history of Jewishness and anti-Zionism as an example of “antisemitism”. Rabbi Dr. Rebecca Alpert is not only a Rabbi, but also a scholar of Jewish history who was invited to speak on campus because of her expertise.

“My ancestors fled fascism and taught me to fight supremacy and fascism wherever it occurs. I am seeing rising fascism here as the Trump regime lies and targets non citizens, human rights activists, and everyone who challenges their authoritarian agenda. I refuse to be silent because I know that it was silence that allowed the persecution of my ancestors in Europe.” said Sarah Boris, who is a Senior studying English and Jewish studies at Columbia University.