Upping his ante against rising anti-Semitism on campuses, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that would see discrimination against Jews as a violation of law in certain cases.
The new order makes Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applicable to anti-Semitic discrimination based on race, color, or national origin. The agencies will consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism as well as the IHRA’s contemporary examples while enforcing Title VI.
“My Administration is committed to combating the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incidents in the United States and around the world. Anti-Semitic incidents have increased since 2013, and students, in particular, continue to face anti Semitic harassment in schools and on university and college campuses,” the executive order reads.
Going forward, federal agencies have been entrusted to identify other ways the Government can use nondiscrimination authorities to address anti-Semitism.
“The vile, hate-filled poison of anti-Semitism must be condemned and confronted everywhere and anywhere it appears,” President Trump said in a statement issued by the White House.
Campus anti-Semitism has been a trend across the nation for a while now. Last year, two people, who Brown University said were not enrolled in its programs, flashed an offensive anti-Semitic sign while making a video of themselves roaming around the campus. Similarly, the University of Rochester saw dozens of anti-semitic flyers appear within its Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender.
A recent Anti-Defamation League report found a surge in white supremacist propaganda distribution on campuses, with 313 cases reported in 2018. Most of the propaganda messages targeted minority groups, including Jews, Blacks, Muslims, non-white immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community.
