Texas – On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an executive order to address the rise of antisemitism at state universities, a concern that mirrors a broader national and global increase. The directive mandates that universities integrate a definition of antisemitism into their free speech policies and establish specific penalties for antisemitic actions.
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“Antisemitism is never acceptable in Texas, and we will do everything we can to fight it,” Abbott said. “The State of Texas stands with Israel and the Jewish community, and we must escalate our efforts to protect against antisemitism at Texas colleges and universities and across our state.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, there has been a noticeable rise in antisemitic incidents, placing significant pressure on prestigious universities and leading to investigations by Congress into institutions like Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University.
“Across the country, acts of antisemitism have grown in number, size, and danger to the Jewish community since Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7th. Texas took immediate action to protect Jewish schools, synagogues, and other key locations,” Abbott said.
“Many Texas colleges and universities also acted quickly to condemn antisemitism, but some radical organizations on our campuses engaged in acts that have no place in Texas. Now, we must work to ensure that our college campuses are safe spaces for members of the Jewish community,” he added.
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Officials from Columbia University are scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing in April about the situation of antisemitism on their campus.