In a recent announcement by the Education Department, seven prestigious educational institutions have come under scrutiny for alleged incidents of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim harassment.
Three Ivy League Colleges Among Seven Schools Facing Education Department Probe Over Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim Allegations https://t.co/AsMjqxLYeN pic.twitter.com/PMU7MaMG3g
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) November 17, 2023
The allegations involve five cases of anti-Semitic harassment and two complaints of anti-Muslim harassment.
Columbia University, Cornell University, and the University of Pennsylvania are among the schools being investigated. The list also includes Wellesley College, Lafayette College, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and the Maize Unified School District in Kansas.
While the Education Department has not specified which schools are facing which allegations, Wellesley College has confirmed that the investigation is in response to the complaint from a Jewish legal advocacy group. The group pointed to an email from Wellesley dorm advisors, which allegedly stated, “there should be no space, no consideration, and no support for Zionism” at Wellesley.
In a statement, the school emphasized its swift response to the dorm email incident.
The Jewish advocacy group also made a claim against the University of Pennsylvania, claiming that the school’s professors have made anti-Semitic comments in the classroom and on social media.
The group argued that the university has not done enough to support Jewish students during pro-Palestinian rallies on campus.
According to the school’s president, Liz Magill, the FBI was alerted to a series of threatening anti-Semitic emails sent to university staff this month.
Reacting to the allegations of antisemitism, Magill stated that the school “has made clear antisemitism is vile and pernicious.”
The schools under scrutiny risk losing federal funding if they fail to comply with the Department of Education’s recommendations following the investigations.
The investigations come in the wake of recent events spurred by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, resulting in casualties on both sides.
The situation in the Middle East has had repercussions on college campuses, with pro-Palestinian protests and allegations of anti-Semitic incidents becoming more prominent.
