The outbreak of Israel's war against Hamas as a result of the brutal attack on civilians led by the terrorist organization on October 7 has led to waves of antisemitic threats and attacks. This reality has been dramatically reflected on college campuses where incidents have multiplied to the point that complaints and requests for protection overwhelmed the Department of Homeland Security. As the White House responded to the uptick in hate against Israel with the announcement of a National Strategy against Islamophobia, 27 of the most prestigious national law firms warned universities that they refuse to hire students from campuses that have supported or even backed these anti-Jew movements. In fact, some of these law firms have already withdrawn job offers from Harvard and Columbia students.
The federal agency that helps schools prepare to respond to physical attacks is swamped with requests for help — but doesn’t have enough people to meet the demand quickly. https://t.co/NHJIwlcV4s
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 2, 2023
DHS workers "are up to their eyeballs" with requests
In an interview with NBC, a spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is dependent on DHS, pointed out that the agency's workers "are up to their eyeballs" and that there are not enough staff to cover all the requests that are coming from universities. Last Monday, President Biden announced an action plan to respond to the increase in hate incidents on campuses, which included the work of 125 CISA agents. However, according to the spokesperson, this number does not represent an increase in the agency's personnel assigned to these tasks, to which another 100 must be added who look out for cyber threats.
At this time, CISA will take "a few weeks" to respond, according to the spokesperson. The main problem is that smaller campuses can't afford to hire private security guards to protect university staff and students.
Biden responds to antisemitism with a National Strategy against Islamophobia
The White House wanted to give the same attention to the increase in anti-Israel incidents (they increased by 388% since October 7, according to the Anti-Defamation League, and 15% of threats or attacks have occurred on campus, according to Secure Community Network) and those suffered by Muslims. Last Thursday, the Biden administration announced the launch of a National Strategy to combat Islamophobia.
Joe Biden pide una "pausa" en la guerra entre Israel y Hamás y anuncia una estrategia nacional contra la "islamofobia" https://t.co/NQZdmtwbsn #Política
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) November 2, 2023
27 law firms warn universities about antisemitism
Those who did respond directly and forcefully were 27 of the country's main law firms. In a letter sent to the main universities, the signatories condemned the "intolerable" antisemitic activities on campuses and demanded that the academic authorities "provide your students with the tools and guidance to engage in the free exchange of ideas, even on emotionally charged issues, in a manner that affirms the values we all hold dear and rejects unreservedly that which is antithetical to those values.”
The lawyers warned that the existence or justification of anti-Israel movements would be taken into account when hiring. Some law firms have already carried out similar threats, going so far as to withdraw job offers from Harvard and Columbia students after statements were issued against Jews.
We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero-tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses.
Varias de las firmas de abogados más prestigiosas amenazan con no contratar estudiantes de universidades donde se produzcan actos de antisemitismo. https://t.co/RIEgdkhrcI
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) November 3, 2023
Antisemitic incidents on university campuses
Since the war broke out, 1,400 people have been murdered, including babies. Women have been raped and 242 people have been kidnapped by Hamas. There have been demonstrations on college campuses and protesters have demanded Jews be killed. These protesters gathered as part of a pro-Palestine demonstration. They issued credible and dangerous death threats. At Cornell, the FBI and the police had to intervene. Jewish students were harassed at Cooper Union. It got so bad that they locked themselves in a library and ended up evacuating through tunnels while a mob banged on the windows.
