by Omri Nahmias, Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman
Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color or and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
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U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Sunrise, Florida, U.S., November 26, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/YURI GRIPAS)
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The new executive order would also label Judaism as a nationality in addition to a religion, so it would fall into the category of Title VI and, according to Katz, "enable a more effective fight against the anti-Israel boycott movement on campus.
"I congratulate US President Donald Trump on
his intention to sign a presidential order to combat antisemitism on US
university and college campuses, and to prevent funding from going to
those institutions that will not prevent antisemitism," Katz continued.
The move will also direct federally funded agencies to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in cases of discrimination.
The move will also direct federally funded agencies to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in cases of discrimination.
"I urge more countries to adopt similar measures," Katz said.
Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. The Department of Education could cut federal funding for institutions that fail to remedy antisemitic incidents that fall under the title, once the order is made.
A senior administration official said on Tuesday that antisemitism on campuses is often hidden in an anti-Israel agenda. If campuses that receive money from the government adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism in cases of discrimination, students who will feel that they are being bullied on college campuses would be able to complain to their institution's administration, who will then need to decide if the incident is considered antisemitic.
"We began to focus on this issue in the late winter/spring of this year when we were alarmed frankly at a rise in antisemitic rhetoric, including unfortunately from leading political figures," a senior administration official told The Jerusalem Post. "We looked at the data, and we saw that there'd been a rise in antisemitic incidents, and we began a policy process to figure out physically what we could do on the subject."
Another official said the order would be "short and straightforward."
"There's been a lot of un-clarity surrounding the application of Title VI to Jewishness because of a question about whether Jewishness is primarily a religion – in which case Title VI does not not apply to antisemitic discrimination – or whether it's a race or national origin," the official said. "[After] rigorous legal review, this executive order will clarify that Title VI applies to antisemitism."
He went on to explain the the policy of the executive branch is to enforce Title VI in order to prohibit discrimination rooted in antisemitism "as vigorously as against all other forms of discrimination," noting that this will be language used in the order.
Republican
Jewish Coalition national chairman Senator Norm Coleman responded
positively to news of the expected executive order. He said that, "This
is a truly historic and important moment for Jewish Americans. President
Trump has extended to Jewish students very strong, meaningful legal
protection from antisemitic discrimination.
"Sadly,
every day, Jewish students on college campuses face outrageous attacks
on their Jewish identity and beliefs," he continued. "The rapid increase
in such incidents in recent years is of great concern."
Coleman said that the Jewish people have "good reasons to call Donald Trump the most pro-Israel president in American history... President Trump has shown himself to be the most pro-Jewish president, as well."
Coleman said that the Jewish people have "good reasons to call Donald Trump the most pro-Israel president in American history... President Trump has shown himself to be the most pro-Jewish president, as well."
He said that the executive order will have a real and positive impact in protecting Jewish college students from antisemitism.
Not all Jewish activists celebrated the impending announcement, however.
Not all Jewish activists celebrated the impending announcement, however.
Jewish Democratic Council of America executive director Halie Soifer instead called the president a hypocrite.
“It
is the height of hypocrisy for President Trump to sign an executive
order that he claims will combat antisemitism," Soifer said, accusing
Trump of being "more interested in symbolic gestures that politicize
Israel and use Jews as political pawns than actually doing something
meaningful to ensure our security and that of Israel.
"The timing of this signing reveals this is a PR stunt, plain and simple," she noted. “If President Trump truly wanted to address the scourge of antisemitism he helped to create, he would accept responsibility for his role emboldening white nationalism, perpetuating antisemitic conspiracy theories, and repeating stereotypes that have led to violence targeting Jews.
"J Street’s president Jeremy Ben-Ami released a similar statement: “This executive order, like the stalled congressional legislation it is based on, appears designed less to combat antisemitism than to have a chilling effect on free speech and to crack down on campus critics of Israel.
"He explained that the expert who drafted the definition of antisemitism that is being adopted by this executive order, Kenneth S. Stern, has opposed its application on college campuses. Stern wrote in a New York Times op-ed that, "If this bill becomes law…students and faculty members will be scared into silence, and administrators will err on the side of suppressing or censuring speech."
Ben-Ami said that "the same right-wing groups who turn a blind eye to the president’s hateful rhetoric have promoted this executive order as part of a cynical push to turn the issue of antisemitism into a partisan political weapon, instead of seriously combating it in all its forms.”
As expected, pro-Palestinian organizations also expressed their dissatisfaction. For example, the head of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Yousef Munayyer, said that Trump’s order is part of a sustained campaign “to silence Palestinian-rights activism” by equating opposition to Israeli treatment of Palestinians with antisemitism.
"The timing of this signing reveals this is a PR stunt, plain and simple," she noted. “If President Trump truly wanted to address the scourge of antisemitism he helped to create, he would accept responsibility for his role emboldening white nationalism, perpetuating antisemitic conspiracy theories, and repeating stereotypes that have led to violence targeting Jews.
"J Street’s president Jeremy Ben-Ami released a similar statement: “This executive order, like the stalled congressional legislation it is based on, appears designed less to combat antisemitism than to have a chilling effect on free speech and to crack down on campus critics of Israel.
"He explained that the expert who drafted the definition of antisemitism that is being adopted by this executive order, Kenneth S. Stern, has opposed its application on college campuses. Stern wrote in a New York Times op-ed that, "If this bill becomes law…students and faculty members will be scared into silence, and administrators will err on the side of suppressing or censuring speech."
Ben-Ami said that "the same right-wing groups who turn a blind eye to the president’s hateful rhetoric have promoted this executive order as part of a cynical push to turn the issue of antisemitism into a partisan political weapon, instead of seriously combating it in all its forms.”
As expected, pro-Palestinian organizations also expressed their dissatisfaction. For example, the head of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, Yousef Munayyer, said that Trump’s order is part of a sustained campaign “to silence Palestinian-rights activism” by equating opposition to Israeli treatment of Palestinians with antisemitism.
“Israeli apartheid is a very hard product to sell in America, especially in progressive spaces,” Munayyer said in a statement published by The New York Times,
“and realizing this, many Israeli apartheid apologists, Trump included,
are looking to silence a debate they know they can’t win.”
Omri Nahmias, Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman
Source: https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Antisemitism/Trump-expected-to-issue-executive-order-against-antisemitism-on-campus-610540
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