Trump's Executive Action on Campus Anti-Semitism

Hat tip Algemeiner

President Trump has taken a significant step in combating campus anti-Semitism on college campuses with his executive order this week which would deny or cut  federal funding to universities that don't take steps to combat the problem. It is drawing opposition not just from the pro-Palestinian mobs who say it will deny them their freedom of speech to promote BDS and condemn Israel. That is a line being pushed by the despicable organization called J Street, which falsely purports to be "pro-Israel, pro-peace". They are 100% pro-Palestinian.

In addition, some Jewish groups are uncomfortable by the designation of Jews as a distinct racial or ethnic group as opposed to being simply classified as a religious group.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/12/11/trump-to-sign-order-targeting-antisemitism-on-college-campuses/

The racial classification issue is thorny, but requires some explanation. The 1964 Civil Rights Act did not include protections for religions because Congress was relectant to get into that issue because of our tradition of freedom of religion and keeping government out of religion. Thus, when Jewish students at UC Irvine, assisted by the Zionist Organization of America and the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism, sought an investigation by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights in 2007-08, one of the reasons the investigation was unsuccessful was because Jews were classified simply as a religious group. National origin (in this case, Israel) could not be considered because none of the Jewish students complaining were Israeli ctitizens.

It is understandable that some Jews might be uncomfortable being classified as a racial or ethnic group. After all, Jews come in all colors, though some ignorant folks think they are all "privileged whites". It is also recalled that Hitler and the Nazis cared not a whit about Jews' religious beliefs and practices. To them, Jews were a racial group that they considered inferior.

In my opinion, however, given the lesson of UC Irvine in 2007-08, I think it is necessary to add-not replace- the designation of Jews as a racial or ethnic group as well as a religious group in order to ensure that they can be protected like other minorities.