Pa. House GOP members look to combat antisemitism in education

A group of House Republicans on Monday announced plans for state legislation to combat antisemitism in education after the University of Pennsylvania’s president resigned following a congressional hearing where she said it was “context-dependent” whether calls for the genocide of Jewish people would violate Penn’s code of conduct.

“It is hard to believe that, in 2023, we have to say that genocide against the Jewish population, or any religious group, is wrong. These actions are wrong. The rise of antisemitism in our systems of education, both at the primary and higher levels, must be stopped – period,” said state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, who stood in support of the legislative package Monday.

“Antisemitism at any level in society must be stopped, period,” added Kaufer, who is Jewish. “Recent actions and comments across the country, and right here in Pennsylvania, show that our laws must take a greater stand and say without equivocation that this wretched behavior, rooted in hate, must end.”

Legislative proposals

The proposed legislation:

• State Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Allegheny, is sponsoring legislation that would require institutions of higher education receiving state taxpayer support to recognize antisemitism and calls for the genocide of the Jewish people as bullying, harassment and intimidation as part of the institution’s code of conduct.

• State Rep. Kristin Marcell, R-Bucks, said she will sponsor legislation requiring curriculum transparency in Holocaust education.

“We are taking a stand as the representatives of the people of Pennsylvania to show that equivocation on the issue of antisemitism on college campuses or anywhere else is unacceptable,” Mercuri said. “Taxpayer funding should only follow with a university’s commitment to combat antisemitic behavior and demonstrate leadership on campus by clearly identifying calls for genocide as against the code of conduct.”

Magill’s resignation

Liz Magill resigned as Penn’s president on Saturday, four days after she and two other university presidents — Harvard’s Claudine Gay and MIT’s Sally Kornbluth — struggled to answer questions about antisemitism on their campuses posed by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., during a congressional hearing.

As the Associated Press reported, universities across the U.S. have been accused of failing to protect Jewish students amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel’s intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticism for the mounting Palestinian death toll.

The three presidents were called before the committee to answer those accusations. But their legalistic answers drew blowback from opponents, focused particularly on a line of questioning from Stefanik, who repeatedly asked whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate the schools’ rules.

“If the speech turns into conduct it can be harassment, yes,” Magill said. Pressed further, Magill told Stefanik, “It is a context-dependent decision, congresswoman.”

So far Magill is the only one of the three to resign. She had faced withering criticism from donors, members of the Jewish community, and from elected officials on both sides of the aisle, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat.

“Frankly, I thought her comments were absolutely shameful,” The Daily Pennsylvanian quoted Shapiro, who is Jewish, as saying last week. “It should not be hard to condemn genocide.”

Both Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a fellow Democrat, had stopped short of calling for Magill’s resignation, however, saying the matter should be left to the school to decide.

Following Magill’s departure, Shapiro on Sunday praised students who had spoken out, leading to leadership being “held accountable.”

His remarks came during a gathering gathering at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia.

“This is about the culture at Penn and other universities that makes some students, particularly Jewish students, feel unsafe at times,” Shapiro said in an interview quoted by Forward, a longstanding Jewish news outlet.

As the Associated Press also reported, someone briefly hung a Palestinian flag from a Hanukkah menorah in a public area near the Yale University campus in Connecticut on Sunday, prompting widespread condemnation and a police investigation.

Holocaust ignorance

The proposed legislation comes at a time when rising antisemitism has been amply documented in the U.S. and overseas, with tensions high as the Israeli-Gaza war continues.

But the issue likely runs much deeper than emotions over the current war.

A survey released by The Economist last week found that one in five young Americans believe the Holocaust is a myth, or exaggerated.

In a press release about the Pennsylvania Republicans’ proposals, Marcel highlighted that survey, and called for better state oversight of how the Nazis’ systematic killing of millions of Jews and others during World War II is taught to students.

“While the Department of Education establishes the curriculum guidelines, schools that choose to offer lessons on the Holocaust and genocide may use any curriculum that is consistent with the law’s requirements,” Marcell said.

“However, across Pennsylvania there is currently no standardized, simple, and user-friendly way for parents to review the curriculum to see how the Holocaust is taught to their children,” she added. “Teaching about the Holocaust is not just about learning history; it is about safeguarding democratic values and promoting a more just and tolerant society.”

Another Bucks County Republican, Rep. Joe Hogan, said that in addition to co-prime sponsoring that legislation he will author a resolution declaring Nov. 9, 2024, as Antisemitism Awareness and Education Day in Pennsylvania. That date also coincides with the International Day Against Fascism.

“The rise in antisemitism across Pennsylvania is real, it is happening, and it is impacting families across the entire Commonwealth,” Hogan stated. “This package is meant to increase awareness about the real impacts of antisemitism and increase facts and transparency in Pennsylvania’s Holocaust education.”