By Morton A. Klein
(April 11, 2025 / USA Today) Over the past 18 months, an alarming wave of antisemitic incidents has flourished across college campuses, with Jewish students facing harassment, violence, and intimidation on a scale never seen in this country. Tragically, these incidents have become part of a broader narrative of unchecked antisemitism flourishing within the very institutions tasked with preparing the leaders of tomorrow. The Trump administration, particularly through its recent actions on deportations and funding cuts, has done what universities and the Biden administration failed to do —teach a clear lesson to the next generation that actions have consequences and those who incite or engage in violence must be held accountable.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish students on campus have been subjected to constant and continuous verbal and physical assaults, from being punched, to being harassed with genocidal slurs, to enduring the horrors of antisemitic chants during riots. They have had to walk across quads where signs demand their deaths, where an ever-present ‘globalize the Intifada’ campaign is meant to incite violence against them, and where fear for their safety has replaced a sense of academic anticipation. Yet, universities have refused to protect Jewish students and hold their attackers accountable — often in the name of promoting free speech or creating “safe spaces” for marginalized views — repeatedly allowing antisemitic hate speech and violent rhetoric to thrive unchecked.
Since late 2023, members of Congress and the Jewish community have demanded action to halt the campus pogroms and hold their organizers and enablers accountable. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Virginia, and Rep.,Elise Stefanik, R-New York, held eye-opening hearings focused on campus antisemitism, which resulted in the on-the-record refusal by leading university presidents to acknowledge that calling for the murder of Jews violates campus free speech policies. Each of these hearings demanded action from the university presidents and the Biden administration, but ultimately fell on deaf ears.
Throughout the entire saga, the Zionist Organization of America has and continues to file multiple complaints with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, meet with OCR officials, write detailed letters to prior and current attorney generals, FBI Directors and OCR staff calling for investigations, arrests and prosecution of organizations, leaders, funders and actors perpetrating violence and Jew-hatred on campuses.
In a dramatic shift, the Trump administration has stepped in to do what the prior administration failed to do: hold people and entities accountable for their actions, both for their attacks and for fostering an environment of hate. By doing so it is also teaching the next generation that their actions have consequences.
Against universities that have failed to sufficiently combat antisemitism, the administration implementing appropriate and legally authorized penalties for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including terminating funds to universities that continue to allow their campuses to be hotbeds of antisemitic hate.
Against foreigners taking advantage of student visas to instigate antisemitism and foment hate, the Trump administration is rightfully revoking their visas and deporting them as a penalty for lying on their visa applications; engaging in activities supporting designated Arab Islamist terror organizations including Hamas and Hezbollah; and targeting and creating an extraordinarily hostile environment for Jewish students on their campuses.
This decisive stance sends a strong message to the perpetrators and enablers of antisemitism on campuses: actions have consequences. It is a stark contrast to the indecisiveness seen during the Biden administration and it forces university leaders to take meaningful action on these issues or else face serious penalties.
While those opposing the administration’s tough stance may argue that these measures infringe upon free speech, they miss the fundamental point: free speech is not a license to terrorize, incite violence or perpetuate hate on college campuses.
The lack of accountability within universities has sent a dangerous message to these perpetrators — that they can act with impunity, even when their actions result in physical harm or terrorizing an entire community. In contrast, the Trump administration’s approach to antisemitism teaches a critical lesson: actions, like those that incite violence and hatred, have consequences.
Morton A. Klein is the National President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).
This article was originally published in USA Today.
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