Disappointed That ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt Insisted on Jew-Haters’ Alleged Rights
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein and ZOA Director of Research and Special Projects Liz Berney, Esq. released the following statement:
The ZOA applauds President Donald Trump’s “Additional Measures to Combat Antisemitism” Executive Order, issued on January 29, 2025. This Executive Order is a welcome and much-needed directive to vigorously combat antisemitism in the United States and around the world; remedy the antisemitic violence, harassment, and intimidation that Jewish students have been enduring in their schools and on their campuses; and require more action and accountability from federal departments and agencies in our country’s fight against antisemitism.
Specifically, President Trump’s Executive Order:
(1) Reaffirms President Trump’s prior Executive Order on Combating Antisemitism (E.O. 13899), issued on December 11, 2019, which affirmed that Jewish students are protected from antisemitic harassment and discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The U.S. Department of Education had already declared that Jewish students were protected under Title VI in October 2010, after a six-year battle led by the ZOA to secure this protection. The 2019 Executive Order made it clear that all federal departments and agencies that enforce Title VI must interpret the law to protect against antisemitism. In addition, the Executive Order strengthened these protections by requiring that when federal departments and agencies enforce Title VI, they must consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which importantly recognizes that anti-Israelism can be a manifestation of antisemitism.
(2) Requires a Vigorous Enforcement Policy: The Executive Order makes it U.S. policy “to combat antisemitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful antisemitic harassment and violence.”
(3) Encourages the U.S. Attorney General to Employ Civil-Rights Enforcement Laws to Combat Antisemitism: One of these laws (18 U.S.C. § 241) authorizes the imposition of fines and/or imprisonment when two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privileges. This law is a critical tool for finally stopping and holding accountable the pro-Hamas mobs on campus which have threatened, intimidated and injured Jewish students and interfered with their ability to attend classes or even to walk across the campus lawn.
(4) Lays Groundwork for Deporting Inadmissible Aliens on Campuses: The Executive Order requires the Secretaries of State, Education and Homeland Security to provide recommendations for familiarizing universities “with the grounds for inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. §1182(a)(3)” so that universities may monitor and report alien students’ and staff’s relevant activities to ensure appropriate investigations and, if warranted, removal of such aliens.
Under §1182(a)(3), aliens are inadmissible to the United States if they are representatives or members of, or associated with a terrorist organization or group espousing terrorism; endorse or espouse terrorist activity or persuade others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization; receive military-type training from or for a terrorist organization; may have potentially serious adverse effects on U.S. foreign policy; or are a current or past associate of a terrorist organization intending to enter the U.S. to engage in activities that may endanger the welfare, safety, or security of the U.S.
If the evidence shows that pro-Hamas, pro-terror protesters on campus have engaged in any of this behavior in violation of the law, then they should be held accountable and removed from campuses and from the country.
(5) Requires All Executive Departments and Agencies to Identify All Additional Civil and Criminal Actions That Can Be Used to Curb and Combat Antisemitism
(6) Requires the Attorney General to Inventory and Analyze All Pending Court Cases; And the Secretary of Education to Inventory and Analyze All Title VI Administrative Complaints and Actions Related to Antisemitism, Which Were Pending or Resolved After October 7, 2023: The ZOA has repeatedly voiced concerns about the long delays at OCR for resolving Title VI antisemitism cases after the agency opens complaints for investigation. This comes at the expense of Jewish students who are counting on OCR to protect their civil rights and ensure that their schools and universities provide them with the safe and welcoming learning environment they are entitled to under Title VI.
The ZOA endorses all these important directives set forth in the new Executive Order that are enforced consistent with our Constitution and the law.
(But ZOA feels compelled to state we are disappointed and perplexed that ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt responded to Trump’s much needed and important pro-Jewish executive order by Greenblatt insisting on the rights of the perpetrators of vile antisemitism against innocent Jewish students on campus! Jonathan Greenblatt stated: “any immigration-related ramifications obviously must be consistent with due process and existing federal statutes and regulations. They also should not be used to target individuals for their constitutionally protected speech.” At this time, ADL’s Greenblatt should not be defending Jew-haters’ alleged rights!)