As Jews around the world prepare for Passover, the ancient Exodus story and its theme of liberation resonates more than ever, with 59 hostages still languishing in Hamas captivity a year and a half after the October 7th massacre, and we pray for their immediate freedom.
New Schools Face US Federal Pressure
This week in the United States, the Trump administration announced a freeze of more than $1 billion in funding to Cornell University and $790 million to Northwestern University in connection with “several ongoing, credible, and concerning Title VI investigations” related to their handling of antisemitism on their campuses.
Columbia, Princeton, Brown, and Harvard are among the dozens of other universities also under federal scrutiny, as the federal government seeks to hold schools accountable for failures to protect Jewish students from discrimination, harassment, and violence.
Meanwhile, it was reported this week that Yale University had quietly added the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism into its anti-discrimination procedures.
State-Level Milestones in Kansas and Tennessee
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed legislation this week reinforcing her state’s adoption of the IHRA antisemitism definition. The law marks the first codification of the IHRA antisemitism definition in Kansas statute.
In Tennessee, both chambers of the General Assembly passed a bill addressing and prohibiting antisemitic discrimination in the state’s public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. HB 1188 defines antisemitism using the IHRA definition, including its 11 contemporary examples.
We wish all who observe a happy and meaningful Passover!
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