Students for Justice in Palestine: a loosely connected network of organizations and schools under investigation over allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia

The office is investigating possible violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects students in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance from discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin. The agency did not give any details about what led to the investigations except to say that there were five and two anti-Muslim harassment complaints.

“We are shocked and condemn the antisemitic threats that were made and believe that they should be tried to the fullest extent of the law,” a spokesman for Cornell said at the time.

The Department of Education released on Thursday a list of K-12 and higher education institutions under investigation over alleged incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia.

“Hate has no place in our schools, period.,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in the department’s announcement. “When students are identified as being Jewish or Muslim, or of Sikh heritage, schools must act to ensure safe and inclusive educational environments where everyone is free to learn.”

But unlike many national campus groups — whether they are sororities, fraternities, religious or political — Students for Justice in Palestine is by design a loosely connected network of autonomous chapters. There is no national headquarters and no named leader. There is a national student steering committee, but it is anonymous. The group has never registered as a nonprofit, and it has never had to file tax documents.

Interviews with 20 people and a survey of videos, academic writings, archival news accounts and public records show that the network has been aided by a deliberate lack of hierarchy. The network’s constellation of tactics and rhetoric, including theatrical demonstrations with “apartheid walls” and mock Israeli checkpoints, has been replicated on campuses across the country.

The Biden administration opened the investigations as part of “efforts to take aggressive action to address the alarming nationwide rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and other forms of discrimination,” according to a news release published by the Office for Civil Rights.

Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary of education for civil rights said that the appearance of a school on the list does not show a conclusion that the law has been violated.

Center for the Study of Antisemitism in New York During the October September 5 – 13 Reionization of the State of Israel

New York is seeing almost daily demonstrations over the conflict in the war. There were more hate crimes recorded in the city in October than there were in the previous month. The number of antisemitic incidents more than tripled.

The national conversation about the war came about after a confrontation between the pro-Palestinian students and the Jewish students in the library at Cooper Union. There were no arrests or summonses as a result of the incident, the police said.

A spokesman for Columbia said the university had been contacted by the civil rights office and would respond to any investigation.

Columbia formed a task force on antisemitism and a group to support individuals whose personal information has been posted online.

A backlash was dealt with by the University of Pennsylvania over hosting a Palestinian literary conference. Some people have criticized the campus over it’s response.

On Wednesday, N.Y.U. announced it would create a Center for the Study of Antisemitism. And John Beckman, a spokesman for N.Y.U., said Wednesday that the claims made in the suit were inaccurate. N.Y.U. was not listed one of the institutions the federal agency is investigating.