Enough with the polite letters and the roundtables
It’s time to act.
President Trump’s plan recognizes the urgency of the problem and responds clearly.
Once symbols of open debate and academic excellence, American universities have long been places where radicalism, intimidation, and anti-Semitism thrive.
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, this dangerous trend has become a serious moral crisis.
The Trump administration’s plan to condition federal funding on major reforms at universities like Columbia and Harvard is not only justified-it’s long overdue.
Columbia’s interim president, Claire Shipman, said Monday that the university “will reject any agreement that requires us to give up our independence and autonomy as an educational institution.” But what does that “autonomy” mean today? For many Jewish students, it means being silenced, publicly outed, or even physically assaulted, while administrators ignore or make vague statements about “dialogue.”
In this situation, autonomy has become an excuse for moral failure.
Since the October 7 massacre, cases of anti-Semitism have skyrocketed on U.S. campuses.
This is not academic freedom: it is neglect.
That’s why the federal government needs to step in.
The demands of Trump’s plan
The demands of the Trump administration’s Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism are not exaggerated-they are indispensable.
In a letter sent to Harvard on April 11, the proposed reforms include:
– Ending DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs;
– Requiring merit-based hiring and admissions;
– Banning student groups that glorify violence;
– Creating new disciplinary rules;
– Conduct audits of faculty hiring to ensure diversity of viewpoints.
Among the groups the administration wants to ban are Harvard’s Palestine Solidarity Committee, Law Students for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine, and the National Lawyers Guild, for promoting violence, disrupting learning, and spreading anti-Semitic harassment.
Harvard President Alan Garber rejected the plan, saying, “The university will not surrender its independence or its constitutional rights.” He said no government, regardless of party, should dictate what private universities can teach, who they can hire or hire, or what fields of study they can explore.
The Reality at Harvard
But Garber’s argument rings hollow.
What Harvard wants to protect is not educational freedom but institutional impunity.
The truth is that Harvard has allowed anti-Semitism to flourish under the banner of activism, and now complains when it is called out for it.
It’s worth remembering that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enforced not just with words, but with funding cuts.
Institutions that refused to end racial segregation lost federal support.
The current crisis demands the same determination.
When Jewish students are bullied in classrooms and assaulted on campuses, the government not only has the right to act-it has the duty.
President Trump himself has been blunt, writing on Truth Social: “Maybe Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status? Remember, tax exemption is contingent on acting in the public interest!”
Critics, including former President Barack Obama, have warned that the government’s actions threaten academic freedom.
“Harvard has set an example by rejecting an illegal and clumsy attempt to stifle academic freedom,” Obama posted on X.
But this statement ignores the reality of Jewish students, who are not enjoying freedom-they are being silenced.
It’s not about ideology, it’s about safety
This issue is not about ideology.
It’s about ensuring the basic promise that all students-Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist-deserve to feel safe, respected, and free to learn.
What the Trump administration is proposing is a course correction-a necessary and proportionate use of government oversight to ensure that taxpayer dollars don’t fund hate.
Enough polite letters and roundtables.
Action is needed.
Trump’s plan recognizes the urgency and responds clearly.
We support this effort and urge Congress, civil rights groups, and Jewish organizations to do the same.
Protecting Jewish students is not overkill-it’s the bare minimum.
Published in 04/16/2025 13h28
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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