Northwestern University under investigation by feds for ‘antisemitic harassment’

Northwestern University and four other schools are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for what the federal agency is calling “widespread antisemitic harassment” after mass student protests that broke out last spring against the Israel-Hamas war.

The Education Department said it is launching its investigation under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities — like universities — that receive federal financial assistance.

“These investigations build upon the foundational work of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce under then-Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, which found that university administrations ‘overwhelmingly failed’ to protect or support their Jewish students, even making ‘astounding concessions’ to illegal, anti-American encampments,” the department said in a release.

When Israel declared war on Hamas after the group’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023, college students across the country protested by setting up encampments and holding walkouts and protests. They demanded their universities divest from companies that do business with Israel.

Many of the encampments at colleges across Chicago were eventually dismantled by police, leaving lawn chairs and colorful student artwork dotting the muddy grass of campus quads. Northwestern’s encampment, in Deering Meadow, was taken down in an agreement with students and faculty — believed to be the first between a major U.S. university and pro-Palestinian protesters.

In the agreement, Northwestern agreed to fund two visiting Palestinian faculty members each year and scholarships for five Palestinian undergraduates for their undergraduate careers. The school also agreed to renovate a community building for use as a gathering space for Middle Eastern, North African and Muslim students.

However, some Jewish students at Northwestern said the protests veered into antisemitism and made them afraid.

Hillel, the Jewish center at Northwestern, said the encampment reflected “a disturbing and quickly escalating trend of antisemitic rhetoric and actions both nationally and on our own campus.”

The entire campus community has an important role to play in countering antisemitism, according to Michael Simon, Hillel’s executive director at the university. Hillel will continue to work with Northwestern to make sure the university is free of harassment, intimidation or threat, Simon said in a statement Tuesday.

“We hope this investigation, along with other improvements and initiatives already underway, will continue to enhance the campus climate for Jewish students at Northwestern,” Simon said in the statement.

News of the investigation came days after President Trump announced aggressive action to fight antisemitism on college campuses, promising to prosecute offenders and revoke visas for international students found to be “Hamas sympathizers.”

For some in the Chicago Jewish community, however, the investigation represents an attack against Palestinian students.

“This entire thing is really a very disturbing and troubling trend that we’re seeing all across the country to crack down on pro-Palestine activism by using the weapon of antisemitism,” said Rabbi Brant Rosen, who is affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, which works to promote solidarity between Palestinians and Israelis.

Universities should be a place to challenge public assumptions, Rosen believes.

“We should be uncomfortable. We should all be uncomfortable, but that’s not the same thing as being unsafe, and it’s certainly not the same thing as antisemitism,” he said.

David Goldenberg, the Midwest regional director for the Anti-Defamation League who works with students at Northwestern, said even though there’s not an encampment, those memories are still raw.

When the protesting was happening, he said, some Jewish students felt mentally and physically unsafe. He said they no longer have to avoid demonstrators campus’ main green space but that their confidence and trust in Northwestern’s leadership has eroded. He cited an annual national survey ADL conducted on campus antisemitism that showed Jewish college students don’t feel confident in their universities’ ability to prevent antisemitic incidents.

“Students look around and don’t see transparent accountability,” Goldenberg said.

He implored Northwestern to come up with a “non-reactive, long-term plan, that is permanent and … changes the culture on campus and (makes sure) individuals who have and do break the rules are held accountable.”

The Department of Education has also opened Title VI investigations at Columbia University, Portland State, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Minnesota.