>> President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to freeze federal funding to universities.

He cites a rise in Anti-Semitic attacks and institutions.

Inadequate response while some Jewish people are skeptical of the administration's motivations saying he's politicizing Anti-Semitism, others a welcoming the administration's actions.

Joining us to discuss this more are David Goldenberg, the Midwest regional director of the Anti-Defamation League and Howard DePaul University graduate students and Jews for Justice.

President Northwestern University.

Legal professor Sean Bernstein and Rabbi David Chapman Congregation, Beth Shalom, thanks to all of you for joining us.

So Sean Bernstein host will start with Northwestern as we know.

It's now one of the federal government's targets.

They have had 790 million dollars in federal funding frozen.

In your view, is this a fight about public safety and Anti-Semitism and public safety for Jewish students in particular, on university campuses or is this part of the president's larger battle against higher Ed?

That's really important question.

And I I worry a lot about what's happening with this because I think that Anti-Semitism is being misused.

>> For political purposes and it's particularly hard to believe that an administration that has said certain things like that, you Charlottesville rally that you know, good people on both sides.

Jews will not replace us.

We've Schumer's not really Jewish because the way he does things we've seen if Jews vote for Harris, they aren't really Jews, right?

There's just a lot of things that.

Make it hard to believe that Anti-Semitism is really but thereafter.

I think it's also, you know, we think of a JD Vance's public statements about universities being the enemy.

And when you put those all together, it's just very hard to believe that life think foes.

Anti-semitism is important.

I just it's hard for a lot of people.

I think that I know to to understand believe that that's actually what's going on rather than just meant dismantling universities.

at Munson question to you.

>> Thanks for asking the question.

I I serve a community that has felt not just felt that has been unsafe and has I've heard stories of college students that have been harassed and attacked in and just trying to live their lives as students and they haven't been able to pursue their studies in the way that they would like to.

And so I think it's more than a perception, especially in the in year and a half since October, 7th.

I think it's become a real critical issue.

So, look, I think it's complicated.

I reckon I welcome any efforts to seriously combat Anti-Semitism and at the same time, I also think that we have to remember that Jews are always safest and democracies will rule of law and Justice's is observed.

So it's difficult for me to say which policy is or isn't the right policy or the wrong policy share some of the skepticism.

But I also know that for our community, there's a real sense of urgency around safety on campus that frankly has not been taken seriously as it should have been up until now.

>> Okay.

So to that point, David Goldenberg and audit from ATL, you all found that in 2024.

For the first time, a majority of all Anti-Semitic incidents.

That's more than 5500 incidents were related to Israel of all Israel related incidents.

Nearly 2600 took place at anti-Israel rallies in the form of Anti-Semitic speeches.

Chance signs, slogans.

What do you think colleges could college campuses should be doing to push back against Anti-Jewish attacks?

Absolutely.

Well, first, I want to make clear we tracked well over 5,000 anti-Israel rallies on college campuses.

>> And roughly half of them needed into the audit because well over 2500 of them, we couldn't find acts of Anti-Semitism that were part of those rallies.

So it's important on a college campus.

Freedom of speech that ability exists, right?

Like that's that's an important place.

And the First Amendment guarantees that right.

And at the same time on college campuses.

When you have chance calling and celebrating violence against Jews anywhere and everywhere.

We've Jewish students who are being harassed, you have issues literally physically being attacked on college campuses from protests and events that and speakers who are coming to campus who are really fanning the flames of Anti-Semitism.

It's a problem.

And for universities the need to have in place the policies and practices to make sure that they can respond when 2 issues are not attack, Anti-Semitism should be protected under codes of conduct and they also have a voice, a voice to say.

This is the expectation that all of our students are going to feel safe here on campus.

And when those incidents occur that take aggressive action, including discipline and even explosion, if necessary, if that's where if if there's a violation of codes of conduct targeting members of the Jewish community, do you see the president raising concerns, though, about Anti-Semitism in any other sector the way he is about higher But >> we welcome any time a president or an elected official.

>> Raises concerns about Anti-Semitism because as you speak there, campus or other places, ATL, his scream from the rooftops about problems for years that universities have failed Jewish students and failed to take necessary action.

So as it relates to the president and his motives, you've got ask him.

there's a man on the red team and not on the blue team and the Jewish team and what I can tell you is that Anti-Semitism has reached epidemic levels on college campuses and we all need to do something about it.

O and you've been to pull student for about 6 years.

What shift have you seen on campus?

>> Going back to the October 7th.

>> I don't really think I've seen much of a ship.

I think that we remain pretty stocked.

And I think it really does depend what kind of communities you're in.

And also how you view.

Anti-semitism.

I think that there is a concerted effort not only by individuals in our community, but by the administration, by universities all across the country to equate Anti-Semitism, anti Zionism, I think on some level there are adults.

There are respected individuals in our communities, organizations that are telling Jewish teens they should be afraid and viewing these things.

Are these actions as credible threat small?

This is all really in the context.

After October 7.

On a genocide that's happening and we have to understand that Jewish safety.

These are words.

These are conversations that need to start at home.

We need to have a conversation with all types of Jews, Jews of color, anti Zionist Jews, Jews who do support Israel.

We need to have real conversations with all of these people to best address Anti-Semitism.

But really these protests in my view are a voice for people who have been under siege for.

Almost 100 years.

>> I'm Rabbi Chapman.

What are you hearing from your congregants?

>> I'm hearing from congregants who they themselves are college students or their kids or grandkids or college sons that they that they have felt unsafe.

They felt unsafe for a long time in various settings and campuses.

I remember when I was a college student, which was quite a while ago, long before October, 7th, I sometimes felt unsafe or expressing a view of support for Israel or even just expressing my Jewish identity in different settings.

So I don't think it's an illusion.

I think it's really is happening.

And I think it's something that that does give me as as a religious leader.

A lot of concern.

And I am also hearing from congregants that are concerned a lack of to process about sliding away from democracy and transparency.

And that is troubling as well.

You know, we teach a religion and revere in the Tora a system of laws and justice and a system of fairness and transparency.

And I think that is really important to when you look at Jewish history again, those are the situation.

Those are the settings in which Jews have been most safe as settings where a rule of law democracy is respected.

Shauna is there.

Can you think of a moment in history that resembles this moment sort of the what some people are calling up a little hesitation or politicization of weaponization.

>> Of racial or religious not directly.

But I do see, I think part of what's happening in my mind with using Anti-Semitism in this way, despite the real concerns that there that we should have about Anti-Semitism.

>> Is Over over the centuries there have been attempts by people in power to separate groups of people to keep them from seeing their common, their common needs.

Right.

The fact that there's racism in.

Sexism Anti-Semitism so they can billion 16.

76 enslaved black people and injured white servants rose and the black codes where the response by people with power to say we're going to make sure that black people, white people don't realize they haven't thing in common.

And I I don't think we've seen things like this weaponization of Anti-Semitism before, but we have scenic have repeated and ongoing use of differences among groups of people to try to.

Put wedge between them.

And I'm afraid that that's what's happening here.

And I worry when we say.

And it's something let's bring in these efforts kneecap universities because what they've done.

First of all, it's bad for Jews because Anti-Semitism, I think it's going to be stimulated by these kinds of actions.

I worry about that.

I also think at the moment, Jews are the cars that people are like administration's and they care about what happens when that's no longer the case and then other groups become, you cause celeb branches become the target.

So I think it's a dangerous route to go that a minute left.

David Goldenberg, there's some concern that anti Zionist speech or critiques of Israel can be.

>> Confused or conflated with Anti-Semitism.

Having people tell the difference between legitimate, you know, political expression versus Anti-Jewish sentiment.

>> Like any thriving democracy, criticizing Israeli policy is actually kind of who we are as a Jewish community.

You're not going to find someone who criticizes Israeli policy.

Arguably more than me.

And at the same time, though, when you're out there calling for the elimination of the state of Israel, which is what you're seeing at some of these rallies.

That's an extreme view.

90 1% of Americans think that Israel should exist as a safe haven for the Jewish people.

Almost 90% of American Jews identifying believe that there should be a Jewish homeland in the safe haven.

Those who don't in don't beat that quick or city largely on the extremes of the of our own community.

So when you're out there calling for the elimination of Israel, that's a problem.

When you're calling for violence against Jews, that we've crossed the line as well.

And when you're really suggesting the Jews are more loyal to Israel than that, we are to our home country.

That also is Anti-Semitic.

And we see all of that and all these roads sounds like you feel there's a pretty clear line when when very that out loud market, OK, we'll have to leave it there.

My thanks to all of you for joining us.