‘Political theatre': key takeaways from US universities' House antisemitism hearing

The Guardian

16-07-2025

Lawmakers questioned the leaders of the University of California at Berkeley, Georgetown University and the City University of New York in the final antisemitism hearing the House of Representatives has held since the 7 October attacks and ensuing war in Gaza broke out in 2023.
Georgetown University's interim president Robert Groves, Cuny's chancellor Félix V Matos Rodríguez and UC Berkeley's chancellor Rich Lyons faced scrutiny from Republican representatives – who questioned the universities' hiring practices, faculty unions, Middle East study centers, foreign funding and DEI initiatives.
Congress's preceding antisemitism hearings featured tense exchanges between Republican lawmakers such as representative Elise Stefanik, and precipitated the resignations of the presidents of the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard and Columbia.
While denouncing antisemitism, Democratic lawmakers spoke out against the focus of the hearing, calling it 'political theatre' and criticizing the Trump administration's gutting of the government agencies that enforce civil rights protections.
'I'd be remiss if I did not point out that this is our ninth hearing on antisemitism in 18 months,' said ranking member Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia. 'I'll also note that since this committee's first antisemitism hearing in December 2023 we have not held a single hearing addressing racism, xenophobia, sexism, Islamophobia or other challenges affecting other student groups on American college campuses.'
In their opening statements, each of the university leaders present at Tuesday's hearings began their remarks by condemning antisemitism, and in many cases listing actions their campuses had undertaken to prevent future antisemitism.
Georgetown was one of the first campuses to condemn the 7 October attacks, Groves said, adding: that 'Antisemitism is incompatible with living our mission; the same applies to Islamophobia and racism.'
'Berkeley unequivocally condemns antisemitism,' Lyons echoed. He added: 'I am the first to say we have more work to do. Berkeley, like our nation, has not been immune to the disturbing rise in antisemitism.'
Matos Rodríguez shared a similar remark: 'Our university has not been immune, but let me be clear: antisemitism has no place at Cuny.' He added that the university now has a zero-tolerance policy toward encampments, like those students established at City College and Brooklyn College in 2024.
Democratic lawmakers and witnesses noted that the Trump administration's decision to shutter federal agencies tasked with enforcing civil rights protections will not protect Jewish students on college campuses.
'Antisemitism in America and on campuses is real' but 'this administration's approach is contradictory and counterproductive,' said Matt Nosanchuck, a former deputy assistant secretary for the education department's office for civil rights under the Obama administration. He urged that 'Congress must fulfill its core responsibilites' to give agencies appropriate resources, not conduct political theatre.
In his opening remarks, Scott criticized his fellow committee members for saying 'nothing about the firings attacking the office of civil rights' or the supreme court decision allowing the Trump administration to dismantle the Department of Education. The Trump administration closed seven of the office of civil rights' 12 regional offices in March.
'If the majority wanted to fight antisemitism and protect Jewish students, they should condemn antisemitism in their own party and at the highest level of government,' said Democratic representative Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon. 'They have failed to do so. Multiple White House officials have ties to antisemitic extremists.'
To begin the hearing, Walberg said that the committee would 'be examining several factors that incite antisemitism on college campuses' including faculty unions and faculty membership in the group Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.
He later questioned Matos-Rodríguez about a Hunter College faculty job posting looking for candidates who could 'take a critical lense' to issues such as 'settler colonialsm, genocide, human rights, apartheid' and others. Matos-Rodríguez called the listing 'entirely inappropriate' and said he ordered it revised immediately upon learning about it.
Representative Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina, focused her questioning on questions around faculty hiring and union practices. She questioned Matos-Rodríguez on the fact that the president of Cuny's faculty union supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. She also questioned Lyons on Columbia's hiring practices, which she said had allowed antisemitic faculty to join the staff.
'We use academic standards to hire faculty. We don't use ideological conditions to hire faculty,' Lyons said.
'I'm concerned by what I see happening here. Because instead of solving a problem, we're watching some try to use antisemitism as a reason to go after higher education,' said representative Alma Adams, a Democrat from North Carolina.
'Let's not forget as we sit here today, the Department of Education is withholding more than $6bn in congressionally mandated funding from our K-12 schools,' she added.
During her questioning Bonamici also questioned whether the antisemitism hearings were motivated by 'plans to defund colleges and universities'.
Following an exchange between representative Elise Stefanik of New York and Cuny chancellor Matos Rodríguez, California representative Mark DeSaulnier yielded his time so Matos Rodríguez could 'respond to that outrageous attack by my colleague'.
Stefanik had denounced the university for having on its staff an attorney also leading the legal defense fund for Mahmoud Khalil, who she called 'chief pro-Hamas agitator that led to the anti-semitic encampments at Columbia'.
Earlier in the hearing, California representative Mark Takano called the committee's hearing 'a kangaroo court'.