WASHINGTON, D.C. —  The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (Orthodox Union), the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, thanks Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer for introducing the “Civil Rights Protection Act of 2024” and applauds the House Education & Workforce Committee for favorably reporting out the bill on a bipartisan vote.

The contents of this bill will help make our universities safer for all students, but especially Jewish students who have suffered from rising antisemitism on campuses around the country in the wake of the October 7th attack.

By increasing Title VI compliance requirements for institutions of higher learning to remain eligible to receive federal funds, we are hopeful that university administrations will be moved to action in situations where they have previously failed to protect Jewish students on campus. With more than 140 open Title VI cases still being investigated by OCR, it’s clear that we must address a national campus climate that is permissive towards antisemitic discrimination on a systemic basis.

By making Title VI compliance requirements more closely match those of Title IX, the ‘Civil Rights Protection Act of 2024’ will help rebalance the scales of anti-discrimination work on campus, ensuring that attempts at inclusion do not themselves become discriminatory. 

Nathan Diament, Executive Director of Public Policy at the Orthodox Union, said: 

“We are thankful to Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer for working with us to create a requirement for clearer reporting and investigative processes around discrimination based on ethnicity and shared ancestry. This bill will ensure that universities can no longer ignore credible reports of antisemitism on campus, whether from students, professors, or faculty. We look forward to Jewish students returning to a more welcoming environment thanks to measures such as this.”