In Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee, Orthodox Union Urges Aggressive Action to Combat America’s Antisemitism Crisis

Washington, D.C. —The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center (OUA) – the public policy arm of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – welcomes today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focusing on the surge of antisemitism in America as a long overdue and critical step in tackling rising antisemitism across the United States.Executive Director of OU Advocacy, Nathan Diament, submitted a letter for the record to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) underscoring the urgency of the situation. Read the letter here.

“Since October 7, the American Jewish community has endured a wave of antisemitism that is unprecedented in our history in the U.S. Since the founding of this nation, Jews have experienced freedom and liberty of a kind our ancestors never experienced in any nation outside Israel in which Jews lived. That is because religious liberty and equality were built into the foundational ‘DNA’ of America.

“The terrible events we have experienced these past seventeen months – and the inability of national leaders and institutions to act effectively and reverse this tide of antisemitism – has caused too many Jews to question whether the promise of liberty and equality for Jews in America will continue for future generations.”

The Orthodox Union calls on Congress and the administration to take decisive action, including:

Aggressive use of existing federal laws to prosecute those who conspire to violate the civil rights of Jewish Americans.
Clear federal guidance on First Amendment protections to ensure university administrators and law enforcement can distinguish between free speech and unlawful harassment or incitement.
Passage of critical legislation, including:
- The Antisemitism Awareness Act which would codify the IHRA definition of antisemitism as a key tool in federal enforcement.
- The DETERRENT Act which requires greater transparency in foreign funding to American universities.
- The Protecting Students on Campus Act which seeks to protect Jewish students from antisemitism and harassment on college campuses.
- The Civil Rights Protection Act which enhances federal safeguards against antisemitic hate crimes and bias targeting Jewish communities.

Diament added, “Today, we thank this Committee for recognizing this crisis, giving it the attention it deserves, and taking action in the U.S. Senate to defend the civil rights of American Jews—ensuring that America’s promise to its Jewish citizens endures.”

For more information about the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center and its initiatives, visit https://advocacy.ou.org/.

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