Two NY State Bills Addressing Campus Antisemitism Are a Positive Step, but They Fall Short
Though it’s 14 months overdue, two bills currently proposed in New York’s Legislature seek to address the growing issue of antisemitism across state campuses.
One bill, known as The ACCESS Act, aims to simplify the process for students to sue colleges that permit discriminatory harassment to persist without consequence. The other bill mandates the appointment of dedicated anti-discrimination coordinators to protect Title VI rights on every campus.
This is a positive initial step . . . but only that.
Recall that starting the very day after the tragic events of October 7, colleges in New York and beyond erupted with open support for Hamas and its perpetrators.
Pro-terror groups harassed and threatened Jewish students, seized public spaces and buildings, and echoed Hamas’ calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state and the extermination of its Jewish citizens — a situation that persisted for months.
The response from the educational institutions, both public and private, was essentially a shrug of indifference.
Just last week, Cooper Union was criticized in court for suggesting that students trapped in the library by aggressive protesters could simply have hidden away or left campus altogether.
The political leadership of the state has similarly lacked resolve.
Even condemning antisemitism proved too much for most, though a few notable exceptions like Reps. Ritchie Torres and Elise Stefanik have taken a stand (with Stefanik now prepared to advocate at the UN).
While it is a step forward that Empire State Democrats are taking these minimal actions,
far more must be accomplished.
This includes revoking the COVID-related repeal of the state’s anti-masking law.
And holding the leadership of public university systems accountable for enabling violent acts on campus.
While these bills represent a small and tentative light in the darkness, it remains uncertain if New York’s substantial pro-Hamas legislative group will permit their adoption.
There’s no denying: antisemitism is thriving in New York, which is home to a significant portion of the global Jewish population.
As long as the woke left maintains any substantial influence here, that reality will persist.
