McCormick, Fetterman express concerns about antisemitism to Pennsylvania college heads
Pennsylvania senators sent letters to leaders of five universities
Pennsylvania Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman recently sent letters to the heads of five Pennsylvania universities “expressing concern about the continued rise of antisemitism on college campuses in Pennsylvania and across the nation in the nearly two years since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel,” according to a news release from McCormick’s office.
The senators encouraged the presidents or chancellors of Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University to supply Jewish institutions on campus with the resources needed to help ensure “all students, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or shared ancestry are safe and able to fully participate in campus life.”
The letters read, in part: “As the 2025-2026 school year begins, we write to urge you, as a leader of a Pennsylvania university with a large Jewish student population, to commit to ensuring Jewish institutions on your campus are equipped to protect the students they serve, including by allocating the resources to do so.
“Pennsylvania is home to some of the nation’s leading public and private universities. Your institution is spearheading cutting-edge research while attracting ambitious, hardworking students to the Commonwealth. However, Pennsylvania campuses have been no exception to the alarming rise of antisemitic harassment and violence. Chabad houses have been vandalized, entrances to Hillel buildings have been targeted, and Jewish students have been assaulted. To protect the students and faculty they host, many Jewish institutions have been forced to cover the costs of additional security.
“No student should feel like they must risk their safety to exercise their First Amendment rights to peacefully assemble and freely practice their religion. No campus institution should have to curtail its services to cover security expenses,” they continued. “We commend the recent steps taken at Pennsylvania universities to enforce codes of conduct, disband illegal encampments, and suspend student groups that have repeatedly targeted and harassed Jewish students.”
The full text of the letters can be found here. PJC
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