U.S. civil rights commission to launch investigation of campus antisemitism
The commission’s yearlong investigation will include a probe of how the Department of Education and Department of Justice have responded to campus antisemitism

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Graffiti reading "from the river to the sea" is seen on a building adjacent to an encampment protesting the University of Washington's ties to Israel and Boeing on the university's campus in Seattle, Washington, May 12, 2024.
The independent U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted unanimously on Jan. 17 to open a yearlong investigation into the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, which is set to include a probe into how the federal government has responded to the growing crisis.
The commission, a bipartisan body charged with making recommendations to Congress and the administration whose members are appointed by the president and Congress, will prepare a report for release in 2026. The commission’s vote comes after a request from a bipartisan group of House members led by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Kevin Kiley (R-CA).
The investigation is set to be led by former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) and attorney Peter Kirsanow, a Republican, who were both appointed to the commission by congressional leaders.
Jones said in remarks prior to the commission’s vote that the investigation would look both at campuses themselves and at how the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Justice have responded.
Jones said the probe will also compare data from the post- and pre-Oct. 7 periods, and look into how patterns have changed since the attack.
Kirsanow credited the push from Capitol Hill with prompting the investigation.
“Since October 7th, 2023, Jewish and Israeli students have been harassed and intimidated. Too often, university administrators rolled their eyes or shrugged their shoulders,” Auchincloss said in a statement. “The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ unanimous vote to undertake this investigation is a necessary step to ensure that universities uphold their Title VI obligations to provide a suitable learning environment, free from antisemitism and dedicated to critical thinking.”
Kiley said, “Disappointingly, several university officials and administrators failed to condemn antisemitism in the strongest terms, disavow any on-campus activities supporting Hamas terrorists, or assure students of all backgrounds can feel safe.” He thanked the other lawmakers who had joined the effort and the commission for opening the investigation.
“I hope that this report from the Commission on Civil Rights will shed light on the extent to which students’ Title VI rights are being protected and provide clear guidance and recommendations for bipartisan Members of Congress to take action,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), who also signed the letter, said in a statement.
Both Jones and Kirsanow expressed personal concern about antisemitism during the commission’s meeting.
“The project of combating antisemitism is about as personal for me as it can get for someone who is not Jewish,” Jones said. “When I was in Congress, I was proud to represent one of the largest Jewish communities in the country, and I have just witnessed the pain that members of the Jewish community have been feeling since the events of Oct. 7.”
Kirsanow similarly said, “This is a topic I’ve been concerned about for many years. I’ve become even more concerned since the aftermath of the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.”
The commission has investigated campus antisemitism before, in the early 2000s.