Just weeks after the American Association of University Professors reversed course and dropped its longtime opposition to academic boycotts, faculty members on several campuses, days into the new academic year, have started implementing aspects of a boycott of Israel by not assigning articles written by Israeli scholars, refusing to invite Israeli academics to conferences or declining to write study abroad letters for students wishing to spend a semester in Israel. 

Critics accuse the AAUP of deserting its commitment to academic freedom —-  and although the policy does not mention Israel — particularly concerned are pro-Israel campus leaders who say the change will be used to promote the boycott of the Jewish state and as a result have negative consequences for Jewish and Israeli students and faculty. 

The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the rise in hate crimes this week will not focus exclusively on domestic antisemitism despite GOP efforts within the committee to secure a hearing exclusively on the topic. 

Tuesday’s hearing is a first for the Senate since Oct. 7 and the proceedings are not shaping up as a bipartisan effort. Judiciary Committee Republicans have been urging Democrats for months to convene a hearing on how the uptick in antisemitism on college campuses is violating the civil rights of Jewish students — similar to their House GOP counterparts’ hearings with embattled university presidents earlier in the year. 

The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to respond to Rep. Marc Molinaro’s (R-NY) inquiry about what guidance it has given to U.S. airlines amid their ongoing suspension of flights to Israel, he told Jewish Insider. 

Molinaro, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, gave FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker until Sept. 6 to respond to his questions about whether the agency had in any way instructed or encouraged U.S. airlines to suspend flights to the Jewish state, either temporarily or indefinitely. Molinaro said he has yet to hear back. 

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken are set to host back-to-back receptions on Sunday evening to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Blair House, the president’s official guest house. Blair House has hosted foreign heads of state and dignitaries, including leaders from Israel. Located across the street from the White House, Blair House is also where incoming presidents frequently stay on the eve of their presidential inaugurations.

Cosmetics executive Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, the daughter of businessman and philanthropist Ronald Lauder, posted invitations to the two receptions on Instagram. Biden’s reception is called for 5 p.m. on Sunday at the White House, followed by a 7 p.m. dinner at the State Department’s Benjamin Franklin Room hosted by Blinken and his wife, White House Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan.

The American official who spent months seeking to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza criticized Israel for the beleaguered territory’s humanitarian crisis, claiming Israel’s partial operation in Rafah in May “upended” any progress that Israel had made in increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza.

David Satterfield, whom President Joe Biden named the U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues just eight days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, described his view of the state of humanitarian assistance in Gaza in an interview with Jewish Insider on Monday. He directed much of the blame at Israel for paying more attention to its military goals than the needs of Gazan civilians, taking a tougher line than most other senior U.S. officials who have served in public-facing roles after Oct. 7. 

Michal Cotler-Wunsh, the Israeli government’s antisemitism envoy, said this week that governments, universities and other organizations are failing to take the necessary steps to properly combat antisemitism and called for the U.S. to make more of an effort to lead on the issue. She also characterized the growth of global antisemitism as the harbinger of a global antidemocratic and authoritarian movement.

Asked whether any government, university, company or entity has been effective in combating antisemitism over the past year and can serve as a model for others, Cotler Wunsh said, “No one has done it right so far.”

Three new polls released in recent weeks show different results with respect to Jewish voter sentiment in the presidential election, raising questions about how a key voting bloc could shape the closely-contested race.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America this week released a national poll of 800 self-identified Jewish voters that demonstrates robust support for Vice President Kamala Harris — leading former President Donald Trump by a wide margin, 72-25%, in a head-to-head matchup.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged nine anti-Israel demonstrators and two counterprotesters involved in incidents at the University of Michigan relating to the school’s anti-Israel protest encampment.

“The right to free speech and assembly is fundamental, and my office fully supports every citizen’s right to free speech under the First Amendment,” Nessel said on Thursday announcing the charges. “However, violent and criminal behavior, or acts that trample on another’s rights, cannot be tolerated. I hope today’s charges are a reminder to everyone who chooses to assemble, regardless of the cause, that the First Amendment does not provide a cover for illegal activity.”