As tensions simmer on American college campuses, a Jewish civil rights organization is sounding the alarm on what it sees as a rising tide of antisemitism disguised as political protest.
StandWithUs (SWU) has made a bold move, invoking a law with roots in one of America's darkest chapters to combat what it describes as a modern-day threat. The group is urging the Department of Justice to dust off the Ku Klux Klan Act, a powerful legal tool forged in the fires of Reconstruction, to confront anti-Israel demonstrations that have engulfed universities nationwide.
In a letter that echoes with historical weight, SWU has named five organizations it claims are fanning the flames of hatred: Students for Justice in Palestine, Within Our Lifetime, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, Columbia School of Social Work 4 Palestine, and Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine.
The imagery is stark: protesters with faces obscured by masks and keffiyehs, their identities hidden as they allegedly chant slogans that send chills through Jewish students. These scenes, SWU argues, are not merely passionate political discourse but a sinister echo of a time when hooded figures spread terror through the night.
"It is a hostile environment for Jewish students," declares Yael Lerman, director of SWU, her words cutting through the cacophony of campus debate. "We hope the Department of Justice will take this opportunity to restore justice on university campuses and hold bad actors responsible for violating federal laws."
Will this century-old law become a new battleground in the fight against campus antisemitism? The answer could redefine the boundaries of protest and protection in America's halls of higher learning.
* Jewish Breaking News contributed to this article.