Tell Your Senators: Don’t attack and criminalize students protesting for Palestinian rights

College students have a long and proud history of activism, and their right to protest must be protected. Yet students protesting against the Israeli government’s genocide of Palestinians and for equality, justice and a thriving future for all have been brutally attacked by police and counterprotesters.

Instead of protecting these students, Congress is voting on legislation to criminalize their activism under the guise of fighting antisemitism. The House approved a bill forcing the Department of Education to adopt a widely discredited definition of antisemitism that defines criticism of Israel as anti-Jewish hate. The Senate will be voting soon — so it’s crucial that we make our voices heard right now.

Unsurprisingly, those leading this effort are MAGA Republicans and AIPAC endorsees. As Jews, we reject this cynical move in AIPAC’s longstanding efforts to forever secure unconditional U.S. political support for the Israeli government. We know that, far from supporting Jewish safety, this campus crackdown is part of a MAGA-led, anti-DEI crusade upholding white supremacy.

Jewish students are a core part of student movements across the country, proudly embracing our tradition and making clear that Jewish and Palestinian safety are intertwined. Now is the time to tell Congress: supporting Jewish and Palestinian safety means protecting students’ right to protest, calling for a ceasefire, and rejecting AIPAC’s agenda of unconditional U.S. weapons to Israel.