New York, NY… Harriet P. Schleifer, Chair, and William Daroff, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“The Conference of Presidents commends the significant step by the Biden administration and eight federal agencies to interpret Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to include antisemitism. These measures will finally ensure that antisemitism is not treated as a second-class form of bigotry in the eyes of federal agencies, particularly with regard to antisemitism on college campuses.”
“As American Jewish leaders, we welcome the actions taken by the Biden administration as part of our country’s first antisemitism strategy. Title VI, which bars recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, skin color, or national origin, is a critical tool in the fight against modern antisemitism. Jewish Americans, as members of an ancient faith, ethnic group, and people, face multifaceted forms of discrimination in the modern world.”
“By ensuring Jewish Americans are afforded the same Title VI protections as other minority groups, the Biden administration is ensuring that Jews are protected not just against religious discrimination but also from all other forms of antisemitism, including bigotry under the guise of anti-Zionism.”
“We look forward to working with the Biden administration on further actions taken to combat the scourge of antisemitism in American life and urge the full adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of antisemitism.”
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